With cough and cold season soon upon us, I thought it would be good to review the common cold and what will and won’t help make your child feel better. THE biggest change this year is the FDA advising what many doctors have said all along- NO COUGH AND COLD MEDICINES FOR BABIES AND TODDLERS UNDER TWO YEARS OF AGE. Many companies have removed these products from the shelves, as well as cough medicines for all children.
Break it into “3”s
The common cold lasts about 9-10 days and is sometimes described as three days coming, three days here and three days going. During the first three days, your child may not feel well and may have a fever. In infants and toddlers the temperature might reach 103-104, but after giving some acetaminophen or ibuprofen, the temperature will be lower and your baby will seem better. In older children there might be a low-grade fever or none at all. But here comes the runny nose!
During the middle phase of a cold, a child may develop a cough because of the congestion from the nose. During this time the fever is usually gone, and your child might be back to their activities, despite the runny nose and mild cough.
In the final three days, it’s a good sign when the mucous starts to thicken and become crusty. At this point it’s just wiping the nose and using humidifiers to help your child breathe easier at night until the mucous clears.
Should you treat the runny nose?
The million dollar over the counter (OTC) cold remedy industry is finally coming to terms with the truth. There is now a fair body of research that shows that decongestant and combination decongestant-antihistamine products can be dangerous to babies and toddlers, do not work very well in small children and provide only modest relief to teens and adults. None of these cold medicines will cure a cold. When they do work, they will simply relieve the symptoms such as congestion. And the relief will only last about four to six hours.Almost all “cold” or “cold and cough” preparations contain a decongestant. Combination products contain an antihistamine and maybe a cough suppressant.
What do decongestants do?
Decongestants work by reducing the swelling of the inflamed linings of the nose and sinus areas. This drug is a stimulant and acts like a strong dose of caffeine most commonly causing irritability or hyperactivity, nervousness, tingling sensations to the skin, and difficulty sleeping.But it also has effects on other organs such as the heart. Children (and adults) who have high blood pressure, thyroid disease, congenital heart conditions with arrhythmias, and glaucoma should not use cold medicines without approval from their doctors.
What do antihistamines do?
The other ingredient found in OTC cold medications are antihistamines. Although antihistamines are helpful for controlling allergy symptoms, there is little evidence that they help with cold symptoms. They do have a drying effect on the mucous areas of the nasal tract and some people find this helpful. The most common side effects, however, are drowsiness, dizziness, and headache. In some small children it may cause irritability or hyperactivity.
Should you use a cough medicine?
There are only ingredients shown to be effective in suppressing coughs are codeine and dextromethrophan (DM) and the research data is mixed. Regardless many cold medicines containing dextromethorphan have been removed from the shelves because of abuse by teenagers and FDA warnings about the danger of using this drug with small children. And codeine is a prescription medicine, only to be used under your doctor’s supervision. Expectorants, such as guaifenesin are supposed to loosen mucous and phlegm to make it easier to cough up. But some experts believe that this does not work well in the doses usually found in cold preparations.
What does work?
Simple salt water (or saline) nose drops or sprays combined with a cool mist vaporizer or humidifier at night. Children can use an extra pillow to help with postnasal drip. Drinking plenty of fluids help keep the throat moist so the drip is less bothersome.
What does work for coughs is keeping a child hydrated by drinking fluids, using lozenges in an older child, keeping a child upright at night and keeping the air in the room moist with a vaporizer.
Alternative cold cures?
Sorry, but despite much anecdotal information, there is no scientific evidence for the use of alternative solutions such as Vitamin C, zinc lozenges, aromatic rubs, or most recently Echinacea. Some experts are mixed about chicken soup, but with an ingredient called “love” it might just be what the doctor ordered.
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