Both the girls have bad colds right now, and need lots of TLC. Runny noses, chest congestion, coughing, raspy breathing - you name it. Amanda has actually lost her voice, and it sounds so mournful and pathetic when she tries to cry. I use the humidifier and Little Colds Baby Rub on their chests, give them lots of fluids, and try to keep their heads elevated. Thankfully, I still have some infant cold medicine I stashed away before they took it all off the shelves, and our doctor fully supports their use along the original guidelines and dosages. She says they only pulled them off the shelves because they’re afraid of lawsuits, even though there are only 50 documented cases of children harmed by infant cold medicines in the past 5 decades, and all were due to overdosing.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Sick Kids
Both the girls have bad colds right now, and need lots of TLC. Runny noses, chest congestion, coughing, raspy breathing - you name it. Amanda has actually lost her voice, and it sounds so mournful and pathetic when she tries to cry. I use the humidifier and Little Colds Baby Rub on their chests, give them lots of fluids, and try to keep their heads elevated. Thankfully, I still have some infant cold medicine I stashed away before they took it all off the shelves, and our doctor fully supports their use along the original guidelines and dosages. She says they only pulled them off the shelves because they’re afraid of lawsuits, even though there are only 50 documented cases of children harmed by infant cold medicines in the past 5 decades, and all were due to overdosing.
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I was shocked when the male ped at our office refused to recommend anything for Derek when he was sick...my other ped said we could even give him small doses of children's cold medicine if we had to...but when I called back to GET the dosage the male PED refused to give that to me. Ugh. It's just another case of over reaction in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteHylands makes some great homeopathic products for children's colds, such as their "Sniffles and Sneezes" and "C-Plus Cold Tablets".
ReplyDeleteOK, I'm gonna share some information here I learned from my pediatrician, and I hope you take it to your own pediatrician for his/her review before you do anything with it. DO NOT TRY THIS WITHOUT YOUR PEDIATRICIAN'S APPROVAL. That said, here's my tidbit:
INFANT TRIAMINIC THIN STRIPS - DECONGESTANT(pulled from the market) contain 1.25mg of Phenylephrine HCI (nasal decongestant). The directions said to allow 2 strips to dissolve on the tongue for children ages 2-3. For under 2, it said to ask a doctor (my doctor used to allow me to give 1 strip (a half dose) to my daughter when she was at least 6 months (and over 10lbs).
CHILDREN'S TRIAMINIC THIN STRIPS - COLD w/ Stuffy Nose (still on the market - this is the one with no cough medicine or anything else extra) contains 2.5 mg of Phenylephrine HCI (nasal decongestant). They're double the size of the infant strips, and therefore double the dosage of the infant strips. Their directions say to allow 1 strip to dissolve on the tongue for a child 2 - 6 years old.
So you see, if you cut the Children's strips in half, what you end up with is the equivelent of 2 Infant strips.
TYLENOL PLUS COLD AND COUGHCONCENTRATED INFANTS' DROPS (pulled from the market). Each 0.8mL dropperful contained 80mg Acetaminophen, 2.5mg Dextromethorphan HBr, and 1.25 Phenylephrine HCI. The directions said to give two dropperfuls (0.8mL + 0.8mL = 1.6mL) to children ages 2-3 and 24-35lbs.
CHILDREN'S TYLENOL PLUS, MULTISYMPTOM COLD ORAL SUSPENSION (currently on the market). In each 5mL dose (1 teaspoon), it contains 160mg Acetaminophen, 5mg Dextromethorphan HBr, 2.5mg Phenylephrine HCI, PLUS 1mg Chlorpheniramine maleate (an antihistamine not included in the infant version). The directions say to give 2 teaspoons to children 6 to 11 years and 48 to 95lbs. For under 6, it says ask a doctor.
If you do the math, one 5mL dose (1 teaspoon) of the Children's version contains the same dose of medicine as two dropperfulls (1.6mL) of the Infant version, except that the Children's version contains an extra antihistamine that wasn't in the infant formula. My pediatrician allows me to give my 2 1/2 year old 30lb daughter 1 teaspoon of the Children's version for this reason (using the measuring device included in the box, not a kitchen spoon).
Again, ASK YOUR PEDIATRICIAN before you try anything based on the information I've posted here. My pediatrician told me that the reason the medicines were taken off the market was because companies were worried that parents who accidentally overdosed their children might sue. She said there are about 50 documented cases of harm to children in the past 50 years, but EVERY INCIDENT was due to overdosing. There have been NO documented cases of harm in which dosing instructions were followed carefully, under the supervision of a doctor.
They don't work to shorten or cure colds, obviously, but they DO work to alleviate the symptoms in severe cases where more natural methods may not be as effective. ASK YOUR DOCTOR. I cannot stress this point enough!
Well, the female ped allowed us to even give Derek Benadryl...and a larger dose because he's right at 23 pounds. I just think the male ped is a paranoid a-hole honestly. He's SUCH a cold man most of the time. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate this and I will make sure to ask more about this. Thank you SO much.