Cold facts on kids' medicines
WHEN CHILDREN get a cold, parents want to do whatever they can to relieve the discomfort. A federal advisory committee is facing an uphill battle when it warns parents not to give children cough medicine. But the committee is on target. These over-the-counter products have never been shown to relieve cold symptoms, and in a few cases are harmful.
The committee, appointed by the Food and Drug Administration, recently recommended that the FDA ban the products for any child under age 6. They could be dangerous for children with unrecognized heart problems, and since there's no evidence that these medicines do any good, why use them at all?
But while the panel was unanimous in urging a ban for children under 2, some members were less sure about children aged 2 through 5. One member said she feared that without access to lower-strength medicines intended for children, parents might try something from the adult section of the drugstore.
In the 1970s, the FDA believed that if something worked for adults, it was fine for children in smaller doses. Scientists now know that the reaction of adults and children can be quite different. Whatever the FDA does, under no circumstance should children receive adult-strength cold medicine. The danger of an overdose is too great.
In an interview, Dr. Michael Shannon, chief of emergency medicine at Children's Hospital in Boston, offered another reason why children's cold medicine is popular. He recalled parents telling him: "I just give it to them to put them to sleep."
It's tough being the parent of a fretful, congested child, but Shannon said it's not wise to sedate them for a minor condition with no consequences for health if left to run its course. Some of these medicines contain stimulants, which may keep a child awake. Shannon was among those who urged the FDA to reexamine its approval of these medicines. The risk may be infinitesimal, but it's not worth taking when the medicine doesn't work. Indeed, it's hardly clear that even children over age 5 should get these medicines.
If the child has a fever, Shannon says children's Tylenol or Motrin is appropriate to get the temperature down, or to relieve the pain of a sore throat. But in the absence of fever or pain, he says medicines are not necessary for cold symptoms.
The drug makers agree that cold treatments should not be given to children under age 2, but oppose a ban for older youngsters. Unless they present strong evidence that cold remedies have value for children ages 2 through 5, the FDA should act favorably on the committee recommendation to give Americans a good start on the prudent use of medication.
