The CDC issued a report today warning about the dangers of using over-the-counter cough and cold medications in children less than two years old. The basis of the report is a CDC review that found at least three deaths in infants in 2005 due to over-the-counter cold medicines.
The report correctly notes that the safe dosing of cough and cold medicines in children less than two has never been studied or established. There is no FDA approved dosing of any of these medicines in children younger than two years of age. The report also correctly reminds readers that in studies of effectiveness, these medicines have never been shown to have any effect on children less than two. Therefore, they have been shown not to work in children this age, a safe dose is not known, and some children have died from taking them.
The dangers of cough and cold medicines in infants have been known for some time, and warnings like these have been issued several times in the past few years. However, I have not heard much about it in the general media, and parents still seem eager to give these medicines to their infants. Since they do not work at this age and since they can be harmful or fatal, I can think of no good reason to use them in children this age.
Links
CDC Report