Use with Caution: Cough and Cold Medicine Safety Tips
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Health Tip of the Week As parents, we want our kids to feel better as quickly as possible when they’re sick. However, when it comes to giving your kids cough and cold medicine, it’s important to proceed with caution.
“Remember that children are not small adults, especially when it comes to medication,” says Jeanette Trella, PharmD, BCPPS, Poison Control Center Director at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). “Their rapidly growing minds and bodies have unique needs that can only be safely met by medicine that is meant for their age group. Many medicines used by adults are not safe for children. This is especially important to know right now in face of some medication shortages, as parents may be looking for alternatives to ease their child’s symptoms.”
In addition to being potentially harmful, most cough and cold medications have not been proven to be effective in kids. “In many cases, the risk of the medicine outweighs the potential benefits, and should be avoided for young kids,” explains Trella.
Colds typically last a few days to a week. The safest and often most effective treatments for a child’s cold are rest and drinking plenty of fluids. Some time-tested home remedies really do work to relieve a child’s discomfort. Here is a list of common cold symptoms and potential remedies you can consider before considering medication:
If you’ve tried to alleviate your child’s illness without medication and feel medication is necessary, remember to move forward carefully. Always read the medicine label closely to make sure the right person is receiving the right dose of the right medication.
Specifically:
When in doubt, follow the five “R’s” of medication safety!
“Hundreds of children experience scary effects from exposures of cough and cold medicine every year,” says Trella. “In most cases, the exposures are caused by children finding the medicine and taking it themselves. Some are caused by a parent or caregiver misreading the dosage instructions.”
Here are some strategies to keep your child safe from accidental exposures and medication errors:
Call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 if your child overdoses on any cough or cold medication, and keep the medicine bottle handy so you can provide the poison information specialist with the exact ingredients. The Poison Control Center is staffed 24/7 by nurses and pharmacists who are experts in poison information, with physician toxicologist back-up. Calls to the Poison Control Center are always free, and no question is too small to ask. It is a wonderful resource to have saved in your phone!
Contributed by: Jeanette D. Trella, PharmD, BCPPS
Categories: Health Tip of the Week
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