OTC Medication Implications for Kids under 2

Recent polls show that many American parents of children 2 years old and younger are still giving over-the-counter (OTC) cold and cough medicines to their children despite warnings from the Food and Drug Administration. In 2008, the FDA expressed that OTC cough and cold medicines should not be given to children in the age group of 2 years and younger because it was linked to poisoning and death in hundreds of children. Other studies have concluded that these medicines inadvertently have little or no benefit in controlling symptoms.

Recently a poll of over 300 parents of children ages 6 months to 2 years discovered that 61% of parents gave OTC cold and cough medicine to their children within the last year. More than half of the parents claimed their child's pediatrician said the medicines were safe for children under the age of 2.

Among other findings, use of OTC medicines varied by race/ethnicity: 80% among blacks; 69% among Hispanics; and 57% among whites. And differences among income were: 80% among families with annual incomes of less than $30,000 and 41% among families with annual incomes of $100,000 or more.

Many parents explain that wanting their children to sleep better or to be more comfortable during the day is a main reason for using OTC medication. The challenge involved is informing and warning parents about the potential harm OTC medication can inflict on children under the age of 2. Most parents may not have heard of the warning, and must be educated about a wide variety of health care issues for children in that age group.

Parents are cautioned to do their own research regarding medication prescribed by physicians. It appears that many physicians are not heeding the FDA's warning about OTC cold medication. Children will ultimately be more safe when parents and physicians are all on the same page in monitoring these medications as children become older.