Will you stop giving cold/cough medication - Page 2

Exactly. I do not use OTC cough medicines. We use only what is prescribed by our Pediatrician and in the correct doses. My daughter has Asthma, so there are times I really do need to use some sort of medication such as a cough medication. Until your child has a chronic disease, I would not make a blanket statement on medications being BAD for a child. I think leaving my daughter in a chronic coughing fit and unable to breathe is a MUCH worse state.

Exactly the poin the majority o us are trying to make. Headline reads:

"Infant cold medicines pulled for overdose risk"

And this paragraph:

"Products aimed at children under the age of two are being removed from store shelves due to “rare instantances of misuse” that could lead to accidental overdose, a trade group that represents over-the-counter drug makers said"

This is overdose, not the normal dosage that causes these problems. If you following dosing instractions there should be no issue.

Final paragraph:

"The trade group stressed in a statement that the “medicines are, and have always been, safe at recommended doses.”

So because some parents decided to give nyquil smoothies, incorrect dosing, or leaving the meds where the children can get them, they pull the meds. This is clearly caregiver error not the meds themselves.

EXACTLY. Read the box, follow the directions and consult your Pediatrician. Pretty much common sense.

Kim, you hit the nail on the head! COMMON SENSE! So many people lack it or fail to use it! And that is why I am sure most of these issues have occurred with the cough medicines.

I've always said it should be illegal for stupid people to breed.

Joking aside though, I still firmly believe that cold/cough medicines when used correctly are beneficial.

Well... I'm late to the party here but want to add my opinion.
Yes, I will continue to give my kids cold meds, and heck I even give them OTC ones. You aren't getting into see a Tricare doc because your kids have the sniffles, you can hang that thought right up. They have a class that you MUST attend at the clinic where they cover the right times to give meds, and how much... They have a nurse line you can call to get proper dosing, based on weight and that nurse may tell you to bring your child in... but you aren't just making an appointment because your child has a cold.
Now that said, do I give meds constantly... No, but when the girls are sick (like Karah is right now as a matter of fact) I will give them meds. Karah has a cough and the amount of pleghm right now that she is physically choking on it and can't breath at times. If I didn't give her cough meds at all I think she would be in the hospital. I called to have her seen again (this was a cold, that turned into croup, and is now no longer croup but it aint right either) and was told to continue to give her cough meds through the weekend and call back on Monday for an appointment if she isn't better.

Personally I look at it this way... I grew up taking Triaminic, or Sudafed or whatever when needed. So did all of my brothers... I have an 8 year old child, who has had cold medicine when needed, guess what she's just fine. So will I continue to give her younger siblings the CORRECT dose of a med that will make it easier for them to breathe heck yeah! I too have done the Tylenol/Motrin trade off at times... I am all for trying the steam baths and other natural remedies for things (as long as they aren't ingested... Sorry not giving my kids herbs that also have not been tested on small children for proper dosage) before resorting to meds, but bottom line I'm not watching my girls suffer when I have medicine in the cabinet that will help.

I give motrin when they need it...other than that cough/cold meds don't seem to work for us. Issac takes Allegra and Albuterol and that's about it.

I agree.

Well... I don't really agree that OTC isn't effective for kids under 2. I have seen my kids choking and fighting to breath through a really bad cough, given them meds and seen a huge improvement. That was all under the age of 2. Some meds don't work for some people though... this is true of all meds, it is why you may have to try different drugs until you find the right treatment for any illness from a cold to my brothers transverse myletis.

I agree with what Elaine (I think it was Elaine) said as well... all that is going to happen if they ban these drugs is that people will just give an older childs version and then more kids will get overdosed because the parents won't know the right amount to give.

The last article you gave us the link too was mostly stating they were recalling them due to misuse, over dose, that is not a reason to recall or ban them. I think they will mess around with dosing for an older clids med. Not smart but tehn again they were not smart to mis-use them either.

If this is something that you have consulted your Pediatrician on, this is really unnecessary. The ban is for DOSING issues. Not medication safety.

Someone else had stated that not all medications work the same for everyone. Very true -- in OTC's and in Rx's. I see it day in and day out at work.... so what do we do, switch the medication to something else for better effectiveness. That's why you need to be SMART about things.... if you see that it's not helping your child, stop giving it and call your physician. If your child is doing fine on the agreed upon dosing w/your physician, than so be it. Keep using it.

It doesn't matter if they "ban" things. No matter what they do as a "fix", someone will mess it up and the majority that follow directions, consult their Peds and have common sense will suffer once again.

As the old saying goes.... "You think things are fixed, then they just build a better idiot..."

We were told this when Travis was so sick just before Thanksgiving last year. However, our pediatrician knew of one decongestant that worked fairly well for children under 2, and he prescribed it. He gave us specific dosing instructions, and and we followed those.
In addition, because Travis was so young and so sick, and because there are two other adults in the house who help me care for him, we actually kept a notepad with his meds and literally wrote down the time and the amount of cold medicine and amount of tylenol or motrin we gave him. We did this every single time because we were so afraid of overdosing him.

Most definately!!! It is time for parents to actually parent their child and not blame mistakes on everyone else. It is not the drug manufacturer's fault that you chose not to follow their guideline's or failed to notice that your child is having a reaction to their product.