Are Cold Meds Safe for Kids?
10/14/2008
Leading drug manufacturers are warning that cold and flu medications should not be used in children under four.
According to Louis Bartoshesky, M.D., chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Christiana Care, 'Many pediatricians have doubted the efficacy of cold medicines for some time and have suspected they would only work when the dose is so high that negative side effects would result. There is no cure for the common cold. Children get many colds - several times a year is normal.'
He continues: 'Research suggests conservative measures such as vaporizers, plenty of fluids, fever control (and traditional grandmother things like honey and chicken soup) are as effective as the medications at the recommended doses.'
According to Louis Bartoshesky, M.D., chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Christiana Care, 'Many pediatricians have doubted the efficacy of cold medicines for some time and have suspected they would only work when the dose is so high that negative side effects would result. There is no cure for the common cold. Children get many colds - several times a year is normal.'
