in not wanting them to raise the age of cough/cold remedies to 6???

[Natt82]

They are now going to raise medised/tixylix etc to the age of 6!

Apparently they dont work. I know many parents (myself included) that would argue that they do in fact work - both my boys have them only when horrendously full of phlem and snot, but they work so well at giving them some rest.

Surely raising the packaging to dosage over 6 is going to cause more problems? Parents who have used it in the past will continue to use it, yet wont have the correct dosage instructions.

news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Cough-And-Cold-Medicines-For-Children-List -Of-Doubtful-Drugs-By-MHRA/Article/200903115231743

AIBU to want to keep buying this stuff for my 31mo and 1yr old and going out today to stockpile the stuff?

Natt x

did you use piriton with her asthma medication? Or just by itself some days?

We usually used it at night, when she had had the maximum dose of asthma meds during the day.

what do you mena maximum dose of asthma meds?

She was able to have 3 x 2.5ml doses of bricanyl (terbutaline) a day (plus up to 2 puffs of brown inhaler morning and night). Unfortunately, sometimes she would still be coughing and tight chested with these 3 doses.

Yes, ban everything but paracetemol for everyone! They're a lot weak-willed sissies. What doesn't kill you just makes you tougher.

YANBU.

Buy it anyway. Just lie.

Whatever gets you and your child through.

I don't suffer needlessly if I'm ill, I see no reason why my children should, either, if there's something out there that helps them get some decent sleep, which is the best healer.

Yes, ban everything but paracetemol for everyone! They're a lot weak-willed sissies. What doesn't kill you just makes you tougher.

YANBU.

Buy it anyway. Just lie.

Whatever gets you and your child through.

I don't suffer needlessly if I'm ill, I see no reason why my children should, either, if there's something out there that helps them get some decent sleep, which is the best healer.

If it's ineffective / dangerous it should be withdrawn - full stop. Raising the age limit will not stop the very small proportion of people who abuse these medications.
I'm also worried that it will make people rely on ibuprofen more heavily. Everyone seems to think this is "harmless" whereas in fact it is a strong gastric irritant. It clearly says to give after food, but sick kids often don't eat, and many people give it in the middle of the night on an empty stomach.

Legally they can't withdraw some of this stuff just because its ineffective. The world is full of alternative therapies, many of which are of no or dubious benefit.
Also some of the medications contain stimulants and decongestents which are harmless for most adults with no cardiac etc problems , but more dangerous in small children.
Banning shops from selling placebos and potentially dangerous meds for young children seems sensible to me.
Children really don't need all this sticky gloop.

No - no-one "needs" it -adult or child. It's not life-saving, but some of us do find it very effective for very occasional use for relieving distressing symptoms - and no, for us lemon and honey does NOT cut it.

I cant say ive ever bought a bottle of cough medicine I havent ended up throwing away as its use by date has expired. They seem to do nothing other than make the pharmaceutical companies richer and make us feel we have done something to make our child feel better.

I stick to calpol/nurofen now and DS 8 has a little bottle of kids olbas oil he drips on his pillow if hes particularly blocked up.

I do think some people think the only way to recover from every illness is to throw drugs at it but sometimes the best thing to do is just let it take its course...obviously if they are ill over a prolonged amount of time then take them to the doctor (not day 3 of a cold though)

Why is if people don't like or agree with something they always suggest banning it?

My earlier post was probably misleading. I don't want it banned - what I'm saying is if it's that bad - ban it. Otherwise leave alone unless there is strong medical reason (which there doesn't seem to be). I occassionally use medised and it works brilliantly. Would far rather use it that neurofen, particularly at night on an empty stomach.

I really hesitate to use Ibuprofen for my DS, would much rather use paracetamol - as far as I can tell the side effects of paracetamol are far less harmful (otherwise why else would they ban pregnant women from taking ibuprofen???!!!). I only give it to him if my GP recommends it over paracetamol and even then I switch to paracetamol as soon as I can - it's history of being used for over 100 years gives me some reassurance that they're not going to suddenly discover another vicious long term side effect.

I've always hated using ibruprofen for my kids - I'm allergic to it, DH to aspirin. I dont like the fact that long term use in adults is linked to gastric problems.

But, we use it every time for a temperature in DS1 now - before Christmas he had febrile convulsions as we couldnt get his temp down and is now more prone to them so they tested him with the nurofen in hospital (no reaction) and told us to use that at the smallest fever (as well as paracetemol if the fever doesnt reside quickly)

After a few days of thinking about this, I'm more worried that changing the labels could be dangerous to others than my own kids not being able to use it tbh. There are going to be people advising each other to use medised etc (as their kids had it from 3m) but the labels will not give any dosages - so these parents could guess a dosage for their babies and get it really wrong.

I know aspirin was banned for under 16s years back, and there was probably the same reaction back then. But looking at the research online that I could find, aspirin had a clear dangerous link, where as IMO the cold medicines such as medised dont; they're just possible (minor) side effects. Someone quoted 3 deaths - that is a miniscule amount percentage wise to number that use the medicines is it not?

Sure 3 deaths is not many, but death is a very serious side effect. Particularly if it was your child who died.

Coughs and colds will run their course and the kids will get better, whether or not you give them anything.

but then you could die from an allergic reaction to honey (or lemon) (or anything else)

i bet there are loads more than 3 death from paracetamol... and thats not being banned

i would just get a dr to prescribe it i think!

I work in Chemists, I am dreading this being introduced, it is so unfair, seeing the stress this is going to cause and the abuse over the counter WE the staff are going to get. It is an absolute nightmare and IMO complete overkill - in fact I am seriously thinking of leaving at the moment, this is just the final thing. (I am off sick at the moment). As a mum it's horrid to have to say 'no'to parents who want to but meds for their kids that always have worked for them. Was bad enough when they altered age on meds from 3 months to 2 years on medised etc.

Allow me now to say an anonymous great big sorry to any of you I may serve.

Its not the counter staff's fault.

As a mum I completely believe these medicines DO work

Medised

Tixilix

IMO this is just overkill tactics to prevent blame [and probably damages claims etc]being given to pharmacutical companies in the event of tragic deaths.This is the way they operate.

The report I read suggested these were deaths which were not directly linked/ no proven link to the meds being taken,but that as the child(ren) had taken meds, and then died, they possibly could have been a factor and on THIS basis the decision had been taken.

I remember a few years ago adults were advised not to take decongestants like cough medicine if they suffered from any respiratory problems such as asthma, hayfever, etc. As asthma in children is on the rise I wonder if a similar precaution is being taken with this new legislation.

I have used a quite expensive natural chest rub for babies that I got from a health shop when my littly has a cold and also would put drops of children's olbas oil all around his cot. However, the other night when I changed his sheets at midnight due to excess snot while he had a tantrum about who knows what, I forgot to put olbas oil on his bedding and he seemed to sleep much better. I haven't used it since as I'm now thinking that the strong smell may have irritated him, but it's all just a guessing game isn't it. So I'm sticking with the chest rub and honey and lemon drinks. No doubt they will also be proved to be rubbish soon too!

is it not the dosage instructions that need changed?. My dd4's peadiatrition said thatany medisen given to her should be done according to her weight and not her age. one child at two can weigh a lot less than another at 18 months.

Does antone know whether the actually anti-histamine content has risen or is it still the same as before please?