cold-medicines « WordPress.com Tag Feed

A Good Reason to Question Even Doctors...

swfreedomlover — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:17:04 +0000

I hate colds. We all do. I never found any of the so-called cold medicines to do any good, other than mask the symptoms and prolong my cold. So I gave up using them decades ago and much to my pleasure, found I could be over a cold in less than 5 days.

So it was strange for me that when I had my son, one of the first things I’d do is give him some cold medicine the doctor recommended. I didn’t notice the cold symptoms really easing, and had to watch him through 10 days of feeling nasty each time. Now, it seems my son inherited earaches from me (which I thankfully outgrew by the time I was 10), as he them a couple of times a year also, but I noticed his seemed to only occur immediately following a cold.

I decided to try something with his next cold, and much to my (then) husband’s dismay and horror, I didn’t give my son any cold medicine. He reacted to this the same way I did. Instead of having a bad cold for almost 8 days, he was over the worst of it in 3 days, and he was himself again by day 5. Lo and behold! NO earache after it either. All I would use would be vicks when he really was stuffy, and a vaporizer at night. While his father was surprised and glad, he was still mortified that I would not give his son any cold medicine after that. Fortunately, my son is a very bright boy and even at his young age of 4, realized that he preferred mom’s way over dad’s and wasn’t shy about telling dad that mom was right. LOL By the time he was six, we were down to just 1 cold per year instead of 3.

So this comes as no surprise to me at all. I’m just glad I listened to my own instincts instead of going with the trend.

Cold medicine scam finally exposed after decades of harming children

(NewsTarget) Another example of outright quackery by pharmaceutical companies has finally gathered enough steam to achieve mainstream news coverage: Cold medicines are useless, say pediatricians who petitioned the FDA to ban the marketing of such products to children. Last month, an FDA advisory panel...

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Finally, someone else feels as I do…

"As long as the child is generally healthy, the best thing to do is let the virus run its course, and generally they'll get better as quick or quicker than when they take these medicines," said Dr. Steven J. Czinn, Chairman of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

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"Airborne" crash lands...

Mooserx — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:09:12 +0000

The company behind Airborne, the oh-so-popular anti-cold tablet developed by a school teacher, has settled litigation for $23.3 million. Admitting no wrong-doing, the company has decided that it will have to pay for advertisements to give back customers their money. Apparently, Airborne made claims of shortening the length of the common cold and preventing you from catching it. It did have studies to back it up, only they were found out to be done by laypeople. This was back in 2006. Since then, Airborne has redone all print materials to say on its packaging that it only "boosts the immune system," whatever that means... This overrated multivitamin has been condemned for what it is worth, nothing more than a bunch of hoopty herbal medicines (none proven to work) and half an orange. Oh, and eating half an orange is much cheaper than taking an Airborne tablet...and works better, too.

More details about the litigation are due out June 6th, so if you were suckered to buy the product, maybe then you can learn how to get your money back.

Cold Meds Send 7,000 Children to the ER Every Year

Trisha — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:48:07 +0000

I saw this article and this explains more about why the FDA is recommending cold meds not be given to children under 6. There is statistical evidence. More than 7,000 children are rushed to the ER every year after suffering adverse reactions to cold medications. In 2004 and 2005 more than 1500 children suffered from complications and 123 died after taking cold medicines. There are also a variety of factors: parents giving the wrong medicine or the wrong dose, and in some cases children themselves found their way into the bottles.

Here is a link to the entire article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/28/AR2008012801938.html

FDA Warning on Kids’ Cold Medicines & Alternatives to Medicines

Trisha — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:02:57 +0000

In October 2007, the FDA issued warnings on giving cold medications to kids under the age of 6. This week, the FDA affirmed that warning for kids under the age of 2 and warned parents to avoid these medicines because of “serious and potentially life-threatening side effects.” Actually, the FDA has never approved cold medicines for children under 2.

The FDA is still investigating the effects of cold medicines on the 2-11 age group. These warnings come because of several concerns.

