If there's one thing that's certain when you have small children, it's that they're going to get colds. Unfortunately, there's still no cure for the common cold and the symptoms of nasal congestion and cough can be miserable for a small child. Well meaning parents often try to help their children feel better by giving them a variety of over the counter medications to relieve the congestion and nagging cough. Recently, the dangers of giving cold and cough medications to young children have been recognized. In fact, a recent FDA review showed that over the counter cold and cough medications were among the top ten reasons for childhood poisoning in those under the age of six. If your child has a cold and a nagging cough that's keeping him awake at night, what should you do? Is there a safe cough medicine for children that works?
A productive or nonproductive cough is one of the most common and annoying symptoms of the common cold and can result in irritability and loss of sleep. But to the child with a cold, cough serves a useful function. It helps to clear away any mucous secretions that may be blocking the throat and airway. Thus, suppressing cough can actually have adverse effects on respiratory function. Unfortunately, coughing can sometimes become so extreme that parents feel compelled to try to suppress the symptom for their own sanity as well as the child's.
Of the cough medicine for children that's available over the counter and by prescription, very few have been found to be both safe and effective. The two most common ingredients found in cough medicine for children are detromethorphan and codeine or hydrocodone (a synthetic form of codeine). Although codeine based cough syrups can help to suppress the cough reflex by acting directly on the brain, a side effect in both children and adults may be suppression of the stimulus to breathe which can result in respiratory failure. This can be a particular problem when codeine based medications are given to young infants.
Dextromethorphan has been shown to be about as effective as codeine based cough medicine for children, although there is still the risk of respiratory depression. Interestingly, a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics in 2006 showed that cough medications containing dextromethorphan didn't significantly decrease cough frequency, cough, severity, or sleep quality in children with cold symptoms. When you combine this finding with the potential for these cough medications to cause respiratory depression in children, these medications don't appear to be good options.
So where does this leave parents who want to treat their child's cough symptom? It may be that the old fashioned, natural remedies for cough are best of all. A study recently showed that honey given at bed time can be effective in decreasing cough frequency. Plus, it's a safe, all natural alternative. One word of caution. Honey should not be given to children less than a year of age.
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If your child has a mild cough that's not causing significant sleep impairment, it's probably best not to give a cough suppressant since cough serves the useful function of keeping the airways clear. If the cough is debilitating, try giving your child two teaspoons of honey at bedtime. This can provide a good alternative to prescription and over the counter cough medicine for children.
