Cough/Cold Medication - Yes/No?

[shellando]

Would like others thoughts/opinions on the use of Cough & Cold Medication on my 26month old.

She has had a cold for about a week with lots of broken sleep nights for all of us, this has turned into a nasty cough that only really bugs her when having arvo nap and sleep at night. I know we are supposed to let them just deal with it on thier own but for the past 2 nights she has coughed until she has thrown up - so last night I gave her Demizan and tonight a Cough Syrup recom by the Pharmiscist but it seems to have knocked her out and now I am sitting here feeling very guilty.....

I start the night off thinking I wont give her anything, but always end up giving her something as I feel so bad for her and think a good nights sleep is what she (and I) need.....

I have also been doing all the other stuff - Vicks on chest, Vapourizer in her room, pillow under mattress etc, etc as well

Thanks!
Michelle

[punkbaby]

it sounds like she needs it and naturally knocking her out is a good thing in a way it will help her rest up and she will manage to get a good nights sleep at least, which in turn will help her recover quicker as well.

Dont feel quilty about it, usually i just try the vaporiser and vicks but if my kids get a cold and the cough sounds nasty of interupts there sleep then i give them either Dimatap or demazain, i find dimatap good though it works for my lot plus you can get a dry or chesty cough syrup as well so you can pretty much give them instant relief really

Hope that she feels better dont feel bad just let her rest up and keep dpoing what your doing

[our little treasures]

I was dead against cough medicine but I have recently used dimetap after having the worse winter for illness. My boy got 1 too many bad coughs where no one was sleeping and he was soo grizzly. I gave him 2 doses and he was right after that day

[shellando]

Thank you both - I did feel less guilty after reading your replies, sometimes all I need is to know that we are all in the same predicament.

Good news is she slept all night only coughing very rarely and not enough to wake her and after a good nights sleep for all the world is a much brighter place

Thanks again
Michelle

[mikaylasmummy]

I would not feel guilty.
With Mikayla whenever she is sick and and we give her some medication, it does usually knock her out but in the morning she is almost back to normal..
Good luck.
How is DD feeling now?

[Ana Gram]

I've been trying to explain this to my 3 year old for the last 8 days of being sick. You need to rest when you are sick so you can get better. Sometimes with kids medication which aids their sleep is helpful to their recovery.

[pegasus]

I'd be giving demazin/dimetapp (usually the same active ingredients - check the labels) so that the mucous doesn't move into the chest or ears. So many times we hear about bub's having ear infections or pneumonia.

Sometimes a short term medication run helps prohibit more serious effects long term. As for the cough medicine knocking her out, it may have an antihistimine, which will do that - not recommended for under 2's, but fine in short doses for those over 2 (you said your daughter is 26months - so should be fine), as others have said - a good sleep will do wonders.

Another med, I use sparingly at bedtime if coughing is stopping sleep is painstop (which is the equivalent of panedeine - ie paracetomel with codeine) where codeine is a major cough suppressant. I'm talking about the painstop for day - the one for night has an antihistimine, which can help sleep, but I haven't used it. (All information above courtesy of my sister who is a pharmacist )