1. Parents can very easily give the wrong dosage
2. Parents are giving these medicines to children without consulting their pediatrician
3. These medicines do not appear to be effective on infants and toddlers
4. There have been rare, but serious side effects from convulsions, rapid heartbeat and even death

Parents, if you give cold medicines for children over 2:
1. NEVER give more then 1 type of medicine without consulting your child’s pediatrician. Just because it is over the counter, does not mean it is safe. Same goes for mixing with herbal remedies.
2. ALWAYS use the proper dosage in the provided dropper. Never use a cereal spoon as these are not accurate measurements.
3. ALWAYS follow the dosing instructions. If it says every 4 hours, don’t cheat and give at 3.5 hours.
4. Only treat the symptoms your child has. If he just has a cough, do not use a medicine that also treats a fever and congestion.
5. NEVER use an adults version, even if you are giving a smaller dose. Kids medicines are formulated for kids and adult medicines are formulated for adults.
6. Even herbal remedies can have side effects. Just because these are more “natural” remedies does not mean they are safe for children. Consult a professional.

There are better and more effective ways to treat your child’s cold and cough.
1. Use homeopathic remedies, such as those by Hyland’s (makers of the famous teething tablets). Homeopathic remedies help your body fight infections by boosting your immune system, which is why these are more effective than over the counter meds (that just mask the symptoms). Hyland’s products are good – I just used the cough syrup for my 21 month old and she cried for more. She would have drunk the whole bottle if I let her.
It does taste pretty good. :)
2. Breast milk in nose for congestion – just pull her off at letdown
and aim for her nostrils! Seems to work almost immediately for us.
3. Vicks on the bottom of her feet (Vicks makes a milder baby version
and so does the same folks who make the Little Noses saline drops).
If you get the baby stuff, you can rub on her chest too, otherwise,
stick to the feet.
4. Use a humidifier/vaporizer. Some suggest this is not effective in getting into the tiny airways of infants, but I have always found it useful in when my daughter was an infant.
5. You can also run hot water in the bathroom and shut the door and let
her breathe the steam for 10 minutes or so. When my daughter had a cold as a
baby, I sat her bouncy seat in the bathroom while I took a shower.
6. Raise the end of the mattress so her head is elevated, will help her
drain and prevent further congestion. To do this safely, put a pillow or rolled up towel under the mattress rather than in the bed with baby.
7. Give lots of fluids to help break up the mucus – breast milk and
water are best.
8. I have recently heard of Sinupret. It’s supposed to be an herbal remedy but it is also 8% alcohol. It’s also NOT recommended for kids under 2, for pregnant, lactating or soon to be pregnant women. I am a skeptic, but it is widely used in Europe and is apparently effective.
9. I have also had some natural vapor bath stuff. It may have helped, but was not as effective as the others.

FDA press release

Dr. Sears on treating kid’s colds

CNN report

Cold Comfort

mdhealthnotes — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 21:53:32 +0000

The cold season has arrived, a cure hasn't, and even efforts at treating the symptoms seem doubtful.

Over the counter (OTC) cold remedies have come under harsh scrutiny lately. In October, an FDA advisory panel recommended a ban on cold medicines for children under six, and in anticipation of that vote, several drug makers pulled their infant cold medicines off the shelves. Medicines for adults weren't affected, but they don't have a track record that inspires great confidence. A drug called phenypropanolamine was used as a nasal decongestant in many products until researchers linked it to hemorrhagic strokes in women. Guidelines from the American College of Chest Physicians two years ago cast doubt on the effectiveness of cough expectorants and suppressants included in many over-the-counter products.

Little wonder, then, that people have sought out alternatives like vitamin C and zinc. But for the most part, the evidence for them is pretty shaky.

