Pander a Little More, Huh?
Oct. 11th, 2007 02:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lls_mutantHoward just sent me this article about kids' cold medicines being withdrawn:
WASHINGTON - Drug makers on Thursday voluntarily pulled children's cold medicines off the market less than two weeks after the government warned of potential health risks to infants.
Over-the-counter medications aimed at children under the age of two are being removed from store shelves because of rare instances of parents accidentally overdosing young children, a trade group that represents over-the-counter drug makers said. The group said parents should not use any medicines they have at home.
The Consumer Healthcare Products Association said last month it agreed with government officials that use of the drugs should be restricted, but had previously stopped short of pulling the products from the market.
Cold medicines being withdrawn include: Johnson & Johnson Pediacare Infant Drops and Tylenol Concentrated Infants Drops, Wyeth's Dimetapp Decongestant Infant Drops, Novartis' Triaminic Infant & Toddler Thin Strips and Prestige Brands Holdings' Little Colds Decongestant Plus Cough.
CVS Caremark Corp. said Thursday morning it would remove the affected products as well as CVS-brand equivalents from store shelves. The pharmacy chain said customers can return the products for a full refund.
Late last month the Food and Drug Administration tentatively recommended adding the words "do not use in children under two years" to products' labeling. Current labeling directs parents to consult a doctor before administering the drugs to infants and toddlers.
The medicines come in tiny, droplet-size doses, but parents occasionally do not consult or follow directions from physicians, which can lead to accidental overdose.
FDA will formally consider revising labeling at a meeting scheduled for Oct. 18-19.
After reviewing reports of side effects over the last four decades, FDA found 54 child fatalities from over-the-counter decongestant medicines. The agency found 69 reports of children's deaths connected with antihistamines, which are used to treat runny noses.
The Consumer Healthcare Products Association said it will conduct a multiyear campaign to educate parents and physicians on safe use of cold medicines. A spokeswoman for the group said it was too early to rule out a return of the products to the market.
"The manufacturers made this decision after a lot of consideration and with great care for the best interests of parents and children," said CHPA spokeswoman Virginia Cox. "But we can't speak to what the future holds."
The trade group stressed in a statement that the "medicines are, and have always been, safe at recommended doses."
However, industry critics challenged this statement.
"When it comes to children under age two there are no recommended doses on these products so it's not reasonable to claim they are safe and effective when used as directed," said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore's health commissioner.
FDA is reviewing the safety of cold medicines at the request Sharfstein and other Baltimore city officials, who reported 900 Maryland children under four overdosed on the products in 2004.
Catherine Tom-Revzon, a pediatric pharmacist, said parents should use natural therapies, including salt-water drops and humidifiers, to treat young children's colds before using drugs.
"These medications were never designed to cure colds but only to treat cold symptoms, and in children under two there was little evidence they were effective anyway," said Tom-Revzon, who is pharmacy manager at the Children's Hospital at Mentefiore in New York City.
Shares of Johnson and Johnson rose 28 cents to $66.012 while shares of Wyeth fell 12 cents to $46.02. Shares of Novartis AG rose 11 cents to $54.20 and Prestige Brands Holdings Inc. fell 7 cents to $11.09.
ARGH!!!!! Okay, we use Pediacare on Toby occasionally. He gets terribly congested sometimes with his teething, and we'll give him Pediacare at night so he can breathe when he sleeps. It's what our doctor recommended (once he was over six months) and we ALWAYS consult the doctor about dosages. If we haven't consulted the doctor in a while, we figure an underdose is better than an overdose. It doesn't cure the problem, no, but it sure helps him breathe. And yes, we try the natural remedies first.
But now, because a few idiots don't ask their doctor or don't listen to their doctor, they're withdrawing the medicine? WTF? Come ON, people! Why should those of us who actually listen to our doctor and follow his instructions have to suffer because people can't call their freaking doctor and listen to them? Look, it's not that hard. If the package says "if under 2, consult a doctor", DO JUST THAT. Even if you can't afford a doctor, there are clinics that will give you this information. Heck, you can probably call up a doctor's office if you know your child's weight and they'll give you the info. But taking the medicine off the market because people can't get a doctor's information and overdose their child is just... ::loud, long scream of frustration.::
This was not helped by reading the self-righteous comments from another article about picky eaters. "If you don't want a picky eater, don't tolerate it. Just force them to eat what you offer." Riiiiiiiiiight. I used to think that too, before I had a genuinely picky eater as a kid. All the comments about how those parents coddled and spoil their child. Um, my child actually behaves very well in public (and even in private) most times and doesn't always get what he wants. And he can beg for a chocolate chip cookie all day, but if I don't feel he's eaten enough "good stuff", he's not going to get it. My thought it I don't let him eat junk, but I can't force a toddler (or anyone else) to eat what they don't want. If he wants to subsist on oatmeal, waffles, blueberry muffins, yogurt, tomato soup, spaghetti-Os, applesauce, granola bars, and sweet potatoes... is it really THAT bad right now? (Sure, we still offer him other foods. But he doesn't eat them.)
::Sigh:: People really annoy me, sometimes.
WASHINGTON - Drug makers on Thursday voluntarily pulled children's cold medicines off the market less than two weeks after the government warned of potential health risks to infants.
Over-the-counter medications aimed at children under the age of two are being removed from store shelves because of rare instances of parents accidentally overdosing young children, a trade group that represents over-the-counter drug makers said. The group said parents should not use any medicines they have at home.
The Consumer Healthcare Products Association said last month it agreed with government officials that use of the drugs should be restricted, but had previously stopped short of pulling the products from the market.
