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New FDA label warns against giving opioid-based cough medicine to children


A new label issued by the Food and Drug Administration warns against giving children under 18 opioid-based cough medicine/Jennifer Munoz (WGXA){p}{/p}
A new label issued by the Food and Drug Administration warns against giving children under 18 opioid-based cough medicine/Jennifer Munoz (WGXA)

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MACON, Ga. -- A new warning issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now telling doctors and parents not to give cough medicine to children that contain the ingredients codeine or hydrocodone.

The reason behind this is that these common ingredients are classified as opioids, which can be dangerous to children.

Lynndsey Parker, a pediatrician at the Children's Center Navicent Health, said that some of these risks include respiratory depression and the possibility of overdose.

"The medication that's in the cough syrup has been in much lower doses than what we see with the more addictive pain killers but the exposure at such a young age does increase the risk of addiction later on in life," she said.

Parker said that while a child's coughing can alert parents and doctors that they're ill, coughing can be positive because it can help expel anything that's in their system. She said that an alternative to opioid-based medicines can be honey mixed with warm water, although she advised that this mixture not be given to children under 1-year-old.

A release from the FDA on the new labeling states that, "Experts indicated that although some pediatric cough symptoms do require treatment, cough due to a cold or upper respiratory infection typically does not require treatment. Moreover, the risks of using prescription opioid cough products in children of all ages generally outweigh the potential benefits."

The FDA is also now requiring that these prescribed medications come with a safety warning label which states "use only in adults aged 18 years and older."

The FDA's release also states that, "Today’s action is one example of the FDA’s work to further protect patients for whom the risks of opioid products outweigh the benefits. The agency continues its ongoing efforts to reduce the scope of the epidemic of opioid addiction on several fronts, including decreasing exposure and preventing new addiction, supporting treatment for those with opioid use disorder, fostering development of novel pain therapies, and improving enforcement."

Read the full release here.



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