Our award-winning Kid's Health Magazine is designed to provide "healthful" information for your growing child from the experts at CHOC and CHOC at Mission.

OTC Cold Medicines
Not Recommended For Infants, Young Children

The recent Food and Drug Administration public health advisory against using over-the-counter cold medicines in children ages 2 and younger came as no surprise to CHOC. Ameer Mody, M.D., clinical director of the CHOC Emergency Room, says the advisory echoes what he and the CHOC staff have been telling families for quite a long time.

They’re not effective, and the side effects are often worse than the original symptoms. There is also the danger of accidental overdose.

The recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) public health advisory against using over-the-counter cold medicines in children ages 2 and younger came as no surprise to CHOC. Ameer Mody, M.D., clinical director of the CHOC Emergency Room, says the advisory echoes what he and the CHOC staff have been telling families for quite a long time.

“Over-the-counter cold medicines should not be used in children younger than 4, particularly those under age 2,” Dr. Mody says. “First of all, these medications are not effective. Studies have shown that when compared with a placebo, cold medicines don’t provide any relief. And sometimes the side effects are worse than a runny nose.” The side effects are usually caused by the “active ingredients” in the medication, including decongestants and cough suppressants. Many cold medicines also contain pain relievers and fever reducers, such as acetaminophen.

• Decongestants — may cause excitability, irritability and loss of appetite in babies and young children. “We’ve seen 2-month-old babies cry non-stop for six to eight hours as a result of toxicity from decongestants in over-the counter cold medicines,” Dr. Mody says.

• Cough suppressants — may cause sedation. The danger is the baby may not wake up to eat and could become dehydrated. Too much may cause breathing problems.

• Acetaminophen — an overdose may cause life-threatening liver and kidney problems. Many parents are unaware that certain cold medicines contain acetaminophen. As a result, they end up inadvertently “double-dosing” with a fever reducer plus a cold medicine.

Download Kid's Health Magazine, Spring 2008

PDF format, 1.5MB, 12Pages.

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Visit Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) Website

Since opening our doors in 1964, Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) has provided the highest quality medical care to children.

Our regional health system includes a state-of-the-art 232 bed main hospital facility in the City of Orange, a hospital-within-a-hospital in Mission Viejo, and five community clinics — plus over 100 additional programs and services.

With admissions growing by 91% over the last ten years, CHOC and CHOC at Mission combined rank as the 16th busiest children’s hospital in the country.

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