Quick help needed - Can you give cough medicine and decongestant at the same time

[Momit]

I'm waiting on a call back from the ped after hours nurse but it's getting close to bedtime.

DS is 4 and has a cold. I bought some children's sudafed PE nasal decongestant and gave it to him 2 days ago. Yesterday he had a cough so I got Pedia Care cough and congestion. It really seemed to help him sleep, at least until it wore off at 2 am, and I'd like to give it to him again tonight.

Should I not give both the decongestant and the cough med? He did have a fever earlier but it seems to be gone now.

I'm normally not big on giving tons of mess to mask symptoms but I do want him to be able to sleep as comfortably as possible.

[KLD313]

Are the ingredients the same?

[kristenk]

It sounds as if the cough med already has something for congestion in it. If you read the active ingredients for both meds, do you see the same ingredient on both boxes?

[ett]

Hmmm, I'm not sure. I looked online and it looks like the active ingredients are different, but Sudafed is a decongestant and the Pedia Care also says congestion, so don't know what to tell you. I would definitely wait for the on call nurse to call you back.

[ellies mom]

This PediaCare Cough and Congestion (http://www.pediacare.com/products/pediacare-childrens-cough-and-congestion.aspx) does not have phenylephrine (the active ingredient in Sudafed PE) so you could combine them if you wanted. I'm going to guess that the Pediacare is referring to Guaifenesin (the expectorant) when they talk about congestion.

[Momit]

Thanks, all. Yes - the active ingredients are different. The PediaCare cough and congestion contains a cough suppressant and an expectorant, and the Sudafed contains a nasal decongestant.

The nurse finally called me back as DS was falling asleep while I read to him. He took the Sudafed but not the cough stuff. If he wakes up coughing I'll give it to him but so far he seems ok.

Funny, it didn't even occur to me about the active ingredients being the same and doubling up a dose. I was more thinking about things counteracting each other or causing some crazy side effect when given together.

This cold medicine stuff is new to me since the last time he was sick he was too young for everything except infant Tylenol.