The New York Times reported this today - the FDA issued a warning for children under 2 to never have cough or cold medicines unless a doctor agrees. (Not unless you read futher do you get the full advice: in bold below). The FDA has issued this based on hundreds of adverse reactions and a handful of deaths in children under the age of 2. One group of prominent pediatricians and public health experts petitioned the agency to ban the marketing of the drugs for
children under the age of 6, and some said that the medicines should no
longer be sold over-the-counter for use in children at all. (WOW!!!!)
The debate results because the standards for drug approvals have
changed sharply in the decades since many of the medicines in
children’s cough and cold products were approved. If those drugs were
currently up for review, they would not be approved for use in children
because the manufacturers never tested them thoroughly in children. Instead, the drugs’ makers performed studies in adults and then
simply assumed that they would work in children. Such assumptions, once
common, are no longer acceptable. Indeed, a growing number of studies
in children suggest that cough and cold medicines work no better than
placebos.Among the ingredients that have caused concern are
anticough medicines including dextromethorphan, which is the DM in many
preparations. They can cause neurological problems, including abnormal
movements and hallucinations, even in standard doses.Another is pseudoephedrine, which is a decongestant that has been associated with infant deaths, increased blood pressure and arrhythmias.Some
of the injuries and deaths associated with these products have resulted
when parents gave two different products to their child, not realizing
that both contained identical medicines, resulting in an overdose.In rare cases, children have been injured when given recommended doses.

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