Cough & Cold Medicine

I've seen numerous threads on parent-recommended cough medicines & a couple have links to the Ask Dr Sears website. I checked it out & it's full of various meds, dosages, & recommendations that are quite handy!

Up until now, I've always used Benadryl as a cough suppressant for my boys (it also 'kinda' works as a nasal decongestant, too!). Our Pediatrician recommended it & even gave me the correct dose per weight. I always felt comfortable using it. Then, in December, Aiden got a nasty cold that left him with a HORRIBLE cough. He ended up on an inhaler & the cough FINALLY fizzled out after a good 6 weeks or so. Now he's got a nasty cold again & the cough is starting up. I still have the inhaler, but haven't had to use it yet. So, I looked for a good cold/cough med for him, jotted some down & headed to the store.

Robitussin DM & Delsym seemed to be huge hits in previous threads for coughs, but I wanted something with a decongestant, too. I worry that his 'post nasal drip' is irritating him & causing his cough...and I really don't want his cough to escalate to requiring the inhaler again. However, EVERY cough med on the shelf contained different ingredients than what the Ask Dr Sears website had listed (good thing I wrote them down!). Being that everything out there says to NOT use in children under 4, I wanted some doctor credited/approved dosing for whatever I bought. But, since the ingredients aren't the same, I don't feel comfortable.

SO, experienced mamas, does anyone out there have any recommendations? Or should I just keep going with my Benadryl? I don't want to mix Benadryl with Delsym or Robitussin because I don't want to be mixing meds (I could always call & verify that with my Ped, though). Or should I just leave him be & let it run it's course? I just worry that we're setting ourselves up for a few weeks of wicked coughs if I just leave him be. Our Ped thinks he may have asthma, which gets exacerbated with colds, so we're kinda on a 'wait & see' type course with this cold & future colds. His cough definitely sounds asthma like !

Any help is appreciated....thank you!

 

I don't know if I will be much help - we use Delsym and I even feel a little nervous about that. My ped recommended it. He said there was a stronger one they could prescribe for nighttime that would help them sleep, but I declined. I also rub Vicks on their feet and chests if they are coughing and congested. A warm air humidifier at night has also helped us.

The only other thing I can say is that one of my son's had a bad bout with seasonal allergies last year that resulted in all kinds of asthma treatments. Once the spring passed, he has not needed any medications. Since your son's came symptoms came back so soon, do you think it could be allergy related?

Good Luck!

 

Recently, I had some decent luck with Dimetapp Cold & Allergy for severe congestion, which has a decongestant and an antihistamine in it. It also says not for children under 4, but my ped okayed it.

Dimetapp also has a Cold & Cough, which is exactly the same thing as the Cold & Allergy, but with a cough suppressant added (the same stuff that's in Delsym). That might be worth trying?

FWIW, the last time Kevan has a really, really nasty cough -- the kind that was making him throw up -- the only thing that worked was an albuterol inhaler. I didn't have any luck with cough suppressant.

 

We use Dimetapp (recommended by our ped.). I like that it has both antihistamine and decongestant in it. We also use Mucinex mini-melts when they have alot of chest congestion. I also just realized that they have Zyrtec that you can give to 2 year olds. Sometimes you need the antihistamine and not the decongestant. So, in that case, the Zyrtec works great. I don't like giving mine Benadryl unless it is at bedtime.

 

There are some great homeopathic medicines out there that have worked for my girls. Hylands sells a Cough & Cold syrup - it kept them from coughing all night when they had horrible mucus-y coughs two weeks ago. And there are several brands of decongestants that I've seen. If you have a natural store nearby, it might be worth checking. There are no "under 4" restrictions with homeopathy.

 

We have had success with a natural product called Sinupret for Kids. it is a company from Germany I believe that manufactures it, and they sell it in Europe and also in some places in the US.