A Parent’s Guide To Buying Over-The-Counter Children's Medications

Numerous over-the-counter (OTC), non-prescription medications are readily available in most stores and supermarkets. When used and given appropriately, OTC medications can safely treat a wide variety of common, childhood symptoms and illnesses! Let’s review some important tips for buying over-the-counter children’s medications:

• Because drug companies can produce and sell the same medication under several, different brand names, parents should always read the drug facts label for the medication’s active ingredient(s) (or component of the medication that makes it work), purpose/uses, dosing instructions, and warnings/side effects. By knowing this essential information, particularly the medication’s active ingredient(s), parents will be able to recognize when two or more different brands are the same medication, identify potential drug interactions and allergic reactions, and avoid accidental overdoses and side effects. Although slight color, flavor, shape, and pricing differences may exist, both generic and name-brand medications have the same active ingredient(s), strength, dosage forms, and therapeutic effects.
• Some over-the-counter medications have multiple concentrations/strengths and formulations available. Parents, therefore, need to carefully read the dosing instructions and use the designated measuring tool when changing their child’s medication strength or formulation.  Advil®, for example, is available in infants’ drops (50 mg/1.25 mls), children’s suspension (100 mg/5 mls), junior strength chewables and tablets (100 mg), and regular tablets and capsules (200 mg).  If a parent needs to give 100 mg of the medication to his/her child, 2.5 mls of the infants’ drops, 5 mls of the children’s suspension, 1 junior strength chewable/tablet, or ½ of a regular tablet/capsule would need to be given.
• Many over-the-counter cold and cough medications are composed of multiple active ingredients, including acetaminophen, diphenhydramine, brompheniramine, dextromethorphan, guaifenesin, and phenylephrine. Parents should read the entire list of active ingredients to ensure that their child is not accidentally getting an extra dose of the same medication (or active ingredient). For example, a child with a fever and cough may be consuming too much acetaminophen if given Tylenol® for fever and Dimetapp® Multisystem Cold & Flu for flu-like symptoms since both of these medications use acetaminophen as an active ingredient. Additionally, children less than 6 years of age should not receive over-the-coutner cold and cough medications. They do not work in younger children, and have been associated with severe, and potentially life-threatening, side effects.
• To help with drug administration, a wide variety of medication flavors and colors are now available.  However, parents should never call medication “candy” when trying to convince their child to swallow the medicine. If an unsupervised child comes across this “candy” again, he/she may accidentally consume too much of the medication and become extremely ill.

Like all medications, parents should keep over-the-counter drugs tightly closed with a child-resistant cap and stored in a safe and secure area of the home.  If a child consumes too much medication or the wrong medication, call the Poison Control Center Hotline at 1-800-222-1222. However, if he/she becomes unresponsive, stops breathing and turns blue, has seizure-like activity, or appears very ill, call 911 and seek medical care immediately!