Don’t Take Over-the-Counter Cold Medications
For Thanksgiving this year, my entire extended family went to Disney World. Six adults and four children travel first to several states to get there, and then to four different parks during the week.
Disney World may be the happiest place on Earth, but this time of year (any time of the year?) Is also one of the most dangerous. When I arrived, my father was already struggling with a particularly unpleasant cold. By day 3, when he started to feel better, he again had a cold, which he quickly passed on to my mom. The next day I was seized with a sore throat. Since I didn’t bring the bottle of vitamin CI that I usually travel with, I wondered if it was worth spending $ 11 on a small dose of immunostimulating drugs at the gift shop.
“You know it doesn’t work, right?” my brother said. “You will spend $ 11 on the placebo effect.”
We’ve all heard there is no cure for the common cold, but even over-the-counter medications that claim to relieve our symptoms are largely ineffective, according to a new review at BMJ . And worse, for children under 6, cough and cold medicines can do more harm than good.
Dr. Mike van Driel, clinical director of primary health care at the University of Queensland in Australia and author of the study, told the New York Times that there is little that parents can do with medication to relieve a child’s discomfort when sick. cold.
“Unfortunately, our research shows that there is very little evidence,” she said, especially with regard to children, “in fact, we were very surprised at how few there were – hardly anything enthusiastic.”
Not only do parents realize that there is no evidence that these drugs are helping, but that their use in young children carries clear risks, says Dr. van Driel. The FDA initially recommended over-the-counter cough and cold medications for children under 2 years of age; The American Academy of Pediatrics has extended the recommendation to all children under 6 years of age.
According to the report, the only potentially beneficial treatment for children is simple saline nasal irrigation. All other medications, including decongestants, cough suppressants, antihistamines, and probiotics, have not shown clear evidence of their effects.
So, when it comes to dealing with the common cold (or helping our kids fight it), the best advice doctors can give is to buckle up and try to get as comfortable as possible.
When it comes to a runny nose or cough associated with a common cold, “these symptoms go away on their own,” said Dr. Shonna Yin, assistant professor of pediatrics and public health at New York University School of Medicine. Parents can help calm their children without giving medication, offering plenty of fluids to keep children well hydrated, and honey for coughs in children over a year old (no honey for babies under one year old due to the risk of botulism), she said. Other measures may include ibuprofen or acetaminophen for fever and nasal drops for nasal congestion.
The Mayo Clinic also recommends a salt water gargle for adults and children who have sore throats and are old enough to deal with it (probably over 6 years old), pain relievers, and a humidifier to add moisture to the air. Warm liquids like chicken soup, tea, or warm apple juice can also soothe.
When should you worry and go to the doctor? Dr. Perry Klass, a columnist for the New York Times , puts this out for us:
Any difficulty in breathing in a child should be taken seriously and a child who is breathing too fast or a child who works harder to breathe should be examined. Worried about high fever, as well as any signs of flu, such as tremors, chills and body aches; Influenza in children can be treated with antiviral drugs and prevented with flu shots.
On the other hand, children with “colds” generally need to be able to eat and drink, be alert and playful — or at least be distracted.