Common Cold Remedies For Kids: Parents Still Give Kids Over-The-Counter Medicines, Despite Warning

The study which was published this week in the Canadian Journal of Public Health said there has only been a slight decrease in the misuse of medicine in young kids. The study was released after researchers found out about one in five kids under age six continued to be given over-the-counter medicines for a cough and cold by their parents, despite a warning issued by Health Canada.

In October 2009, the federal department has required that the labels of all over-the-counter medicines for a cough and cold should carry a warning -- informing parents and caregivers they should not administer the said drugs to kids under six years old because the over-the-counter medicines are not effective. Moreover, the drugs are potentially harmful to children.

Does your child have a cold? Be careful if you're reaching for over-the-counter medicine.https://t.co/jpgG013h7U pic.twitter.com/oZ4ydojrBX

— Maclean's Magazine (@MacleansMag) Marso 18, 2016

However, after looking at the records of the parents who are reported to have used over-the-counter medicines a year before the warning and roughly two years after, the team found out that the usage of over-the-counter medicines only dropped four percent, from 22 percent to almost 18 percent by October of 2011.

"It went down a very little bit, saying to us that even having a label on the bottle is probably not enough to deter its use," Dr. Jonathon Maguire, the principal investigator said to CBC. "And I think parents just don't know that they're not supposed to be used in little kids."

Dr. Maguire, a pediatrician and researcher at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto said there is no scientific evidence that over-the-counter medicines can reduce the duration of cold or its symptoms. Furthermore, young kids could suffer seizures or a coma if they are given too much of over-the-counter medicines. Maguire also said some of the over-the-counter medicines are sedating that has "caused children to pass away."

Thus, Maguire concluded stronger measures are needed to lessen more the misuse of drugs. Among of the measures he thinks is effective is a more pronounce warning label, according to MACLEAN'S.