i ain't tossing no tot cold meds!
Yes, I'm reporting late to the game on this one. But that's because Crabmommy's had a cold, and been laid out for several days now. Luckily for me, I hit the Nyquil. And nobody's telling me not to. Well, not yet.
After reading the piece that said it all this month and caused all of American Mommery to go into a mad panic and pile infant cold meds onto a giant bonfire, I'm feeling peppery: yet another moment of mass hysteria in our culture. Yet another opportunity for fear to get the upper hand.
I'm thinking of doing a new mini-column here. I'm running out of ideas for Million Dollar Mommy, but there are endless sources of inspiration for a new Mommy Fear Factor column, where we can discuss the latest things that terrify us beyond all reason. Lead paint, car-seats that don't work right, flu meds that kill our children...I'll never run out of material. Thanks, America!
So let's recap: I'm supposed to toss the bottle of "Little Colds" I have in my cabinet, not because it's really dangerous, but because it doesn't work. The infant deaths reported have been attributed to "rare patterns of misuse leading to overdose." In other words, no real danger. Even Dr. Sears corroborates this: "these medications are not harmful when given in the proper doses." It's just that they haven't been proven to help.
So does this really warrant tossing out the poison that last year everyone thought perfectly bloody fine? Must we all revert to Amish methods of cold-soothing when we just want to give the tot a tot of the good stuff? Okay, so nobody has proven the effectiveness of the meds in question, but have they polled any actual parents for that? I know that when I used "Little Colds" for Crabtot's last cough, it meant the diffs between a good night's sleep and none at all. Or at least, that's what it seemed to us. And if it's the placebo effect that worked, then bring it on. I just know it was nice to think something was working when nothing else did, especially when that something isn't harmful.
The New York Times sternly ends its piece with the admonishment, courtesy of pediatrician Andrew D. Racine, M.D.: "Most parents who gave cold medicines to young children were just hoping for a good night's sleep themselves." Oooh yes. I see where we're going. To that dark special hell where we negligent tot-doping parents belong. And in this special hell we must all beat ourselves and each other for the terrible, selfish things we do as Mom and Dad. Indeed, after many hours of a tot's late-night coughing I, as an exhausted mother, might be *slightly* thinking of my own sleep needs as well as Crabtot's when I whip out that bottle! So, go ahead, beat me! Make me feel guilty. (As moms, we really don't feel guilty often enough, so thank you NYTimes and Dr. Andrew Racine for helping us with that.)
Back to the FDA. I beg you, FDA, before you terrify us all and cause millions of sleepless nights the nation over because you think this stuff doesn't work, put in a clause that says the following:
If you're not a complete idiot, and know how to follow dosage instructions [i.e., if you're obsessively cautious like most of us and check dosage to the milli-zilli-leter], feel free to use up the rest of your bottles of meds as you see fit. Because we don't know that they work. But we don't know that they're useless either. In fact we don't know much at all. So maybe you shouldn't hang on our every word.
Seriously, isn't this just so much hooey? 45 infant deaths in almost thirty years of cold meds...and because of overdosing to boot! Crabmom's as neurotic as the next mom, but even I'm not scared by this. I refuse to be. Good to know I'm not alone, and that other parents are also hoarding. (But if you're not one of us, please contact me and I'll arrange for Fedex to bring me your rejects.)
One thing's for sure: the sale of Paxil anti-anxiety meds just got a big boost from moms across our nation. Wait, wasn't Paxil recalled?
I thought they might be on to something until I saw the numbers they were quoting. There's a reason why it says to "ask your doctor."
Our pedi's site has the info all listed on it, which helps with kids who must lick the floor while we're out in public.
Will we be able to get this in the future with a black box warning or are we al stuck with snot-nosed kids?
On realizing my pediatric cold and flu supply was down to almost nothing the night beofre last I headed off into Brooklyn to try and secure some yesterday. I found on lone bottle of Tylenol cold and flu on the shelves of Target but once at check out the cash register froze in some kind of federal lock down until a manager arrived and verified that I had not made off with the illicit substnance. I then headed for keyfood where the manager informed me (in his best 'bad mommy' voice that "didn't I know it had all been banned". My husband meanwhile headxed to our pharmacy and on asking for them some holier-than-though woman with a stroller told him off for endangering his children so. I then realized my best bet was a seedy pharmacy that I never go into. They had no doubt not heard of the fed ban and there all the glorious stuff was waiting for me on the shelf. I bought every last remaininbg box of ped cold and flu meds. (One each of various dimetap and little colds kinds of things.) I will use them only when desperatley needed as I am not sure how life will go on in my 2 (prone to congestion) toddler household without them as winter descends. Maybe I will fly to Mexico next time I need more. (FYI my 3 yr old developed pneumonia at 9 months old which may have been prevented had we given him a decongestant/ expectorant which I had avoided in favor of various natural remedies.)
I know how to read and follow instructions, as do most mothers. For all we know all the "bad moms" out there who don't dose correctly are simply going to give their babies the lesser quantities of childrens meds...a far worse prospect and with far greater chances of overdosing.
Poor poor bklynmom. What an ordeal. And I think you meant in your last paragraph that now, with the ban on children's meds, parents may well start halving doses of ADULT meds and giving them to their kids. Dangerous indeed. FDA, since we adults apparently don't know how to dose, why then are you letting US dose OURSELVES? (Actually, scratch that question. I'm scared you might just answer by ripping my Nyquil from the shelves too.)
In Canada it is recommended that these medicines not be given to children under six and they are considering raising that age to 11, but they are still available.
Hmmmm ... do I sense a new business opportunity.
MommmyKnows
Shop for Baby Clothes, Shoes, Cloth Diapers and Gifts
My daughter has been getting a steady does of Tylenol cough/cold for two days. Yesterday her doc. said she'd rather her take the tylenol (correctly), than come in for a visit. That was good news to me!
Notice how the children's medicinal issue isn't in the news as much this past week? ...Just in time for parents to panic over sugar and "evil" instead.
Along with her dose of cough syrup, my two-and-a-half-year-old skeleton ate enough candy to feed her entire child care class--And she slept straight through the night! Hallelujah! Praise God for Tylenol and chocolate!
Lizbeth, sounds like a great cocktail. Choco and meds -- works to pacify many a grownup, so why not a kid too.
And Crabmom, take a look at Dr. Racine's bio or a list of his publications. He specializes in treating CRACK BABIES! No surprise that he worries about mom's OD'ing their kids on cough syrup; most of the mother's in his practice probably take Robitussin with their morning Colt 45 just to take the edge off morning sickness.
Instead of insulting the general parenting public, maybe he shoul just push for a ban on use of robitussin by crack babies and their moms.
Right on, Jorge. No cough meds for the morning-slugging Colt-45ers! It should be plastered right on the box.