Henry (Hank) Bernstein, D.O. is a Senior Lecturer in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School. Formerly the Associate Chief of General Pediatrics and Director of Primary Care at Children's Hospital Boston, he currently is the Chief of General Academic Pediatrics at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth. He has extensive and varied experience as a primary care pediatrician, and is a spokesperson for the news media on a variety of pediatric health care topics, including vaccination, common childhood illnesses, and practical information for caregivers.
Question:
Can I still give my 1 1/2 year old cold/cough medicine? Is it safe?
Answer:
Your questions aren't easy to answer. The safety and dosing of many drugs in young children are not known. There also is no real evidence to show that cold and cough medications are effective in children younger than age 2.
Most medicines for children are dosed by weight, meaning how much medicine to take is based on a recommended amount per how much your child weighs. But children are not just small adults — it is never safe to assume that a lower adult dose is a safe dose, especially for younger children. Their bodies may respond quite differently to a medicine than an adult's does.
Cold/cough medicines can be very dangerous if not taken in the correct amount or if taken too often. One recent study documented that during 2004 and 2005, more than 1,500 babies and toddlers ended up in emergency rooms after having taken these types of drugs. Three babies under 6 months of age died, all having received high doses of a decongestant.
For all of these reasons, before deciding whether or not to give cold/cough medicines to your child under 2 years of age, check with the pediatrician or pharmacist. Always follow their directions carefully. Do not give a cold/cough medicine sooner or more often than recommended and be careful when giving more than one drug at a time -- ingredients in one medicine may not interact well with ingredients in another.
If at all possible, the best idea is for your child to stay away from people who have colds. It helps to clean their (and your) hands often, to carefully dispose of all used tissues, and to avoid rubbing your eyes and nose.