Drugs no longer for children
August 20, 2012
COUGH and cold medications
including antihistamines,
mucolytics/expectorants
antitussives and decongestants
may cause harm to children
according to a review by the
Therapeutic Goods Administration.
The review also concluded that
the benefits of using cough and
cold medications in children have
not been proven.
As a result of the review’s findings
the TGA is now advising parents
and healthcare practitioners that
cough and cold medicines should
not be given to kids under 6; and
that these drugs should only be
given to children aged 6 to 11
years on the advice of a doctor,
pharmacist or nurse practitioner.
In addition cough and cold drug
labels will now be changed to
reflect this new advice, and will be
phased in from next month.
In detailing the reasoning behind
its new warnings, the TGA cited
possible side effects of the
mediations on children including:
allergic reactions, increased or
uneven heart rate, slow and shallow
breathing, drowsiness or
sleeplessness, confusion or
hallucinations, convulsions, nausea
and constipation.
“An overdose of these medicines
can lead to serious harm,” said the
Federal Parliamentary Secretary for
Health and Ageing, Catherine King.
Furthermore, the TGA went on to
say that coughs and colds can often
mask more serious illnesses in
children such as asthma, influenza,
pneumonia, bronchitis, middle ear
infection or another infection.
These illnesses require early
medical attention and treatment,
the TGA said.
The TGA also argued against the
use of the drugs in children by
saying that they only offer temporary
relief of common symptoms such
as runny nose, cough, nasal
congestion, fever and aches.
“They do not affect the severity of
the viral infection or shorten the time
the infection lasts,” the TGA said.
Cough and cold medicines used
for treating children that contain at
least one of the following active
ingredients will be affected by the
labelling change: brompheniramine,
chlorpheniramine,
dexchlorpheniramine,
diphenhydramine, doxylamine
pheniramine, promethazine,
triprolidine, codeine,
dextromethorphan, dihydrocodeine,
pentoxyverine, pholcodine, bromhexine,
guaiphenesin ipecacuanha, senega
and ammonia, phenylephrine
pseudoephedrine, oxymetazoline
and xylometazoline.
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