My 8 month old has been unwell with a virus for 13 days now. We have seen a doctor, who has said to try & keep her rested & hydrated. She has now developed a real chesty cough that is keeping her awake at night. The Doctor did say this was a possibility with the virus. We are all pretty sleep deprived, and I was desperate to find her some relief.
I called into our local pharmacy & explained the situation to the intern pharmacist, and asked if there was anything safe & effective to give her or whether it was just best to wait it out.
He said I should definitely try a cough syrup with Ivy leaf in it. I asked him whether it actually had actual active ingredients in it, as I wasn't into alternative unproven options, especially if they only as effective as a placebo. he said that it was a good option & I should definitely try it. $27 (£15!) later.
A few days later, the cough syrup has had zero effect, and there is now an article in our local paper saying that these syrups should not be used with babies or children under 10 as there is no evidence on their efficacy or safety It links to this for more info: www.nps.org.au/topics/how-to-be-medicinewise/Medicinewise-questions/medicinewise-questions/ivy-leaf-extract-for-childrens-coughs
When I called the pharmacy for more info, the manager said I should not have spoken to the intern, and that I should have made my own made up whether the product was safe or not. I said that it was reasonable to expect health advice from people working in the pharmacy, rather than a sales pitch pushing products. That if the intern didn't feel qualified to answer my questions he should have referred me to the pharmacist. She just said the product was safe & any other staff would have told me the same and the qualifications didn't mean anything anymore any way? (WTF?)
AIBU to have expected actual health advice and to not be sold this bottle of useless herbs, which may or may not be safe for babies?