you cannot buy medised for under 6 yr olds now

[bubblagirl]

i went pharmacy yesterday as medised is only thing that helps my ds when ill and child has to be 6 now to have medised

[TrinityRhino]

I tried to buy it for my 9 year old a couple of months ago and was refused as it was for over 12's apparently

[EyeballshasManBoobs]

I know, my doctor was amazed, really amazed. He thought it was ludicrous that something parents have used for years is now deemed unsafe. He said that if he could get hold of some he would still give it to his children.

[TrinityRhino]

thats what my doctor said too

[bubblagirl]

my ds is autistic so it really helps when unwell as he cant sleep best of times he has melatonin but it has next to no affect when ill and medised was my savior lol really annoyed lots of cough medicines apparently too have gone up to 6 yrs

[PerfectPrefect]

Trinity guidlines say that pharmacists should recommend alterntaives for under 12's. But there isn't anything that has made it illegal to sell for under 12's. However, pharmacists do tend to use a lot of discretion. If you really want it for your 9yo try another pharmacy as you should be able to get it for a 9yo.

Thing is that it is not safe in all patients. There have been cases of it making children excessively drowsey (there was a thread on here just before hte new rules).

[PerfectPrefect]

All cough medicines have gone up to 6 - apart from basic glycerine syrup.

[bubblagirl]

i never really use cough medicines anyway so not overly bothered about them but medised is great i only ever use medised at night calpol or nurofen in day luckily my sister had unopened bottle so that was lucky lol

[PerfectPrefect]

Medised IS a cough medicine.

[SarahL2]

I am guarding the half bottle in my medicin cabinet like it's gold dust!

Can't believe it was good enough for my (then 18 month old) DS last year but he now needs to wait 7 years to have some more...!

[TrinityRhino]

it has never ever made my kids sleep longer, deeper or better
the one and only thing it does for them is when they are totally stuffed up and cant sleep for not being able to breath through their nose it works a treat on clearing up the snot and allows them to sleep
it is a godsend for a horrid cold

[Gorionine]

I never used medised as a cugh medecine, are you sure PerfectPerfect? I used it when Dcs were teathing though.

[starshaker]

i went to boots and bought some for "myself" dd has been gettin medised since she was a baby. calpol makes her very sick and she refuses anything else. btw she only gets it when she really really need it lol

[bubblagirl]

medised is pain and fever relief didnt think it had anything medicinal for coughs in it as in a cough medicine

[princessmel]

Great for runny noses.

I used to give it to dd and ds for this reason.

But since the new rules we haven't . Luckily since then we haven't felt calpol wasn't enough. They are older though.

[TrinityRhino]

it is paracetemol and decongestant
so releives pain and fever with the paracetemol
and then clears snot with the decongestant but the decongestant can also cause drowsiness in some children

the new rules were brought in as it appeared that parents were overdosing to 'drug' their kids to slepp

I also, I dont remember exactly, think it had something to do with two deaths in the last 12 years or something being attributed to medised

I will be still trying to get hold of some for the horrid summer cold we will be due soon and I will give all 3 of my children the correct dosage as it still says on the bottle for their ages just once before bed so they can breathe throiugh their noses to fall asleep

[bubblagirl]

well i'll got o different chemist without child and just say 6 when they ask the age lol i only ever do one dose at bedtime or in the night as helps settle him back off when not well

[tegan]

I can't believe this. Ds is 6 months and i only said to dh this morning i was going to the chemist to get some for his as he is teething. Both my dd's had medised instead of calpol or neurofen, what will i do now?

[wotulookinat]

I still give my son Medised, and he is not quite three. When I go to buy it I go without him and say it is for an 11 year old.

[bubblagirl]

dont take child and say age 6 when they ask for what age

[PerfectPrefect]

Exactly Riven.

In fact the drug companies withdrew their products voluntarily in the US in 2007.

Tegan - Medised is no more effective for a teething child than paracetamol. The diphenhydramine hydrochloride in medised has no benefits for teething.

[HappyMummyOfOne]

Calpol or Nurofen works fine on teething, Karvol drops for a blocked nose etc also work fine. Never bought Medised and we have coped fine.

It should be strictly monitored and if its been changed to over 6 then there are obviously reasons for this.

There will be people, like Riven, who need it but others use it for the wrong reasons or when another lesser medicine/remedy is fine. Its also abused as a sedative which is very wrong and dangerous.

[TrinityRhino]

teething is better dealt with by nurofen as it is an anti-inflamatory

medised is a decongestant

[Elibean]

I thought the reason the age was changed was because some parents didn't realize it had paracetamol in it, and double-dosed with Calpol, thus overdosing their child? Mind you, thats only what I read here on MN, never saw the press comments.

dd1 has hardly ever had it (and is nearly old enough for it, according to new rules). She doesnt' need it - calpol or nurofen have dealt with all necessary ills.

dd2, OTOH, has ENT issues, now a lot better (though still there to some extent), but last winter she had severe sleep apnoea and was wasting away: pre-op, she had a dose of Medised virtually every night, and thank god for it - with doctors' blessing, if that makes any difference. Nowadays, far less often, but when she has streamy/blocked colds its the only thing that stops her gasping for air and choking in her sleep, so I would still give it to her if necessary. She's 2.5.

[bubblagirl]

i found it was because side affects cannot be reported by young children and children of age 6 are less likely to get side affects ,
and can tell parent if feeling odd due to weight and height less likely to suffer any side affects from age 6