Medications for children

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• Paracetamol
• Antibiotics
• Antihistamines
• Medicines to avoid
• Vitamins: a good idea?
• What to ask your doctor and pharmacist

Paracetamol

Paracetamol is often used to relieve pain or to lower a child’s fever. A high fever can make your child irritable, so medicine can be used to lower his temperature if he's really uncomfortable.

• Paracetamol is safe if you follow the recommended doses, but an overdose can cause liver failure.
• Paracetamol for children comes in different strengths and varieties, so read the label and follow the instructions carefully.
• Make sure you give your child the right amount for his weight.
• Ibuprofen is a safe alternative to paracetamol, but avoid it if your child is vomiting or has asthma.

Antibiotics

Recent research suggests that children with viral infections like colds or the flu are being prescribed antibiotics unnecessarily. Antibiotics only work on bacterial infections, not viruses, and using them incorrectly can lead to side effects like diarrhoea, dehydration and allergies.

Many parents give their children decongestants to relieve cold and flu symptoms, but there is little evidence that these actually work. In fact:

• Coughing is actually a great way to clear mucus from airways and helps to prevent children getting another infection.
• Drinking plenty of water does more to relieve a cough than medicine. But do see your doctor if the cough seems particularly bad.
• Decongestants may cause unpleasant side effects like grumpiness, confusion and sleepiness.

Antihistamines

Itching, sneezing, swelling or rashes can all be symptoms of allergies. Medications known as antihistamines are used to block these symptoms.

Antihistamines can sometimes cause dry mouths, drowsiness and upset stomachs. Some brands don’t have a sedating effect (for example Zyrtec and Claratyne) and are more suitable for your child. Antihistamines can be given with any antibiotic, paracetamol (such as Panadol), ibuprofen (such as Nurofen), decongestants or cough suppressants.

They can’t be used to treat croup because they will dry out your child’s air passages.

Phenergan

Some parents give their children antihistamines, such as Phenergan (which is one of a few brands of the drug promethazine), to help them sleep, but research shows that antihistamines have almost no effect on children’s sleep patterns. If you’re having trouble getting your child to sleep, our guide to solving sleep problems may help.

You might be thinking about giving your child medication to calm difficult behaviour. Remember: these medications sometimes cause drowsiness, so they might affect his ability to learn. On the other hand, they cause some children to become more active and alert.

Medicines to avoid

Think very carefully before giving your child any medicine that has not been prescribed by a doctor.

• Aspirin can make your child susceptible to Reye’s syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal illness. It can also cause serious illness or even death in children with chicken pox or flu symptoms. Not all over-the-counter medicines are aspirin-free, so you need to check this with your pharmacist or doctor, or read the label. Aspirin is sometimes referred to as ‘salicylate’ or ‘acetylsalicylic acid’.
• Anti-nausea medications have risks and possible complications. Don't give your child anti-nausea medication unless the doctor specifically recommends it. Usually vomiting is pretty short-lived, and children can handle it without medication. If your child is vomiting and begins to get dehydrated, contact your doctor immediately.
• If your child is already taking prescribed medicine, it is best to check with your doctor before giving him any paracetamol or ibuprofen. (Paracetamol or ibuprofen are found in many over-the-counter cough and cold medicines so it pays to read the label carefully.)
• Oral decongestants like Dimetapp Elixir and Demazin Syrup are not recommended for children under two years of age.
• Adult medications or medication prescribed for someone else may harm your child. It is never safe to give these to your child.
• Expired medicine doesn’t work and can even be harmful.
• Chewable tablets are too small and your child can easily choke on them.

If you’re not sure what’s in a particular medicine, ask the pharmacist or your child’s doctor.

Vitamins: a good idea?

There is no evidence that vitamin and mineral supplements help children’s health in any way unless the child has a deficiency of some kind. And remember – very few children suffer from vitamin deficiencies. Check with your doctor if you think that might be the case.

What to ask your doctor and pharmacist

When your doctor prescribes medicine for your child, you might like to ask:

• What is the medicine prescribed for?
• Will it have side effects? (For example, high doses of vitamins A and D can accumulate in the body and cause side effects.)
• How soon will it start to work?
• How much should I give my child and how should I give it to him?
• Should I give the medicine at any specific time, like before or after food?
• How long should the prescription last?
• Will the medicine interact or interfere with anything else my child is taking?
• Does the medicine need to be kept in the fridge or away from light or heat?
• Can I put the medicine in food, or should I be giving my child certain foods with the medicine?

If you are getting over-the-counter medicine from the chemist, you should ask the pharmacist all of the questions above. Also ask about:

• whether the medicine is safe for your child
• how long you should wait to visit your doctor if problems don’t go away
• alcohol or aspirin in the ingredients.

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