FDA Officials: Cold Meds Not for Kids

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: NYT/AP

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: September 29, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Very young children simply should not take some commonly used cold and cough medicines, federal health officials say in recommending that the ''consult your physician'' advice to parents on the labels be dropped.

The preliminary recommendation, from Food and Drug Administration safety officials, would apply to decongestant use in children under 2, and antihistamines in those younger than 6, according to agency documents released Friday. The more than 350 pages of documents are part of a broad and ongoing FDA examination of whether the roughly 800 medicines, many popular and widely used, are safe and effective in treating children's colds and coughs.

FDA advisers are to take up the issue during an Oct. 18-19 meeting. The FDA has not made a final decision on any label changes. Action is likely, pending a recommendation from outside experts.

The review came in response to a recently filed petition by Baltimore city officials, who charged that many over-the-counter cough and cold remedies can harm toddlers and preschoolers. Those officials, joined by the American Academy of Pediatrics, cite evidence that suggests the drugs are not only risky but also don't work in the very young....

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Cold-and-Cough-Medicines.html

[Tian Zhuangzhuang]

1. Silly Rabbit

:sarcasm:

i mean Nyquil is like 80 proof who would give that to a kid.

[Heidi]

2. No doubt, but I can't possibly be the only American who's known parents

who Robi-dosed (medicated with Robitussin) their "unwieldy" children. It's wrong and abusive, in my opinion, but it's so common that nobody listened when I said, :wtf:

[Heidi]

3. Kick! This is important.

:kick:

Recommended.

[hedgehog]

4. My son's asthma was diagnosed only because I couldn't give

him commercial cough syrup. None of the OTC stuff was labeled for a kid 18 months old. I know that antibiotics don't help a cold, but I broke down and took him to the doctor just so I could get a prescription for something to ease his cough. How was I to know that that was asthma? My brothers always sounded like that all winter when they were little!


This of course raises the question, how many parents rely on OTC treatments because they can't afford a doctor?

[tblue37]

5. I posted about this and about the

case a couple of months ago when a nasty flight attendant had a woman and her 19-month-old baby dumped from a plane--without even allowing her to get their luggage (which had been checked), because the baby was saying "Bye-bye, plane," and the mother refused to drug him with Benadryl.

Here's that thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1938336&mesg_id=1938336

[Heidi]

6. Thank you.

I'm no fan of unruly (ie normal, healthy) toddler than one who has been, at risk to his/her current and future health, drugged to the gills. A normal kid doesn't weigh on my conscience, however noisy or out of hand, but being party to a kid being unnecessarily drugged would _definitely_ weigh on my conscience. :hi:

[ananda]

9. Kids are kids.

The talk, babble, cry, sometimes throw tantrums
run around, laugh, scream... all normal and
healthy.

Sue

[DeepModem Mom]

7. Thanks for the link and for your posts -- I K&Red. nt

[tblue37]

8. Thanks.

I think the connection between the story and the drugs needs to be made.