Are they safe for your child?
Over-the-counter cold and cough medicines for children have been available in the United States for the last 40 years. It is a multi-million dollar business for pharmaceutical companies, as parents will do almost anything to help relieve their children from any suffering endured from the common cold.
Actions by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in 2007, has brought into light the issue of whether these children’s cough and cold medicines are not only ineffective, but potentially dangerous to our children, as the American Academy of Pediatricians have also reported.
The dangers
The problems are arising from the fact that the drug makers are failing to warn customers about the conceivable dangers of these over-the-counter (OTC) children’s medicines. Their marketing is very misleading with many invoking the use of words like “infant” and “baby, some even go as far as to say that they are “pediatrician recommended” when most pediatricians advise against the use of them especially in those under the age of 2.
The Center of Diseases Control and Prevention (CDCP) found that in 2004-2005 alone, 1,519 children under the age of 2 were brought into emergency rooms across the country suffering from serious health problems and a handful even dying after being treated with these common medicines.
These cold medicines in high doses, and in some rare cases, the recommended dose, can:
- Affect the heart leading to arrhythmias
- Increase blood pressure, lead to strokes and hypertension
Overdoses on these types of medications can be relatively easy to achieve for a few reasons:
- Parents are giving their children 2 or 3 different brands of medicines without being aware that they all have the same active ingredient
- Worried and frantic parents are ignoring the recommended dosages and spooning larger quantities into their children’s mouths
- Children sometime metabolize the ingredients slowly leading to a lethal buildup.
The three key ingredients in most of these medicines; dextramorphin, guaifenesin, phenylephrine, were approved by the FDA when standards were much lower with little or no testing being done before 1970. Pharmaceutical companies are allowed to use these drugs in any combination without having to undergo any of the lengthy and expensive studies that would be needed for a new drug, leaving our children vulnerable.
What should I do as a parent?
Parents need to remember that these OTC medicines are not ‘miracle’ cures. They do not expedite their children’s recovery but merely treat the symptoms of the common cold.
If your child has suffered serious injury or death due to use of a cold or cough medicine, seek help from an attorney at Eisenberg, Rothweiler, Winkler, Eisenberg and Jeck P.C. We have substantial experience and knowledge in this area to help you receive the compensation you deserve. Call (866) 569.3400, toll free, for a free consultation to discuss your legal rights and options.
