Medised now unsuitable for under 2's - Who knew , and will it stop you giving it?

[Sycamoretree]

Just been on another thread about a 11 month old with a absolutely rotten cold - not sleeping at all. I mentioned medised and the OP said she thought it was not for under 2's.

I was sure my bottle said from 3 months so I googled it and here is what I found.

Packaging in pic still says 3 months +, but an ingredient has been re-classified.

My youngest is 15 months and teething like a maniac. I am really loathe to stop using medised as I think it's brilliant for bedtimes when LO's are feeling this rotten.

What do other's think. Would you stop using it if you have used with with your other DC's from a much younger age?

Ok, I just had a look at my bottle, purchased the other day and the outer box had the 3 months logo and the label on the bottle inside says 2+.GOOD MARKETING!!!

I still give it to my 15m old on occasion when he cant sleep due to badly runny nose - obviously I give it instead of Calpol as I always knew it had paracetamol in it and I only do it at nighttime, one or 2 nights max. I think that is fine.

I agree with expat and artichokes - I can read the bottle and am very careful not to OD my DS. This advice has as much scientific weight behind it as the advice on safe units of alcohol ie none.

Charlee, if it is "Tixylix Cough and Cold" you shouldn't give Calpol Night at the same time as they've both got antihistamine in. But the other Tixylix ones are ok - Chesty Cough, Baby Syrup, Night Cough, Dry Cough.

I am still using it

Tixylix chesty cough.

Ingredients

Guaifenesin
Sorbitol

Am giving him recomended dose of packet 1-2 yrs One 2.5ml spoonfull.

Phew.

It was reclassified as part of a review of cough medicines
List of cough medicines no longer suitable for the under 2s

DS is 15mths and first had medised when he was 5mths olds as recommended by my cousin. She used it in her two and said to give slightly less than the 5ml as he was at the longer end of the age scale.

If he has a cold he still uses medised..one bottle has lasted me since feb so hardly excessive. If its just teething pain he will get Calpol, but i never mix the two.

I have never used medised or calpol night and never will, under 2 year old or not.

I know too many people who use medised (or calpol) to get their kids to sleep on a normal night and think its sad to use sedatives when they have just not been taught how to fall asleep.

I find calpol or nurofen (or a quick back rub or cuddle) are enough to take away any pain/fever, and raising the mattress helps with congestion.

Charlie Don't give Guaifenesin at bed time. it's an expectorant (ie makes them cough it up) so it's not great for getting a good night's sleep.

I used Medised recently when dd2 (15 months) had chicken pox.

Piriton did absolutely nothing, actually that's wrong. She would be wide awake for several hours at night after a dose at bedtime.
With Medised, she did not appear itchy and was able to have a good sleep.

no amount of back rubbing or cuddles has ever got rid of a fever

But Pulapula, it doesn?t make sense to say that because it's being abused by other you won't use it. Obviously it?s a bad bad thing if people are using medised inappropriately. And using it to get a child to sleep is clearly inappropriate. But that doesn?t mean you shouldn?t use it sensibly, in the right dose, on the right occasion.

I give my two Medised if they have a cold and a fever as it brings the temperature down and clears their noses so they can sleep, the better to fight off infection ? one is 18 months, one is 4. If they have a fever on its own, they have Calpol/Nurofen. If they just have a cold, they don?t get anything apart from some Olbas Oil. I am very comfortable with giving them Medised when needed, and have indeed done so for the last three nights.

I am aware in doing so that ds is under the recommended age, but I took a careful look at the advice when it changed and concluded, as other posters have, that it wasn?t that I was being told that it was dangerous for ds, but that some parents of children that age were using it wrongly. I?m neither negligent nor stupid so fully capable of giving him drugs in a sensible way.

Exactly snickersnack.
I am a great believer in talking to the GP and getting the facts on such things.

I'm going to continue to use it. The reclassification has only come about because of others misusing it. I know I'm not one of those parents, so it makes no difference to me. I know I'd rather see DC's peacefully asleep that grotty and distressed from lack of sleep because of pain, blocked sinuses or fever.

I think medised and the like are a godsend for kids and parents alike when LO's are ill and reclassifying will in no way stop parents who are determined to abuse it from lying to a pharmacist and administering it anyway.

I heard about this some time ago. I thought it was something to do with allergic reactions to the antihistemene, not overdosing...

It is probably absolutely fine but I do feel (for me) that I want to follow current guidelines. If it used to be OK but now it isn't, I won't do it. It's just the same as not eating brie or peanuts in pregnancy, or not giving babies cows' milk until 12 months (used to be 6 months).

Babies aren't to have cows milk until 12 months? Even in cooking? Sorry to divert my own OP....

I'm amazed at how may people are violently anti medised but are happliy recommending nurofen. Nurofen is a gastric irritant (even at recommended dose) and guidelines say to give with food. How many people do this in the middle of the night (or give it to kids who have lost thier appetite)? I would much rather give a dose of medised than nurofen (although will use either in certain circumstances). Everything has its risks.

Sorry, I meant as a drink. Cows milk is fine in cooking but when I was a baby I was weaned at 6 months straight from breast to cows' milk. That isn't recommended now. It didn't do me any harm but doesn't mean it didn't harm someone.

Unless it is just a cynical ploy to get people to give formula at 6 months who would otherwise not have given formula at all? Could I have uncovered a government conspiracy?

I knew, and no I didn't. dd2 was about 20 months when the legislation went through, and I still used it when appropriate. She has a narrow airway, plus vast tonsils, and when she has a cold or chest infection she just can't breathe - back rubs, raised cot heads, humidifiers, Karvol, blah blah blah, its not enough for her.

Thank god for Medised, to be honest, though no of course it shouldn't be used as a sedative on well children

The only problems are really when parents haven't read instructions properly or use it to get sleep themselves. If it works on your child and you dont abuse use, i cant see problem. But then again like earlier post, i can read and count (sufficiently anyway )