Children’s cold medicine with “dangerous”!

British pharmaceutical and medical product management center pointed out that these cold medicines for children health hazards than their claimed positive effects, and to remind doctors and parents should guard against 15 types of hazardous ingredients.

Of these dangerous elements include:

1, decongestants, pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, phenylephrine (phenylephrine), Oxymetazoline, Cello oxazoline.

2, anti-histamine agents, diphenhydramine, chlorpheniramine, promethazine, triprolidine, anti-Min An.

Third, antitussive and expectorant drug, dextromethorphan, Pholcodine, Guaifenesin, and ipecac agent.

British pharmaceutical and medical product management center requirements, as of next March, all food containing more than 15 kinds of ingredients of non-prescription cough, cold medicines, will be marked with warning labels on packaging.

Also a drug overdose court disaster

For the news content, parents how to understand? The next child a cold, but also can not do drugs? Cold medicine containing the above ingredients, whether it is not safe?

First, if the safety of drugs alone, this story enough to cause panic, because death is a case of “overdose.” This is a medical errors, even if the high security of drug overdose can cause serious and even fatal consequences. The adverse drug reaction is an attribute that any drug has side effects, but there are differences in severity. The news said that “there are more than 100 serious cases of adverse reactions occur,” but did not give a fact-finding group of sample size, if it is 1 million children, then the incidence is only one ten-thousandth.

Second, regarding the information listed in 15 kinds of “dangerous elements”, the current situation is relatively safe. World Health Organization (WHO) 2007 Nian 10 and formulated the “WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children” the first edition of a clearly stated that chlorpheniramine over the age of a child can use, promethazine is available for children over the age of two . Although promethazine (phenergan) is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April 2006 warned that can cause respiratory depression in children and the prohibition of all drugs containing promethazine hydrochloride for children under two years of age. But on the whole, these “dangerous drug” security is guaranteed. In fact, FDA has never approved for children aged 0 to 2 the recommended dose of medication.

Chinese-made children’s cold medicine inclusive of, “Warning component”

Then the child a cold, can take cold medicine? How cold medicines that do not have to do?

Children, common symptoms after a cold nose block (nasal vascular congestion), nasal drying (blood vessels expand and accelerate the evaporation temperature), cough, expectoration (children under two years are unlikely to expectoration, tracheal sputum of song), and fever, influenza in patients with a runny nose, sneezing and other allergic symptoms more pronounced. So often cold medicine containing the drug to reduce nasal congestion (eg, pseudoephedrine), allergy (chlorpheniramine, or chlorpheniramine), and cough phlegm drugs. Since allergy is often caused by sleepiness and promethazine can cause infant respiratory depression, pseudo-ephedrine, there excitability and blood pressure changes, so the use of these drugs have risks.

Currently listing a number of children, cold medicine also contains some of the above ingredients, such as Tylenol acetaminophen compound caplets suspension, protect children paracetamol Tong Huang was sensitive particles, Cook Pediatric Paracetamol and that Min Huang particles, Hui-Fei Ning US-min pseudoephedrine solvents. Therefore, we proposed to prohibit children under the age of two taking cold medicine, 2 to 6 year-old children try to avoid the use of cold medicine for children over 6 years of age can be under the guidance of pharmacists, according to the detailed use of cold medicine with caution. Considering that most cold medicines similar components, so avoid taking a variety of cold medicine at the same time to avoid overdoses lead to serious consequences.

There are minimal side effects

The purpose of medication is to treat diseases, drug and then safety, If there is no effect there would be no need for medication. In fact, pharmaceuticals and medical products in the UK Management Center’s warning before the August 2007 the United States, a pediatrician organizations report that the children’s cold medicine does not really apply to children under 6 years of age, not only a negligible effect and will also bring side-effects. Therefore, we believe that the current for children under 6 years of age, to avoid the use of cold medicine.

Children’s cold most common approach is to drink plenty of water, you can drink some juice, although the vitamin C for cold treatment of the role of evidence is not evidence-based medicine, but the actual work also found that large doses of vitamin C on common cold symptoms had improved effect. If the blocked nose and nasal drying, you can use wet cotton swab and clean the nose frequently wet blocking objects, or to use humidifier aerosol inhalation. In addition, the reference to the views of foreign countries, give the child care is also very important, parents should be more hug, spend more time with their children.

If the child had a fever, body temperature reached 38 ℃ above, should be promptly given to the physical cooling (such as warm water bath) or to give acetaminophen (interval of 4 to 6 hours, no more than 4 times a day), or ibuprofen, acetaminophen (interval of 6 ~ 8 hours a day, no more than 4 times).

Experts advise

Cold medicine for children under two years old disabled

In proper guidance to take cold medicine is safe, but the effectiveness of children under 6 years of age is uncertain, it is recommended for children under 6 years of age should avoid taking cold medicine, prohibit the use of children under the age of two.

* The majority of cold medicine ingredients similar to avoid while taking a variety of cold medicine to help prevent drug overdose leading to serious consequences.

* Recommends parents take their children cold medicine before to communicate with the pharmacist.

* Children’s cold symptoms get worse or last for a few days, should go to hospital for regular treatment.