When reading labels, don't stop at food items
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Texas
Careful consumers read food labels, but they shouldn't stop there, said a Texas Cooperative Extension expert.
"Reading labels for over-the-counter children's medications is very important for parents," said Dr. Carol Rice, Extension health specialist.
That's because some of these medications may contain substances potentially harmful to children, and "a little amount can mean a lot," she said.
That holds true even for common medications, such as aspirin and acetaminophen, Rice said.
Aspirin has been in family medicine cabinets for more than 100 years, but more recently it has been linked to Reye's syndrome, which usually strikes children, she said. That's why no one younger than 20 should be given aspirin unless specifically told to do so by a physician.
Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal condition, has been linked to aspirin given to children who had some kind of virus, such as the flu or chicken pox, Rice said.
Information from the Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.com) states the causes of Reye's syndrome are unknown, but treating a child's viral illness or infection with aspirin could be a trigger.
Symptoms of Reye's, which usually occur about a week after the initial onset of a viral infection, can include nausea and vomiting, listlessness, unusual sleepiness, disorientation, combativeness and even unconsciousness and seizures, Rice said.
Because many over-the-counter medications are a combination of ingredients, Rice said, reading labels becomes critical. Aspirin can be found in such items as cough medicines, stomach soothers or headache remedies.
The Mayo Clinic listed acetylsalicylic acid, acetylsalicylate, salicylic acid and salicylate as other names for aspirin.
But aspirin isn't the only common medication parents need to be careful with.
Acetaminophen, which is marketed as Tylenol and other brands, can cause problems too, Rice said.
This medication is safe when taken as directed on the label, she said, but because it's so easily accessible, overdoses occur more frequently.
Acetaminophen "is the leading cause of liver damage in adults and children," Rice said.
It's also an ingredient in many over-the-counter medications, she said, including cough medicine for children. Because of this, overdoses may occur when children are given several of these acetaminophen-containing medications in a short time period.
The medication is common, ordinary and easy to purchase, Rice said, and is frequently found--in one form or another--in family medicine cabinets.
According to information from the Mayo Clinic, acetaminophen is the cause of "more overdoses and overdose deaths than any other drug in the United States."
The key in preventing these overdoses, Rice said, is reading the label in order to get the right medicine in the correct dose to a child.
When it comes to giving children over-the-counter medication, Rice offers this advice to parents: Know what ingredients are in the medications. And no matter how common the medication is, don't assume a little extra dose won't hurt anything.
Following label instructions as to dose sizes and times can, in some instances, be a matter of life and death, she said.
Date: 3/23/06
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