Cold medicines for kids: What's the risk?

Cough and common cold medicines can pose serious risks for young children. Know the facts and empathise treatment alternatives.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Jay L. Hoecker, M.D. Jay L. Hoecker, M.D.

Over-the-counter cough and cold medicines are the best way to help a child who has a cold feel better — right? Think once more. Here'southward practical advice from Jay L. Hoecker, Thou.D., an emeritus pediatrics specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

What's the business organization near cough and cold medicines for kids?

Over-the-counter cough and cold medicines are intended to treat the symptoms of coughs and colds, not the underlying disease. Research suggests that these medicines haven't been proved to work any better than inactive medicine (placebo). More important, these medications take potentially serious side effects, including fatal overdoses in children younger than 2 years old.

Don't use over-the-counter medicines, except for fever reducers and pain relievers, to treat coughs and colds in children younger than 6 years onetime. Also, consider avoiding use of these medicines for children younger than 12 years old.

What about antibiotics?

Antibiotics tin can be used to combat bacterial infections but accept no outcome on viruses, which cause colds. If your child has a common cold, antibiotics won't help. Remember, the more your child uses antibiotics, the more than likely he or she is to get ill with an antibody-resistant infection in the future.

Can whatsoever medications assistance treat the common cold?

An over-the-counter pain reliever — such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Children's Motrin, others) — can reduce a fever and ease the pain of a sore throat. However, fevers are generally harmless. The main purpose for treating them is to help your child feel comfortable.

If you give your child a pain reliever, follow the dosing guidelines advisedly. For children younger than three months old, don't requite acetaminophen until your babe has been seen past a medico. Don't requite ibuprofen to a child younger than half-dozen months sometime or to children who are vomiting constantly or are dehydrated.

Besides, use caution when giving aspirin to children or teenagers. Though aspirin is approved for use in children older than age 3, children and teenagers recovering from chickenpox or flu-like symptoms should never take aspirin. This is because aspirin has been linked to Reye'due south syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, in such children.

Is codeine OK?

No. The Food and Drug Assistants limits the use of prescription cough and cold medicines containing the opioids codeine or hydrocodone to adults age 18 and older. This is due to the potential for slowed or hard breathing, misuse, risky use, addiction, overdose and even death.

How can I help my child experience amend?

To help your kid cope with a cough or common cold:

  • Offer fluids. Liquids such equally water, juice and broth might help thin secretions. Warm liquids, such as tea or chicken soup, might have a soothing effect, increase the period of nasal mucus and loosen respiratory secretions.
  • Run a cool-mist humidifier. This can add moisture to the air, which might decrease the drying of the nasal passages and throat. Place the humidifier nearly your kid's bed. Clean the humidifier after every apply.
  • Use nasal saline. Over-the-counter saline tin keep nasal passages moist and loosen mucus. In younger children, apply saline nasal drops, await for a brusque menses and so use a suction bulb to depict mucus out of each nostril. For older children, use a saline nasal spray or saline nasal irrigation.
  • Offer cold or frozen drinks or foods. Water ice cream, frozen fruit pops, water ice or cold beverages might feel good on a sore throat.
  • Encourage gargling with salt h2o. For children historic period 6 years and older, gargling with warm table salt h2o might soothe pharynx pain.
  • Offer difficult candy. For children age five years and older, sucking on a piece of hard candy might soothe throat pain. Difficult candy is probably every bit effective equally medicated lozenges and less likely to accept harmful effects. Withal, hard candy is a choking hazard and shouldn't exist given to younger children.

What's the best way to preclude the common cold?

To assist your kid stay healthy:

  • Go along it make clean. Teach your child to wash his or her hands thoroughly and often. When soap and h2o aren't bachelor, provide an booze-based hand sanitizer. Keep toys and mutual household surfaces clean, too.
  • Steer clear of colds. When possible, help or encourage your child to avert close contact with anyone who has a common cold.
  • Avert touching his or her confront. Your child can get sick by touching something contaminated with germs and and so touching his or her optics, mouth or nose.

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Jan. thirteen, 2022

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