FDA Considers Ban on Cold Meds for Children Under 6

FDA safety experts are encouraging the agency to ban over-the-counter cough and cold remedies for children under the age of 6. The preliminary recommendation, which outside experts will review later this month, says children under the age of 2 should not be using decongestants, and those under 6 should not use antihistamines.

Between 2004 and 2005, more than 1,500 children under the age of two suffered serious side effects from using common cold medicines, according to a recent report from the CDC. The FDA report cites at least 54 deaths in children after taking decongestants, and 69 after taking antihistamines from 1969 to 2006, and says adverse effects are likely under-reported.

Our pediatrician has long told us cold medicines aren’t effective in little ones, a position backed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Though I’m generally not a pusher, when you have a toddler stuffed up like a taut new handbag at 3 a.m., it has always seemed kinder (for all involved) to give a teensy squirt of tasty cherry liquid than to induce shrieking by forcing saline up her nose and attacking her with a tiny blue turkey baster. Never did I think that these common medications could be dangerous for my kids.

I can’t shake this quote from USA Today, referring to the 800-plus popular cold medications marketed for infants and children: "The basic question is, why should a product be so relentlessly marketed when it's not safe or effective?" said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore's health commissioner. "It does not make sense, in the absence of information, to say 'consult a physician,' because they do not have superhuman powers. They cannot make a product safe or effective."

Equally chilling, it turns out that hyrdrocodone, the ingredient that gives the narcotic Vicodin its kick, is used in some unapproved prescription cough syrups for children. The FDA has given manufacturers until the end of October to stop selling them.

Check out complete stories in the New York Times and USAToday.