FDA votes yes to Ban Cough Syrup to age SIX!

Kentuckychick wrote: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/20/washingt...r=1&oref=slogin

I agree with banning it for infants and toddlers... but 6 seems a little overkill!

Cece00 replied: So what exactly are you supposed to give sick kids, then?

I'm sorry, but I've given my children under 6 cough syrups, and it works.

I think this is kind of ridiculous, honestly.

MommyToAshley replied: I never gave Ashley cough syrup anyways. I don't know, I have mixed feelings on the subject. I don't like to over-medicate, but if a child is sick I am sure they could get a perscription from a ped.

boyohboyohboy replied: I agree, there are other options to get from the dr, if it is needed..but IMHO, cold meds for kids under that age is just not needed, its just treating the symptoms, it doesnt make the cold leave any faster..
there were just to many people over medicating their kids.

Jamison'smama replied: Well I have been known to give Jack some cough and cold type medicine to help him sleep at night--but that is after nothing else works and he is miserable.

amynicole21 replied: If kids can't sleep because they are coughing (which makes my kids throw up), what do you do?

Insanemomof3 replied: All I see that they are trying to do is make parents a little more paranoid. Omg my kid has a bad cough and is miserable, rush to the doc, get a prescription. BAM the doc makes more money as do the pharmacudical (sp?) companies. JMO

A&A'smommy replied:
exactly we have the same problem... Alyssa has bad allergies, and sometimes it causes her to get a cold to the point where she coughs and she isn't a light cougher, she coughs so hard that she REALLY hurts!! Thats ridiculous.. i agree with people over medicating but six is ridiculous!!!

Kentuckychick replied:
The idea is that now parents will seek the advice of a pediatrician if a child's cough or cold is bad enough that they feel a medication is necessary. Then the pediatrician will prescribe it if it actually is.

I think it's a great idea in theory.

Studies have shown that cough medicine doesn't work. Yes it suppresses the cough, but when tested, the placebo version worked just as well which shows that it's not the medicine part that provides the relief, rather the soothing texture. We use lemon juice and honey with Connor and Caydee and I know lots of other people who've started using that remedy as well.

I do think that banning children's cough/cold medicines might be overkill, but seeing the reasoning (that parents would simply start giving infants smaller doses of children's medicines) they have to cover their butts.

CantWait replied: Not cool at all. I have yet to read the article, but do I want to take my kid to the doctor EVERY time he has a cold. I sparingly use cough medicines, but when your child is coughing so much that they can't sleep, are throwing up, or just can't catch their breath, then what else is one suppose to do when the chicken soup, hot drinks, and humidifier etc. don't work??

bawoodsmall replied:
Well Denise...I think you may have read my mind. I dont give my children cough medicine every two seconds but I have when they are hacking up a lung and cant sleep and the humidifier doesnt seem to be helping. Aiden must be a very odd little boy because it has worked in controlling his cough which is what I want it to do while the cold does go away.

Kentuckychick replied:
I would have agreed with you at one point... but then I started reading up on it and the numbers of children who die each year from not just overdoses, but reactions to infant and toddler cold and cough medications really are enough for me to agree that they need to be banned.

That and the studies are pretty impressive that they truly don't work. That in every study done the placebo worked as effectively as the actual cough medication. Humidifiers, warm tea, etc... might not work, but I'm betting a simple mixture of something very similar to cough syrup (honey with lemon juice is one example) would be quite effective.

The FDA is arguing a whole lot of issues and the main issue is the labeling of the products. I think you'd be surprised if you read some of their findings. That medicines labeled for allergies (runny nose, itchy eyes) had the exact same ingredients as those labeled for chest congestion and cough.

They don't want you to take your child to the doctor every time they get a cough. They want parents to use better judgement when it comes to using medications and to use them less.

The common cold does not need to be treated with medication.

Kentuckychick replied:
I'm all for using the cough meds. sparingly... and I'm all for NOT taking the kids to the doctor EVERY time they have a cold...

But honestly, if my child had a cough that bad, I'd take them to the doctor. Or at least put in a call to the office.
And chances are a perscription of cough meds will be a bottle that will last longer than just one cold

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
I have to agree with you on that. At our house we use honey and lemon juice. We also put pieces of camphor in boiling water and make the kids breathe in the steam to clear them up. The thickness of it is soothing, and it tastes a lot better than cold syrup.

The odd time that we've used cough medicine, though, we've used Buckley's. But that's more for when we're away and not within the comforts of home where it takes 2 secs to mix together a few tablespoons of honey\lemon mix for the throat.

bawoodsmall replied: Once again thanks for the info. i will try the honey and lemon juice theory even though I still think most people wouldnt and everyone is making more money by you taking your kid to the doc. Is there like a ratio of honey/lemon juice or anything?

Kentuckychick replied:
With the little ones we use about a half 1/2 teaspoon of each and we give it as often as needed (which is typically every few hours). I take around a teaspoon too and I know it works well for me at night and I've never had to use it more than once during the night before bed.

