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Bridget M. Kuehn

JAMA. 2008;299(8):887-888.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Children younger than 2 years old should not be given over-the-counter cold and cough medicines, warned the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after 3 months of deliberations. The agency continues to contemplate whether these products should be used in children aged 2 through 11 years.

Because very young children are particularly vulnerable to inadvertent overdosing of cold medications, children younger than 2 years should not receive these medications. (Photo credit: Jill Fromer/iStockphoto.com)

In October, the FDA began weighing the safety and efficacy of over-the-counter cold and cough medicines for children following reports of severe adverse reactions and even deaths in infants and children. At the time, the agency's Nonprescription Drugs and Pediatric Advisory Committees recommended that these products not be given to infants and children younger than 6 years, citing a lack of safety and efficacy data in these very young children. That same . . . [Full Text of this Article]

ADVERSE EVENTS

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Unexpected Infant Deaths Associated With Use of Cough and Cold Medications
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Pediatrics 2008;122:e318-e322.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT