Alert: The Dangers Of Overprescribing Cough Medicine To Babies

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Alert: The Dangers Of Overprescribing Cough Medicine To Babies

When our kids are sick, we do anything to help them feel better… just like one Singapore Mom, Berlinda Lum did, when when her baby boy had a cough recently.

The Mom never imagined the horrifying chain of events that followed her visit to the neighbourhood clinic to get some relief for her child’s cough.

On November 22, Berlinda took her 14-month-old baby boy to a clinic in Bedok, she states in a Give.Asia post.

The baby boy was prescribed Fedac syrup for his cough. The dosage prescribed was 10ml, three times a day, as you can see on the image she provides below.

According to experts, codeine is in fact an opioide pain medication (narcotic) that is used to treat mild to moderately severe pain.

This medication is not safe for use in children under the age of 12 months. 

Codeine is found in Fedac syrup.

Berlinda mentions in her post that her baby only regained consciousness a FULL day later, and even then, still appeared drowsy.

She further says, “I’ve also taken the liberty to speak to the Singapore Medical Council of reporting them, and all they ever reply is that they will take 9 months to investigate the case! I’m not sure how much damage they will have done in the 9 months if they are still operating.”

 In this case, the medication was prescribed by a doctor. But often, parents buy over-the-counter cough and cold medications for their kid’s cough.

The general consensus is that cough and cold medicines are not of much use when it comes to ‘curing’ a child’s cough.

The problem with these medicines is that the effects are usually only studied in adults and then applied to children, even though adults and children may not react to these medicines in the same way.

Other issues:

• You could accidentally give a child a dose that is too high.
• Parents could also use two different brands at the same time, not realising they contain the same ingredients.
• Parents could measure the wrong dose by mistake if they get up in the middle of the night to soothe a coughing child.

Experts strongly discourage parents from giving children under the age of four over-the-counter cough medicines because of the various risks they pose. These medicines neither cure the cough nor lessen its duration.

Another risk of using cough suppressants is that they may prevent your child’s body from expelling phlegm, which could then accumulate and turn into bronchitis or pneumonia.

If your child is old enough and after a medical professional rules out any serious illnesses, you may try gentle home remedies to help soothe your child’s cough, such as those listed in this article.

Parents, when you take your little one to the doctor, remember it’s okay to ask questions about medicines prescribed.

Also, it’s always best to check with your doctor what the prescribed dosage is so you can double-check on this amount when you get the medicine at the pharmacy or counter.