They haven't said yet if the medications will be available by perscription or not... that's just my assumption.

jcc64 replied: I'm 100% with Rachel on this one. My brother told me long ago that cough meds do not work. It's like Rachel or Rocky said- placebos work just as well. Give the kid some warm honey and lemon, and tell them it's magic cough medicine. Or do a steam shower, or walk outside in the cold. They all work just as well. My kids get plenty of colds, my oldest even had cough variant asthma when he was little, and we never gave them otc cold remedies. We all lived to tell about it. Colds aren't fun, listening to your little one hack at night is no picnic, but cold/cough medicines do nothing but allow parents to feel as if they are "doing something". Doctors know this, and even prescription cough meds are only effective b/c of the sedating aspects of the coedine- not some magic cough elixir.
About the drs and pharmaceutical companies running a scam- exactly what do you think the cough/cold remedy cos. have been doing all this time???????? I can assure you, most competent drs aren't hurting for the business, and I'm pretty sure they'd agree that they don't want you running to their offices every time your kid gets a cold. The fact of the matter is- there really isn't much you can do for the vast majority of viruses.

Boo&BugsMom replied: I'm not a fan of cough syrup anyways. It suppresses it so much that eventually a child could develop fluid in their lungs and get other things that are way worse than having a cough...like pnuemonia (sp?). There are natural things that work just as well, you just have to do your research.

amynicole21 replied: Remember not to give honey to REALLY little ones though. What is it, one year old?

luvmykids replied:
Yes, one year.

I'm on the fence, I'm not doubting the studies and research BUT although it's just treating the symptoms, I personally do find relief in OTC meds when I have a cold. No, it doesn't go away any faster, but at least I'm able to function through it.

I don't over medicate, I've used meds like that on my kids sparingly, it won't affect me hugely if they're off the shelves. But I can't say I'm all for it and that parents shouldn't have the option.

Kentuckychick replied:
Yes, one year -- thanks for putting that!

I've actually never dealt with a child under the age of 1 with a really bad cough except for the croup in the centers I've worked in and they were treated by a doctor.

I would definitely consult a doctor if a child under that age had a nagging cough.

coasterqueen replied:
ITA 100%

Both our girls have very bad coughs/colds right now and we've been using the steam shower and elevating them to sleep. Megan is sleeping almost upright the last few days with her cough because she'd cough so hard she'd get sick. She's been much better sleeping sitting up. The steam shower worked really well for both girls too.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: I think it's more of a texture thing. Corn syrup would likely work just as well...

Cece00 replied:
I agree. My daughter did this at ONE AM the other night. Her cough was so bad she couldnt sleep & she threw up ALL OVER my bed. I gave her meds & she slept like, well...a baby Seriously, though, she was miserable before the meds.

gr33n3y3z replied: over the counter crap never worked for my kids

But I can see doing it with all the Tylenol brands that actually put Tylenol in the cough syurp bc you can O.D. on Tylenol and thats not a good thing at all.

My3LilMonkeys replied: I'm really not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, if it doesn't work (which it does seem to work the few times I've used it on my kids) then there's really no reason for it to be an issue. But if it doesn't work, why don't they just get rid of all of it, adult cough syrup too? Otherwise, you'll just get parents trying to guess how much adult cough syrup to give their children, and that could cause more harm.

luvbug00 replied: all i can say is wow. that is alot of trips to the doctor for some people. I personally am only worried about fever reducers. mya would get some pretty bad feavers when she was sick. but we can do without the cough meds.

Kentuckychick replied:
Nothing to worry about there. Fever reducers are not on the list of things to get rid of (but they were part of the worry!). It would be impossible because fevers can be dangerous without medicines.

Part of the problem with the cough and cold meds were that some/many of them actually contained acetominaphen (sp?) (Tylenol) or ibuprofen and the problem was that parents would often start out giving a child something for a fever and then a few hours later switching or doubling up with a cough/cold medicine unaware that they were actually overdosing their child.

As for adult cough/cold medicines eventually being taken off the market... they may be. I think if the FDA finds that parents start using small doses on their children they definitely will be. But adults aren't dying from overdoses (or at least not unintentional overdoses) like children are. I've personally never had a cough/cold medicine work for me except for the Tylenol sore throat medicine that contains the throat soother (and it only works so long as the throat soother sticks -- so about 30 minutes). I use the Vicks shower soothers and honey/lemon combo as well as Chamomile or Cinnamon teas and a humidifier and those work pretty well.

jcc64 replied: I don't take anything for colds either. I hate coughing and hacking- it wakes me up all night long too. But I find that if I sleep at a more vertical angle, with a glass of something very cold next to me, I can get through it. During the day, I suck on hard candies or lollipops so I don't disturb people around me. Though I don't use them, I do think there's some evidence that cough meds are somewhat more effective in adults- which is why I don't think you'll see them pulled from the market anytime soon. (though the DEA would be thrilled- with the whole ephedrine/crystal meth problem- which is why it's now sold behind the counter).
Btw, cold meds and their safety have been an issue since they've existed. Back at the turn of the last century, they used to put cocaine in otc cold remedies (yes, you read that right). Cigarettes used to be marketed as a health product. Snake oil salespeople have been and will always be around to try to convince you that you need what they're selling. Most healthy people have the tools within their own bodies to heal themselves without any outside assistance. Of course, that's not the case all the time, but the times we need drs and their drugs to help us heal are much much fewer than people realize.

coasterqueen replied:
Very true.