~tasha~
Age: 124
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Cough and Cold Medications
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging caution when administering cough and cold medications to children younger than 2 years.
In a recent issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), three deaths in infants less than 1 year were determined to be caused by cough and cold medications. The three infants had high levels of pseudoephedrine (a nasal decongestant) in postmortem blood samples. One infant was receiving both an OTC and a prescription medication, and each contained pseudoephedrine. Tow of the infants had detectable blood levels of dextromethorphan (a cough suppressant) and acetaminophen (used for fever and pain.)
The MMWR publication estimated that about 1500 children younger than 2 years were treated in U.S. emergency rooms during 2004-2005 for adverse events, including overdoses, associated with cough and cold medications.
Other groups have also published recent warnings regarding cough and cold medication use for infants. Because of the unproven efficacy of the cough suppressants codeine and dextromethorphan in young children and the potential for adverse events, in 1997 the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement advising that parents should be educated regarding the lack of antitussive effects, risk for adverse events, and potential for overdose in children from these medications. The American College of Chest
Physicians (ACCP) released clinical practice guidelines in 2006 for management of cough that advised healthcare providers to refrain from recommending cough suppressants and other OTC cough medications for young
children because of associated morbidity and mortality.