Cold medicines being withdrawn include: Johnson & Johnson Pediacare Infant Drops and Tylenol Concentrated Infants Drops, Wyeth's Dimetapp Decongestant Infant Drops, Novartis' Triaminic Infant & Toddler Thin Strips and Prestige Brands Holdings' Little Colds Decongestant Plus Cough.
CVS Caremark Corp. said Thursday morning it would remove the affected products as well as CVS-brand equivalents from store shelves. The pharmacy chain said customers can return the products for a full refund.
Late last month the Food and Drug Administration tentatively recommended adding the words "do not use in children under two years" to products' labeling. Current labeling directs parents to consult a doctor before administering the drugs to infants and toddlers.
The medicines come in tiny, droplet-size doses, but parents occasionally do not consult or follow directions from physicians, which can lead to accidental overdose.
FDA will formally consider revising labeling at a meeting scheduled for Oct. 18-19.
After reviewing reports of side effects over the last four decades, FDA found 54 child fatalities from over-the-counter decongestant medicines. The agency found 69 reports of children's deaths connected with antihistamines, which are used to treat runny noses.
The Consumer Healthcare Products Association said it will conduct a multiyear campaign to educate parents and physicians on safe use of cold medicines. A spokeswoman for the group said it was too early to rule out a return of the products to the market.
"The manufacturers made this decision after a lot of consideration and with great care for the best interests of parents and children," said CHPA spokeswoman Virginia Cox. "But we can't speak to what the future holds."
The trade group stressed in a statement that the "medicines are, and have always been, safe at recommended doses."
However, industry critics challenged this statement.
"When it comes to children under age two there are no recommended doses on these products so it's not reasonable to claim they are safe and effective when used as directed," said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore's health commissioner.
FDA is reviewing the safety of cold medicines at the request Sharfstein and other Baltimore city officials, who reported 900 Maryland children under four overdosed on the products in 2004.
Catherine Tom-Revzon, a pediatric pharmacist, said parents should use natural therapies, including salt-water drops and humidifiers, to treat young children's colds before using drugs.
"These medications were never designed to cure colds but only to treat cold symptoms, and in children under two there was little evidence they were effective anyway," said Tom-Revzon, who is pharmacy manager at the Children's Hospital at Mentefiore in New York City.
Shares of Johnson and Johnson rose 28 cents to $66.012 while shares of Wyeth fell 12 cents to $46.02. Shares of Novartis AG rose 11 cents to $54.20 and Prestige Brands Holdings Inc. fell 7 cents to $11.09.
ARGH!!!!! Okay, we use Pediacare on Toby occasionally. He gets terribly congested sometimes with his teething, and we'll give him Pediacare at night so he can breathe when he sleeps. It's what our doctor recommended (once he was over six months) and we ALWAYS consult the doctor about dosages. If we haven't consulted the doctor in a while, we figure an underdose is better than an overdose. It doesn't cure the problem, no, but it sure helps him breathe. And yes, we try the natural remedies first.
But now, because a few idiots don't ask their doctor or don't listen to their doctor, they're withdrawing the medicine? WTF? Come ON, people! Why should those of us who actually listen to our doctor and follow his instructions have to suffer because people can't call their freaking doctor and listen to them? Look, it's not that hard. If the package says "if under 2, consult a doctor", DO JUST THAT. Even if you can't afford a doctor, there are clinics that will give you this information. Heck, you can probably call up a doctor's office if you know your child's weight and they'll give you the info. But taking the medicine off the market because people can't get a doctor's information and overdose their child is just... ::loud, long scream of frustration.::
This was not helped by reading the self-righteous comments from another article about picky eaters. "If you don't want a picky eater, don't tolerate it. Just force them to eat what you offer." Riiiiiiiiiight. I used to think that too, before I had a genuinely picky eater as a kid. All the comments about how those parents coddled and spoil their child. Um, my child actually behaves very well in public (and even in private) most times and doesn't always get what he wants. And he can beg for a chocolate chip cookie all day, but if I don't feel he's eaten enough "good stuff", he's not going to get it. My thought it I don't let him eat junk, but I can't force a toddler (or anyone else) to eat what they don't want. If he wants to subsist on oatmeal, waffles, blueberry muffins, yogurt, tomato soup, spaghetti-Os, applesauce, granola bars, and sweet potatoes... is it really THAT bad right now? (Sure, we still offer him other foods. But he doesn't eat them.)
::Sigh:: People really annoy me, sometimes.
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no subject
Date: 2007-10-11 08:06 pm (UTC)If it's any consolation, SmallestRuby was a nightmare eater. Really, she was dreadful. Would barely eat anything but bread and butter. Now? She's nearly seven and eats ANYTHING.
Toby is lucky to have such a reasonable, rational mother. We're not all as sensible as you *hugs*
Er ... sorry - didn't mean for this to be so wordy
Date: 2007-10-12 02:01 am (UTC)Anyway, I then asked if she liked dinner and she enthusiastically assured me she had. So what was with the initial snub, then? :P (We'll see what she does with tomorrow's leftovers.)
And since those food items seem to cover a pretty reasonable basis (is there any protein anywhere?), it seems like Toby's doing okay so don't sweat it. A lot of kids eventually outgrow the super-pickiness as they get older. I was pretty picky, too, as a kid, but now I'll eat most mainstream items (strongly unusual ethnic dishes and spicy food not so much), and have also discovered new favorites, forced to focus on different food groups for this diet.
Has he at least stopped throwing disliked foods on the floor?
Also - did you ever pick a Friday to visit? I'm gone 10/19, but maybe the 26th? Or the first Fri in Nov? Or do we need to give up for now?