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Sunday, October 21, 2007

Sick Kids and Cold Medications


Over the counter drugs for the common cold only mask the symptoms of the cold. I think we all know that. As an adult you are okay to take them but apparently there is a problem giving those same over the counter drugs to your children. We have become a society that trusts the medications at CVS or Walgreen’s over handing the kid an orange or apple every day to eat that naturally combat every day illness that hits our kids. We have become the parents that do not have time for sick kids. Over at the local pharmacy they have the solution in a bottle or pill that will allow junior to go to school because mom or dad can’t afford a day off from work. Literally and monetarily mom and dad can not afford a day off to care for a sick child at home anymore.

Buckle up your seat belts, the government is pulling all of the remedies to eventually get you to work out from under you. Over at MSNBC they have this to say about over the counter medications for your kids…

By Jane Weaver and Melissa Dahl
MSNBC Updated: 7:28 p.m. ET Oct 19, 2007


Julie Eshelman always believed that the decongestant liquid she gave her young daughter for a cold was helpful.

The girl, now 7, used to come home from day care with the sniffles. “She'd wake up in the middle of the night and we’d mix the medicine with some juice,” says Eshelman, 41, of Bloomfield, N.J. “She would then go back to sleep. We thought it worked, but now I’m not so sure.”

Federal health advisors Friday said over-the-counter cold and cough medicines don't work in children and shouldn't be used for those under 6. Although parents have doled out the liquids and pills for decades, the drugs have never been tested in children. The Food and Drug Administration's panel of experts concluded more studies needed to be done.
- MSNBC

Now they tell us! Never tested on children but every single medication in my home says what the dosage should be used for children and they even give the weight just in case you have a tiny child by age or a child with big bones so to speak.

Here is a clue, the government never looked at the medications and whom would actually use them the most. I’m guilty of giving my children cold or flu medicine when the symptoms were at there worst. I followed the dosage by the child’s weight and age like a good parent. What parent wants to see their child suffer? Duh… other than Brit-a-ninny Spears …. None!

My mind wanders to why they are coming out with this retraction of FDA regulated drugs that are safe to sell over the counter last week but not this week? We the people will probably never know that answer because it is best that we do not know for fear of panic by the masses. God forbid that a parent should know that they were harming their children that was sanctioned by the FDA for years. Do you think that the cold and flu product benefactor industry would warn parents that their products were not tested on children or even young mice? What else hasn’t been tested on our nations children that we as parents give to them based on the product label?

Top of the grocery list goes oranges, apples, pears, and a bunch of other fruits and vegetables that our parents insisted that we eat to live a healthy life. I’m going to miss the hours of sleep I had when one of the girls was sick and a teaspoon of instant over the counter cure let them rest. But then again if they eat the stuff their bodies really need then maybe they won’t be that sick after all?

Back in the day, long before dirt was invented, mom used to stock up on fruits and vegetables when one of us came down with any bug. Having seven children she knew how to run interference when the latest and greatest health issue hit her family. She didn’t open up a can of chicken soup from Campbell’s, she made it from scratch. Tons of fresh vegetables, one or two whole chickens and lots of potatoes and salt. Whatever else she put in it kept the rest of us healthy.

Stashing the parental must have cold and flu medications is on my list of things to do. Not trusting the FDA when it comes to my kids and any medication even if administered by a highly educated physician is at the top of my list of things to watch out for.

Has the FDA been sold out to the highest bidder? It would not surprise me given the fact that everything else under this current administration is up for sale. What kind of government do we have anymore? Can we trust any of the medications anymore? Should our nations doctors trust them anymore? Lot’s of what ifs here and I’m not trusting any of the bastards. I love my kids to much to have any faith in what medication is okay for my kids to take and what is not. I’m questioning all of the over the counter products now and so should you.

Before you give your child a Tylenol or an Asprin or whatever an adult takes for any illness, read the product label and dosage carefully.

Papamoka

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3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Under any administration, the FDA and other "safety nets" are at least partly manipulated by the wrong group. Caring parents and family are the only ones who can be entirely trusted to know their kids and to look out for their child's best interests. At least we can look at fruits and veggies as prepackaged as they grow- the ultimate fast food. :)

11:32 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The FDA didn't even require drug companies to do any drug testing in children until 1997. Which is a shame, because children don't metabolize drugs the same way as adults.

Perhaps it's better that this happened; there's good evidence cold medicines aren't that effective for colds in adults, and even less effective in children. And there are some fairly common side-effects; antihistamines cause sedation in adults, but in children (especially after multiple doses) they cause hyperactivity (like you need any more of that ;) )

The best alternatives I can think of for colds in children are:

1. Don't give them dairy products in any form. Milk proteins stimulate mucus production, and make it thicker.
2. Increase fluid intake; clear fluids are considered a more effective expectorant than any drug.
3. Make sure to have a humidifier, so air stay moist and secretions don't become dry and thick.
4. Use menthol-based decongestants (like Vicks). Some forms can be used with humidifiers/vaporizers.

And patience is important too. ;)_

5:51 AM  
Blogger Papamoka said...

Ultimate fast food...lol!! I love that one Chell.

Thanks for the heads up Tom. I never thought about the dairy products angle.

6:31 PM  

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