A number of infant cough and cold remedies have been voluntarily recalled by their manufacturers after criticism by the Food and Drug Administration. Dimetapp, Pediacare, Robitussin, Triaminic, and Tylenol were among the infant drop product brand names involved in the recall. The companies that voluntarily recalled their products did so because of concerns of death and injury due to possible overdose. The announcement of the recall was made by the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, a trade association representing the manufacturers. Although safe in recommended doses, over-the-counter cough and cold remedies have come under close scrutiny in recent months. There have been rare patterns of misuse of these products leading to overdose in infants resulting in injury and death. The voluntary withdrawal affects only these infant oral medications, not those intended and labeled for use in children age two and older.

Dr. Henry Fishman, ConsumerAffairs.com’s medical correspondent, says parents should be leery of multi-ingredient products. Multi-symptom cold remedies can contain five or six ingredients. None of these multi-ingredient cold remedies have been adequately tested in children under 6 years old. The feeling is that these remedies simply do not work and can be dangerous if misused.

So what should parents of sick children do? Call your doctor when your child is sick. Ask for a recommendation for either over-the-counter or a prescription medication. If you use over-the-counter medication, use single-ingredient products. Use acetaminophen to treat headache and fever to avoid Reye’s Syndrome associated with aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications. If you cannot reach your child’s doctor, ask your pharmacist for a recommendation.

Americans spend over $3.5 billion a year on over-the-counter cold remedies. Guidelines released earlier this year by the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) indicate that many of the ingredients in multi-symptom cold medications may be ineffective. There are four main types of ingredients in these products. Expectorants work by thinning mucous. Studies vary regarding the effectiveness of these products. The ACCP did not endorse them. Suppressants work by reducing the cough reflex. Although effective for chronic bronchitis they are not as effective on coughs caused by colds. Decongestants work by constricting blood vessels which shrinks swollen membranes and allows more air to pass through nasal passages. Antihistamines help regardless if a cough is caused by allergies or a cold.

The new guidelines recommend forgetting cold medications and using an allergy medication for cold symptoms. Older antihistamines such as diphenhydramine, chlorpheniramine, or brompheniramine combined with a decongestant are best. You can usually also take acetaminophen or ibuprofen with these combination products to treat headache, fever, and body aches. Most important are rest, fluids, and good nutrition to recover from a cold quickly.

Reference: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/10/infant_cold.html.

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