By now, cold and flu season is well under way, meaning most Americans are probably well-stocked with medicines aimed at alleviating some of the worst symptoms.
For parents, it can be a frustrating time: Recent years have brought changes in recommendations for the use of cough and cold products in young children. This happened after a large number of accidental overdoses of cough and cold products among young children, as well as increasing evidence that the products didn't actually help that age group.
But both adults and children must use caution when using these products: Poison centers took 98,636 calls about possibly dangerous exposures to cough and cold products in 2008, with 52,723 of those calls involving children five or under.
The American Association of Poison Control Centers offers the following tips for safe use of cough and cold medicines:
- Be careful to choose a product that is age-appropriate. Never use adult products for children because it may be difficult to get the dose correct, and many adult liquids contain alcohol.
- Buy products with child-resistant closures to reduce the chance that a small child would be able to help themselves. Keep all cough/cold/flu products stored safely since these are often seasonal in use.
- If you are not sure about the proper dose of a cold or flu medicine, contact your doctor or pharmacist for advice, or call your local poison center at 1-800-222-1222 for help. You will need to have the container of the product with you, and for a child an accurate weight is important as well.
- Use only the measuring device included with a liquid product to get the correct dose. Household spoons can be very inaccurate in the volume they deliver.
- Never use cough/cold products to make a child sleepy. They can easily be overdosed and could have serious side effects requiring medical intervention.
- Most flu products and many cough/cold products contain acetaminophen. Labels that say a product is good for aches, pains, fever, and headache are the most likely ones. It is very important that no more than one medicine with acetaminophen is taken at a time. This includes prescription medicines as well as over-the-counter ones. If you are not sure whether or not a product contains acetaminophen ask your pharmacist or local poison center.
- Some teens and adults abuse cough/cold products to get high. If someone in your family purchases large amounts of these products, or if these products disappear from the home, be sure they are being used properly. Abusable ingredients include dextromethorphan, antihistamines, and alcohol (found in some liquids). If a product contains acetaminophen the abuser could develop liver failure and even die.
---
The American Association of Poison Control Centers supports the nation's 60 poison control centers in their efforts to prevent poisoning. Poison centers offer free and confidential services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you believe you've been exposed to a poison or have questions about whether a substance is poisonous, call your local poison control center at 1 (800) 222-1222.
---
(c) 2010, American Association of Poison Control Centers
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
-----
TO SUBSCRIBE TO NEWS2USE
Items in the News2Use package are not included in your MCT News Service subscription. You can subscribe to the News2Use package or purchase the items a la carte on MCT Direct at www.mctdirect.com. To subscribe, please call Rick DeChantal at Tribune Media Services at (800) 245-6536 or rdechantal@tribune.com. Outside the United States, call Tribune Media Services International at +1-312-222-4444or e-mail tmsisales@tribune.com.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
(C) 2010 Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.. All Rights Reserved