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CommentsOverdosed
Parents look to alternatives when dealing with children’s congestions
1 Give two drops of saltwater or saline nose drops, which are available in pharmacies, in each nostril 15 to 20 minutes before feeding and then use a rubber suction bulb to draw out clogged mucus. 2 Encourage older children to sleep on their side to ease congestion and prevent mucus from going down their throats. 3 Use a clean, cool-mist humidifier in your child’s room to help make secretions more liquid; add peppermint or menthol for added benefits. 4 Breathing steam from a hot shower can ease congestion, but don’t try this if your child is asthmatic. 5 Extra rest and lots of fluids help; if your child won’t drink ice water or juice, try Popsicles or a frozen juice bar. 6 Consider any of the growing number of natural or homeopathic remedies that are being marketed for children, such as Chestal, a mild, honey-based cough syrup for children age 2 and older. But check with your pediatrician before trying something new. 7 Acetaminophen or ibuprofen in strengths appropriate for children are okay. For children older than 3 1 Noisy breathing of a cold is accompanied by nostrils widening with each breath. 2 Lips or nails 3 Nasal mucus persists 4 Cough lasts more 5 Pain develops 6 Temperature is
The pleasant 70-degree temperatures,crisp evening air and occasional cool breeze create a perfect backdrop for the winter season – and winter colds as well.
months, call a pediatrician if:
turn blue.
for longer than 40-14 days.
than a week.
in the ears.
over 102.
or crankiness occurs.
But relieving youngsters from congestion and coughing is not necessarily just a trip to the drugstore away.
In October, a panel of federal health advisers recommended to the Food and Drug Administration that the tried-and-true cherry-flavored syrups and fix-it-all cold medications not be used by children younger than 6 years old.
As a result, the FDA has banned a number of over-the-counter cold remedies meant for children in this age group, and ordered the makers of unapproved prescription cough suppressants containing the narcotic hydrocodone to stop marketing the medication for children.
The recommendation affects about 800 medicines containing one or more of the following ingredients: decongestants, antihistamines and antitussives. Antihistamines to avoid in small children include diphenhydramine, brompheniramine and chlorpheniramine.
In the meantime, physicians are recommending that if parents do give their children these medications to follow the instructions carefully and to the T. Often, complications arise when parents guesstimate dosages.
The panel also recommended drug makers provide standardized droppers with their liquid cough and cold medicines. Experts had told the panel the sometimes hard-to-use dosing devices contribute to parents unwittingly overdosing their children.
