Cough Medicine Could Harm Your Children

Cough Medicine Isn't for Kids
By Nancy Shute
US News & World Report

I confess: I drugged my kid. My intentions were good; she had a cough and needed to sleep. Surely a spoonful of cough medicine would be a mercy. My 4-year-old slurped up the grape-flavored syrup and trotted off to bed. Good mommy? Hardly.

I already knew that the cold medicines that crowd pharmacy shelves have never been properly tested to see if they're safe or effective for children. The reason those cheerful packages don't list dosages for children under age 2, but just say "ask a doctor," is that the Food and Drug Administration has never appproved a safe amount. See: On Parenting: Cough Medicine Isn't for Kids - US News and Wo...

Also See:

"CHPA Lends Support to FDA's Announcement Against Use of Oral, Over-the-Counter Cough and Cold Medicines in Children Under Two-AOL News"

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 -- On behalf of the leading makers of over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medicines, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) offered its support for today's U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision against the use of oral OTC cough and cold medicines in children under the age of two.

The agency's recommendation reaffirms the October 2007 action by the leading makers of pediatric OTC medicines' to voluntarily withdraw "infant" oral cough and cold medicines for children under the age of two. See: CHPA Lends Support to FDA's Announcement Against Use of Oral, Over-the-Counter Cough and Cold Medicines in Children Under Two