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 Did you know that according to researchers from Boston University’s
Slone Epidemiology Center, one in 10 children uses at least one cough
medication during any given week, and younger children are the most
frequent users?
Specifically, a reported
10.1 percent of children ages 2-5 were given antihistamines, 9.9
percent were given decongestants and 7 percent were given antitussives
(cough suppressants). Even more startling, 7.6 percent of children under age 2 received antihistamines, 5.9% received decongestants and 9.4% received cough suppressants.
Why
is this discovery so important? Because earlier this year, the Food and
Drug Administration issued a public health advisory recommending that
parents and caregivers not use over-the-counter cough and
cold products to treat children under age 2, and announced it was in
the process of reviewing whether the warning should be extended to
older children (ages 2-11).
"These medicines, which treat symptoms and not the underlying
condition, have not been shown to be safe or effective in children
under 2,” said Dr. Charles Ganley, director of the FDA Office of
Nonprescription Products,” in an agency press release.
As
always, talk to your doctor before taking any medication or
administering it to your child, and inquire about natural alternatives,
particularly for managing cold symptoms. No one wants their child to
suffer through a bad cold, but giving them cough and cold medicine just
isn’t worth the risk.
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MyHealth Matters 
