Seeking Opinions on Nighttime Medications like Nyquil

I am a parent that uses cold medicines for my 4 and 7 year old though the conterversory with the meds supposedly do not work. When my kids have had really bad colds and coughs, they do provide some relief so they can rest. I read the instructions very carefully and follow them to a tee. They do work for us when we need them.
The FDA wants them pulled because of MISUSE! Well I am thinking you misused it!!!

I can say I am really put off that you would use Nyquil as a sleep aid for a 6 year old??? Are you nuts?
I mean seriously? That is why the FDA is trying to get it pulled for all those parents that use it the wrong way and have their children end up in the ER because of it!

You should be nervous! Very nervous. All OTC can be deadly and you do not use them correctly.

It is not okay to give a child Nyquil like some sedative when it is convenient for you. If she truly needs it due to cold symptoms preventing her from getting the rest she needs that is one thing!!!!!

There are much better ways of getting a child to sleep, esspecially if she is not even sick. Avoid unessesary medications, including herbal ones, yes herbal remedies are medicine and have side effects as well. You are essentially teaching her to medicate herself when she wants to feel better emotionally rather than physically, which sets a bad precidence for her adult life. Try cammomile tea, warm baths, backrubs, lullabys, and slow, quiet bedtime stories that all end in everyone going to sleep at the end of the story.

There's a homeopathic tablet called Calms Forte (for adults) that has helped me fall asleep when I suffered from severe insomnia when I was post-partum, and I too was hesitant to take prescription or OTC medications. It's homeopathic, no side effects, completely safe, and it worked just as well or better than Benedryl did for me. There is a children's version called Calms Forte 4 Kids. Vitamin Cottage sells it. I have also used the WishGarden herbal remedies that were recommended, such as Sleepy Nights, but preferred the Calms Forte.
Best wishes to you.

I wouldn't use Nyquil. I would question the safety. Benadryl is safe to use on children. You just need to test it before you fly etc to see if your child has a reverse effect.
We use a homeopathic thing called Rescue Remedy for our children. You can get it at Whole Foods or Vitamin Cottage. It is safe to use. My 4 year old drank the entire bottle once and poison control said that there wasn't anything in there that could hurt her.

Hi E.!

I don't trust the OTC medications and therefore rely on natural herbal remedies. I persoanlly love the remedies from Wishgarden Herbs. They have very specific formulas- for instance, a Sleepy Nights for Kids, Cold Symptoms, Stress Relief (for adults), etc. I use the Sleepy Nights myself and I love this product! It gently helps me get to sleep but doesn't make me feel groggy at all. I just think that with recalls and warnings that the OTC medications should be avoided. I'd much rather use something that will help heal my body than just cover up the symptoms.
If you want to see more about the Wishgarden Herbs remedies, go to www.naturalchoices4baby.com If you have any questions about anything, please feel free to let me know.
Have a great rest of your day!
H. Gaitten
Owner, Natural Choices
www.naturalchoices4baby.com

I'm sorry that I don't have a lot of advice on the subject. I've been pretty lucky with my kids' sleeping and it seems like there's a lot of good advice from most of the other responses. That being said...don't let some of these other mother's on their high horses get to you. I can't believe some of the catty b#@%#y responses you've gotten from a lot of these other women. Most of us don't enter into motherhood with a handbook and we try to do what's best for our kids, even though it may not always be right. We try. The reason you even posted this question was to get advice, not to get crucified. Try and weed through the nastiness and extract what good advice you can.

Good luck. (I DO know that a vaporizer works wonder when I have a cold. I use them all the time for my kids. SOMETIMES EVEN WHEN THEY'RE NOT SICK! I hope no one gets on my case.)

Hi, Your child's body knows what to do to heal. Honoring the process is best, even if it includes a restless night sleep. Its OK if he is tired the next day. If holding him, reading to him doesn't help him fall asleep, try classical music. Drugs can be available for use just because of great marketing not because they are safe for the consumer. S.

Out late last week was a warning to parents from the American Academy of Pediatrics, about giving children cold medication. That it is not suppose to be given to children under age 6. Drug companies will say 4. They also said NEVER give medication intended for adults to children. The reason that Children's Tylenol in not on the market is because of these new guidelines. There was a volunteer withdraw of Children's Cough and Cold medication. That does say something about Tylenol, but what does it say about the others if they did not take their meds off of the market?

Also the reason your child goes to sleep is because of the alcohol content in the medication. I would be a little nervous also. It makes me really "medicine heady" when I take it, can you imagine what it does to a little not fully developed immune and nervous system.

There are too many serious side effects from giving your child medication intended for adults and children for that matter. Do some "googleing" and see what comes up.

I would recommend getting some steam going and patting her back to loosen up that mucus in her chest. Eucalyptus is a great aromatheraputic way of helping loosen up that mucus.

