Dangers of Children's Cough Medicine

Cough and cold medicine have become the cheap high to teenagers. Others use this medicine because it contains pseudoephedrine. This is what people use to make methamphetamine. Even our babies are not immune to the adverse effects of cold and cough medicines. Parents mistakenly give them more than their bodies can handle. Infants have passed away from an overdose of dextromethorphan and acetaminophen.

Infant Tylenol

• Infant Tylenol is misleading, because if you do not read the label, you will miss that it is for children over the age of two. During the years 2004 and 2005, the Centers for Disease Control and the National Association of Medical Examiners investigated infant deaths. They discovered over 1,500 infants below the age of two brought into the emergency rooms because of complications caused by the cold and cough medications. All the infants had a high level of the nasal decongestant, pseudoephedrine. If the level is too high, it can cause your baby to die.

Read the Label

• If you insist of giving your young child cough medicine, you need to read all label directions, ingredients and precautions carefully. That means taking out the magnifying glass and trying to find the information. Many times, the information is so small that you cannot read it.

  If the product has pseudoephedrine in it, put it back on the shelf. According to doctors, the same is true if the product has an expectorant, decongestant, antihistamine or cough suppressant. You need to make sure that you do not give your baby two medications with the same active ingredients. If you do, you will, unknowingly, be giving your child an overdose of that drug.

Risk and Symptoms of an Overdose

• Some medication can cause young children to stop breathing, or even lose consciousness. The Food and drug Administration recommends that you do not give your child cold medicines. Not only are they putting your baby at risk, they do not work. Over-the-counter cough medicines may lead to bigger health risks for your child. They may have seizures, heart problems or even hallucinations. The news gets worse. Your child could even die because of these over-the-counter medications. An overdose on this medication can cause your child to feel dizzy, feel drowsy or confused, or increase his heart rate. He may have lack of coordination, slurred speech, nausea, abdominal pain, and feel numb in his fingers and toes.

Dr. Louis Vernacchio

• Dr. Louis Vernacchio is the assistant professor of epidemiology and pediatrics with the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University. He reports that every week at least one in ten children receive cold and cough medicine. Of these children, most are under the age of two or between two and five years of age. Dr. Louis Vernacchio said that the proof of these drugs being effective is unproven.

  The FDA states that no child below the age of two should be given a cold and cough medicine. The risks are just too high. They are continuing their investigation children ages six and below.

Talk to Your Pediatrition

• Children below the age of two will have at least eight to ten colds. Even if you reduce the dosage, your child may still be at risk. When a child is under the age of three months and they begin to show the signs of a cold, parents are encouraged to take their babies to a pediatrician. It is during this age that colds can lead to more serious health problems.

  Some parents are seeking other ways of easing their child's cold symptoms. A cool mist humidifier is a great help. Talk to your pediatrician before you give your baby an over-the-counter medicine. They can tell you the correct dosage, or if that medicine will put your child's health at a greater risk.