FDA warns against cold medicines for children

Ususally I am not to impressed with CNN articles as they seem to be a bit fluffy or alarmist but there is a great article about the FDAs warning against giving kids 6 or under certain cold medicines

FDA: Stop giving cold, cough meds to toddlers – CNN.com

I know that most parents are very nervous about kids having colds and I have always been one of them as well. The first real sign that my kids have a cough and I reach for the kids cold medicine, I guess maybe not anymore.

Here are some highlights of what the FDA has to say about cold medicines for kids:

“The basic question is, why should a product be so relentlessly marketed when it’s not safe or effective?” said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore health commissioner. “It does not make sense, in the absence of information, to say ‘consult a physician,’ because they do not have superhuman powers. They cannot make a product safe or effective.”

And even more alarming is that there are deaths caused by the use of pseudoephedrine in kids cold medicine. Yes if you look on the bottle you will see that the adult versions cold medicine has pseudoephedrine as an active ingredient.

An FDA review of side-effect records filed with the agency between 1969 and September 2006, found 54 reports of deaths in children associated with decongestant medicines made with pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine or ephedrine. It also found 69 reports of deaths associated with antihistamine medicines containing diphenhydramine, brompheniramine or chlorpheniramine.

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