40 Percent Parents Give Children Medicines that should not be Used

A recent finding by researchers at the University of Michigan states that more than 40 percent of parents give their children medicines that they should not use.

According to University of Michigan Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health, many parents are giving children under the age of 4 cough medicines or multi-symptom cough and cold medicine that kids should not use. Nearly 25 percent of the parents gave their kids decongestants.

According to an advisory issued in 2008 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, over-the-counter medicines should not be given to infants and children who are below 2 years, since they can cause serious side effects, says Matthew M. Davis, M.D., M.A.P.P., director of the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.

"These products don't reduce the time the infection will last and misuse could lead to serious harm," says Davis in a press statement.  "What can be confusing, however, is that often these products are labelled prominently as 'children's' medications. The details are often on the back of the box, in small print.  That's where parents and caregivers can find instructions that they should not be used in children under 4 years old."

The use of cough and cold medicines in young infants cause side effects which include drowsiness, slow and shallow breathing, allergic reactions, hallucinations, constipation, convulsions and uneven heart beat, according to press reports.

The use of medicine in children age 4 or younger to treat cold and coughs did not change with change in parent gender, race or household income.

The researchers advise parents to read the instructions and take advice from pediatricians regarding over-the-counter medication.

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