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Oct 7, 2008 7:55 pm US/Eastern
Drug Companies: No Cold Medicine For Kids Under 4
Warning Labels Telling Parents Not To Give Antihistamines To Make Children Sleepy Also In The Works
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Children under 4 should not be given cough and cold medicines, the drug company industry said Tuesday in announcing new voluntary guidelines for such products. (File)
CBS
Drug makers are now saying that over-the-counter cold and cough medicines should not be given to children under the age of 4.
Ethan Turay is a 4-year-old with a cold, but mom, Courtney, is simply going to let it run its course after deciding against giving him any cold medication for his symptoms.
"I don't like to put a lot of chemicals into their bodies," Courtney Turay said.
On Tuesday, makers of pediatric cough and cold medicines are recommending parents no longer give over-the-counter drugs to children under the age of 4.
This comes after the Food and Drug Administration had previously said the drugs may not even work in young children. Even worse, they can be dangerous. Some 7,000 children end up in hospital emergency rooms every year with overdoses and side effects.
"Variances in children's ability to absorb them, to take them correctly may cause bad outcomes," Dr. Jonathan Field said. "I think the companies are concerned in younger children about them being used in the right manner."
And they've also been abused by some parents, who give them to children to make them sleepy. The drug companies have now agreed to put a label on their products warning specifically against that.
A year ago drug makers agreed to stop selling infant cough and cold medications and CBS 2 HD was there as they were pulled from store shelves.
Drug companies said Tuesday's announcement is voluntary, and the medicines will stay on store shelves, in part because federal officials are worried parents would try using adult medicines for their children instead.
That's not enough for Courtney Turay. She said she'll treat using what's in her pantry -- lemon water and honey -- to help her son Ethan sleep.
As part of the new guidelines, companies will also add a warning label to their products, saying parents should not give young children antihistamines to make them sleepy.
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