Cold Medicine for toddlers?

[trumansmom]

DS reacts very strongly to cold and/or cough medicine. He gets very hyper and aggressive, and doesn't sleep. Unfortunately, I know how he feels, because I generally can't take anything either.

Does anyone know of any cough medicine that wouldn't affect a child prone to adverse reactions? We've been using a humidifier, but it's just not enough.

TIA-

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/29/01 and Eleanor 4/14/04

[Tondi G]

Have you asked your ped about it??? I'll bet there is something they can prescribe that will help DS sleep instead of hype him up! We have had luck with the triaminic nighttime cough and cold med this time around.... but DS is now on antibiotics cause he had a sinus infection and that was the cause of his coughing at night.

I wonder if there is a homeopathic remedy out there that would work for him for a cough????

HUGS... good luck... sick kiddos are no fun especially if you can't medicate them to help them sleep!

~Tondi
Mommy to Mason 7/8/01
and lil man #2 edd 5/5/05

[Marisa6826]

We've had our best luck with Pedicare. The have a decongestant and decongestant with cough version.

Have you checked out homeopathic remedies? Do you have a Whole Foods nearby?

Good luck

-m

[trumansmom]

LOL! I live in South Dakota. Out here Whole Foods is called a PASTURE! :P

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/29/01 and Eleanor 4/14/04

[egoldber]

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunatelt it could be any of a number of things. Sometimes it is the additives or the dyes in medicines that children react to rather than the medicine itself. You could try different ones with different additives to see if that helps. Or try a chewable vs a liquid to see if it makes a difference. And many kids are senstive to pseudephedrine (Sudafed) or diphenhydramine (Benadryl) which are found in many combo cold meds.

If Benadryl does make him sleepy (vs hyper), maybe add that on top of the cough medicine to hope that it counteracts the effect.

I am beginning to suspect that my DD is sensitive to either pseudephedrine or to a coloring/flavoring. I have noticed that she sleeps much better when she has a cold if I give her chewables vs a liquid med.

[lfp2n]

DD has had the most horrible cough the last week, so bad she sits up in her sleep and sounds like she's being sick, luckily its much better now. I went to the ped and she said its a virus so no antibiotics, and all I should give her was Tylenol for the fever and feeling miserable (interesting aside she told me off as I had been giving Motrin but as DD was eating nothing and not drinking much she said its bad for the kidneys-I think I knew that but forgot) Anyway the only thing she suggested for the cough at night was benadryl to help her sleep. But said as the under 3s sometimes get hyper from it to try it out in the day. I didn't do this as DD got better but

HIH

Lucy DD 3/03

[nwaddellr]

BTW - there was just a study out that showed the active ingredients in children's cough medicine don't actually help the kids not cough. In otherwords, you're giving your child a drug that does nothing for the symptoms, but may (as in your case) cause other side effects. So just skip it and try and keep him hydrated and eating well so he gets better quickly, I guess.

[egoldber]

You know I read that and I'm really puzzled by it. My DD will start coughing again just like clockwork about 4 hours after her last dose of a 4 hour cough medicine. I would love to see that study replicated. And I'm assuming that there were studies showing that these drugs were effective when they were originally released, as per the FDA requirements for any new drug.

Anyone of our resident docs know anything about this? Shannon?? Tarah??

[MamaKath]

Our doctor recommended Delsym (I think that is the correct spelling) which suppresses the cough only. I give it right before bed and it is a 12 hour med. I have never had much success with the other stuff, so I just wipe noses all day, whack the backs so that it breaks the stuff up, and just push lots of liquids especially water to help the body move the germs out. Good luck, stinks being sick. :-(

[christic]

Jeanne,

Have you tried cough medicines with just an expectorant like plain old (without the DM) Robitussin with guaifenesin? That should just loosen things up for him and help ease the cough without having to take the supressant--if that's what's making him hyper. And as far as I know guaifenesin was not debuked in that recent cough syrup study, if it's to be believed at all.

I can't take any cold medicines either without being up all night (it stinks!), but the most basic Robitussin has never bothered me.

Hope he feels better!

Chris