Even though the newest studies say not to give children under 6 meds

[lynn]

Do you still do it? I know I gave my middle son triamentic or dimatapp as needed before he was 1 for his cold/allergies. My dd nose is running like a faucet since she got up I did give her childrens clariten which I got right before the ban on childrens products. I am doing what I need to to help my child. Why all of a sudden the change to giving children nothing at all. I got the oldest pediatrician (probalby close to 70) in my dr's group last time and he said he always told parents to give children nothing. Funny just 15 years ago I was told it was okay to give my oldest benydril if I wanted to when we went on an airplane. Also, back then triaminic, dimatapp was acceptable.

[beansprouts]

Yes I do. I do not find the statistics to be particularly alarming.

[Peek a Boo]

::sittin' next to beansprouts::

 

you betcha.

[Perry]

No, but I never did.

[ThelmaLou]

I never found cold medicines to be very helpful with my kiddos. I do use benadryl, which dries up their noses at night and is pretty benign. I also use Tylenol and Advil.

[gandpsmommy]

which has not been too extensive, it is cold medications with decongestants that are being targeted. According to research they are not effective for children under 6, but may be potentially be harmful. My physician said that using a cold medicine with a decongestant should only be reserved for the very worst day of a cold, and should never be used on a regular basis. Claritin, however, is an allergy medicine with an antihistamine that our physician has recommended for ongoing problems with congestion, as she pointed out that it is probably an allergic reaction causing this kind of chronic condition. So, no, we don't give ds4 cold medication unless it specifically states on the box a proper dosage for 2 to 6 year olds. If the box says not recommended for children under 6, we don't give it to him. And we dispense cold medication very sparingly.

[elizam]

I still give OTC meds as I deem necessary. Those dire warnings came about due to parents incorrectly using meds and overdosing their kids.

 

I remember the ped telling me that a little decongestant was *important* to dry their heads up before it lead to an ear infection from the drainage going into their ears.

[Excelsior! Academy]

We don't give our kiddos meds very often, partly because they are rarely sick. I wonder if the change in dispensing meds is due to some abusing them and overdosing their kids? I get irritated when a few ruin it for the rest of us!

 

P.S. Using new smilies becase I can......:banghead:

[Raders Fan]

I am going to be a whole lot more cautious now. These meds are supposed to make us feel better, but in the vast majority of cases we and they will be feeling better in a day or two anyway.

 

My son's best friend (since about 6th grade) took some cold medication with ephedrine (sp?) last month. After all, they are freshmen in college now, and they can't afford to take time off from classes. They NEED clear heads. A few hours later, he literally dropped dead. My son and another close friend were with him and immediately called 911. To these two eagle scouts and the first officer on the scene, it appeared like their friend was still breathing, so they didn't begin CPR. The second officer on the scene recognized the agonal (sp?) breathing for what it was because she had seen her own child die, and immediately began CPR. It took four shocks of the defibrillator to start his heart, but start it did. He had been clinically dead for 15 minutes.

 

When his parents arrived at the hospital, they were told there was no hope for a full recovery. Zero. Don't even think about it. He would probably be a vegetable. He might regain consciousness, but he would never be "Justin" again. If he did recover, he would need loads of therapy. Long story short, Justin WALKED out of the ICU less than one week later. :party: He is still "Justin." (He says that dying has it's benefits. The girls have all been bringing him cookies, and he got to drop a bunch of classes he didn't really like anyway.)

 

He has a pacemaker and defibrillator now. Doctors found that he had long Q-T syndrome. His four younger brothers have been tested and they also have it.

 

The point is, medicines have their uses. I am so grateful for every single medical advance. But I think many of us, myself included, don't necessarily think a whole lot about what we are taking, and there can be unintended consequences. Our family will definitely be making some changes in how we treat routine illnesses.

 

Jennifer

[Jenny in Florida]

. . . I certainly would consider giving a teeny bit now and then if I thought it would really help.

 

The thing with all cold medicines, as I understand it, is that they don't do anything curative. All they do is alleviate symptoms. And any medicine comes with some risk of side effects. So, unless my child is sick enough that the symptoms are interferring with his/her ability to recover through rest and TLC, I generally don't give anything OTC. I don't even medicate for fever until it gets to 102 degrees or higher.

 

I take the same approach for myself, by the way, because, in general, I prefer to let our bodies do what they are designed to do.

 

--Jenny

[Alice]

The warnings are about cold medicines only. This does not include Tylenol or Ibuprofen. It also does not include Claritin, Zyrtec (which is also now OTC) or Benadryl. It would include the ingredients in most of the products labeled "cold" or "cough and cold" or "decongestant".