Over-the-counter medicines. Colds, of course, have a variety of symptoms, so cold medicines have a variety of ingredients: almost always some kind of pain and fever reducer, usually acetaminophen; a cough suppressant, often dextromethorphan; a nasal decongestant, usually phenylephrine; and sometimes an antihistamine, often chlorpheniramine. The American chest physicians aren't alone in their skepticism about the anti-cough ingredients. Several years ago, British researchers reviewed 15 trials of cough medicines and concluded that "there's no good evidence of their effectiveness." Their damning assessment included antihistamines. The first generation antihistamine like doxylamine and chlorpheniramine have a sedating effect, so they're often ingredients in the medicines that brag about nighttime relief.

If taken at the recommended dose, the OTC medicines are reasonably safe for adults. Still that's a sizable if. Most of the complications from the infant and children's formulations have come from accidental overdoses, which can be a problem for adults, too. People don't necessarily read the fine print and may not realize, for example, that a tablespoon of Nyquil contains 500mg of acetaminophen. If they are taking lots of Tylenol - which is acetaminophen - at the same time, they can get into trouble that, in the worst case, may end in liver failure.

The possibility of anticholinergic effects from antihistamines is also something to keep an eye on. Particularly in older people, anticholinergic drugs can cause confusion, constipation and for men with prostate problems difficulty or inability to empty the bladder.

Pseudophedrine, the active ingredient in stand-alone nasal decongestant products like Sudafed, is a powerful medicine that needs to be taken with care. It works by constricting nasal blood vessels, but that effect isn't limited to the nose. Pseudophedrine can cause hypertension and rarely, cardiac arrhythmias and strokes, as well as urinary retention in men with an enlarged prostate gland. It's unclear whether phenylephrine, the nasal decongestant that has replaced pseudophedrine in many of the multi-symptom cold medicines, poses the same risk.

Vitamin C. Last year, a review of 30 trails that included a total of over 11,000 people found that taking the vitamin to prevent colds had little, if any, effect. Exceptions might be people who engage in heavy-duty exercise like marathon running or who are exposed to extreme cold. Such experiences cause temporary dips in immune function that vitamin C may offset. Whether mega doses might treat a cold once it's started will require more research.

Zinc. Taking zinc has been proposed to shorten colds and perhaps reduce their severity. Stanford researchers reported last year that three of four studies that they identified as being the most reliable didn't find a therapeutic benefit from zinc lozenges or nasal spray. The fourth, which tested a nasal gel, did. There have been several reports, though, of zinc gels causing a loss of the sense of smell.

Echinacea. A number of randomized clinical trials, included two funded by the National Institutes of Health, haven't found any benefit from taking echinacea.

Prevention that works. Only a small percentage of sneezes and coughs contain cold viruses, so you're more likely to spread - or pick up - cold viruses by way of your hands. Regular hand washing really is one of the best cold prevention tactics around. Exercising very hard may temporarily lower your immunological guard, but regular, moderate exercise boosts the immune system, and some research suggests it could prevent colds. Hopes for vitamin D are running sky-high these days, with research suggesting that it may have anti-cancer effects. It may also help fend off colds by boosting the immune system. But don't go overboard. The safe daily upper limit for vitamin D is 2,000 International Units.

And once you get a cold... cold medicines aren't the only OTC game in town. You can take many of the ingredients contained in these medicines separately, which allows for a targeted rather than a shotgun approach to symptoms. Aspirin or acetaminophen can ease the pain of a sore throat. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like naproxen (Aleve, other brands) can help with a cough.

Taking a decongestant isn't the only way to open up nasal passages. Inhaling steam from a teakettle or in a hot shower can help. Drinking plenty of water helps unplug nasal passages by keeping mucus moist and flowing. Using a nasal irrigation device called a neti pot can help sinus sufferers. And if you have a fever, fluids counteract the tendency to get dehydrated.

Finally, don't overdo the nose blowing. Too much blowing can push nasal fluids laden with bacteria and viruses into the sinus cavities. The result in some cases is a secondary infection of the sinuses that needs to be treated with antibiotics.

Taken in part from Harvard Health Letter, January 2008