 

Tylenol shouldn't be given to kids under 3 months as fever under 3 months needs to be seen by a doctor. Ibuprofen shouldn't be given to babies under 6 months. Claritin and Zyrtec are approved for over 2 yrs but are often given to kids as young as 6 months.

 

The cold medicines are now not recommended under 6 yrs. The primary issue was overdosing. It's very easy to overdose since many of the meds have multiple ingredients and people usually don't know exactly what is in each one. It gets even more confusing with the multi-ingredient meds and multi-caregivers (this can even be Dad and Mom both giving meds not realizing the other person did).

 

However, there have also been case of kids having severe reactions to cough and cold medicines that were correctly dosed. These can include cardiac arrythmias, high blood pressure, and neurological reactions.

 

There have been many studies that look at cough and cold medicines and show that they don't really do anything for kids. So, taken together with the high potential for overdose and the possibility of severe reactions the decision was made to label with the new recommendation.

 

Personally, I don't give them to kids under 2 yo. I think the risk of side effects is too high and the benefit is too low. For my son who is 4 1/2 I do occasionally give him a decongestant when he has a cold. I make sure I buy one with only one ingredient so he's not getting a lot of stuff he doesn't need and I usually only give him one dose before bed if he's really having a hard time sleeping.

[beansprouts]

. . . I certainly would consider giving a teeny bit now and then if I thought it would really help.

 

The thing with all cold medicines, as I understand it, is that they don't do anything curative. All they do is alleviate symptoms. And any medicine comes with some risk of side effects. So, unless my child is sick enough that the symptoms are interferring with his/her ability to recover through rest and TLC, I generally don't give anything OTC. I don't even medicate for fever until it gets to 102 degrees or higher.

 

I take the same approach for myself, by the way, because, in general, I prefer to let our bodies do what they are designed to do.

 

--Jenny

 

I completely agree with all of this, and I would certainly not give (or even take for myself) any medication unless I felt it was completely necessary.

 

However, when the toddler/preschooler is sick and miserable, or has a fever so high that he is vomiting (my 4 y.o. ds tends to do this...), they're not sleeping, and an exhausted Mommy does not make a very good nurse. Sometimes a temporary break from their symptoms allows them to get the rest and fluids they need so they can get well.

[j.griff]

I wasn't even aware of a "ban", :o

We only use fever/pain meds for The Littles when it is really needed- we all avoid all meds possible. I have no problems with homeopathic remedies though ;)

[PiCO]

Do you still do it? .

 

I have always tried to avoid using drugs on my children (and myself.) I only use drugs if it's necessary for getting a good night's sleep, or advil for extreme pain. I think my 14-yo had advil a couple times in the past year, and my 9 yo hasn't needed any drugs for about 3 years.

 

I don't use drugs to make a child more comfortable unless there is an extreme problem.

[Audrey]

There were a few times I've given ds children's Tylenol for a raging fever (he had strep twice) and I remember giving him Dimetapp at night when he had a cold so he could get some sleep.

 

IMO, it is very important to be able to get some good sleep when you are ill. That's when your body can actually heal itself. If ds couldn't sleep because he was hacking uncontrollably, or so fevered that he couldn't rest, then I would give him something.

 

I don't make a habit of liberally dosing him for every sniffle and whine, though.

[3lilreds in NC]

I don't remember needing to give it to them when they were under 2. What I preferred was the nose drops that would unclog their nose, like baby Afrin - the Little Noses Decongestant Drops.

 

I don't give medicine for every little thing, but I'm not opposed to using it. If the kids are congested to the point of being unable to sleep at night, I will give them something.

 

When Schmooey had the flu, our ped told me I could give him Motrin, even though he was not quite 6 months, because he weighed over 20 lbs. He hated it so much that he threw it up on me every time I tried to give it to him, so we just stuck with Tylenol anyway.

 

I've tried Benadryl for traveling and found that it didn't help the kids sleep any longer in the car, so we don't use it. It did cut down on the whining but that's not a good reason to drug them, lol.

 

I don't think there is anything wrong with careful usage of the correct medication.

[Peek a Boo]

ok, ok, I'll stand in the clarification camp.

 

don't give medicine for every little thing, but will absolutely alleviate symptoms so rest and healing can occur. Including decongestants in young children. And anything else that those who said similar stuff said too.......

:-)

[Holly IN]

I usually follow my instinct on this however our dr and I have a very good relationship so I will ask him in passing at church about a medicine or call him myself. I trust his judgement. He is into alternative meds as well as conventional so I ask first in most cases. :D

 

Holly

[Mabelen]

I do, like many of you said already, only at night to assure good rest for quick healing. Also I never even before would give multi ingredient medication anyway, so that is no change for me, plus I have always followed the directions and dosage religiously.