Check out mercola.com and put in the medicine you want to search. You'll find all sorts of research and hopefully you'll discover the list of side effects. Every medication has a list of side effects. I would be extremely cautious in giving my small child these sorts of over-the-counter meds. You could go to Vitamin Cottage (or a similar store) and find a natural remedy. It seems like a safer choice.

Hi E.,

Well, let me see if I have this right....you medicated your child because the CAT woke her up and she was unable to fall back to sleep on her own????? Sorry, but to me this is just wrong. Read her a story, give her a back massage, try a nice cup of warm milk....but medicine? Sorry, I just find it totally unacceptable to medicate a child just to make them sleep so you can!

Wow, you sure got some opinions. ;)

My take on the OTC cold meds is that there were too many people who weren't following dosing instructions properly and that's where the problems started happening. If you follow the dosing instructions carefully, I don't see anything wrong with medicating your child *when she needs it,* which is what it sounds like you mostly were doing. Frankly, I don't think even an occasional use for something like the cat waking her is out of line.

I have a GF who is an emergency pediatrician and she said she has medicated her own toddler (I think with Benadryl) for long flights. So you're hardly alone in that one.

My almost-4-year-old is on a regular med for allergies and even though it's only recommended for kids 6 and up, the doc said that's really only because parents aren't very willing to offer up their under 6's for testing meds. I'd just be careful with dosing. I sometimes do like 1/2 a dose of something first to see if just a little bit will work. (I do that with myself, too. Why take 2 Ibuprofen for a headache if 1 will knock it out?)

Best of luck! Sorry so many people seem to have misunderstood you a bit!

E. - I read that you have been given some pretty good information. (Minus the arrogance and elevated sense of superiority.)I have been tempted to do much of the same in regards to giving medication to our two. The research is pretty scary when it comes to child deaths in relation to giving meds improperly. One thing that works for us when there isn't anything physically wrong is to pretend to give medicine in warm milk or something similar. We gave Tylenol to our 16 month old when he got his four molars at once and our then three year old felt left out so we pretended to put her meds in some warm milk and she felt "much better". Now that she is a little older she understands that she doesn't need it. Don't get too frustrated with some of the snooty comments, follow the good advice and happy parenting. I'm sure everyone on here has done something they aren't proud of, you're the only one honest enough to inquire.

Hi E.,
I prefer to stay away from all drugs and take the holestic approach. I found that JUS nips my girls' colds before they take hold and helps them sleep really well. It is just 23 all natural fruits berries and herbs that has an ORAC score of 8687 per ounce, which means it is super powerful in supporting the immune system. Because it's all natural it is safe for all ages.
Hope that helps. I believe in it so much I am a distributor! My website is: www.myjus23.com/susanlamar
Take Care~
S.

I wouldn't give my child night time medicine unless they were sick, but if they are I give them nyquil during the night, and dayquil during the day. makes sense, and it works.

I know you already posted a thanks---but thought I'd throw my 2 cents in there anyway =o) Our pedi told us that all of the meds that were recalled and taken of the shelves last year was not because of the drug in the medication itself. The drug is fine. They were having problems with dosing, accurate dosing, and parents following the instruction. Rather than have their product used negligently, the industry voted to remove the products from shelves and put it into the hands of doctors. My doctor re-doses my DD (2.5) for meds every 3 months or so when I take her in for weight check. Thus, I have accurate dosing for robitussin, sudafed, pain releivers, etc. and they don't necessarily co-incide with the labels, although the labels are pretty much made for 6 and up (1 and up for robitussin I think). She gets about 2 CC of robitussin I think since its an adult med--they calculated it by her weight. So don't be too concerned about what you are giving, its safe, just worry about how much and always call the dr or pharmacist if you have a question. There are tons of 24/7 call-in nursing lines and 24 hr pharmacies that can answer those questions for you.

Oh--and I've been known to give Julia benedryl so she'll sleep. It doesn't hurt it and the sleep is good for her ;o)

You will get two sides putting in their two cents on this question. One is don't ever give your child medicine just to help them sleep, and the other is that it isn't medically proven to help children. That however isn't my side, well it is just to a certain degree. I think that if you give them medicine to help them sleep it could createt a dependency, kind of like us and any sleep aid. However, if she is ill and is up with that by all means help the poor child sleep. They say it doesn't help but I believe it does. When my children are up all night coughing their poor little heads off no one sleeps, a little delsym and we get more sleep as if we didnt give them the medicine. Yes I gave a one year old delsym I have a chart that has weight and dosage amounts (I got this before they banned medicine for kids under 2) I would just be super cautious about the dosage and not to give too often just to help her sleep.

I am hoping that I misread part of your post. I really am. Are you saying that you gave her the Nyquil because she wouldn't go back to sleep? I really hope that is not the case. Yikes!!!!!

Cold medicines are a very, very sharp double edged sword and should only be used, by anyone, when absolutely necessary. Over use of such drugs can lead to what is known as rebound congestion. It complicates the problem and you can make your body dependent on them, as with any chemical.

Both of my childre suffer the croup 1 to 2 times every winter. With the help of a friend that is a Dr, and I have been able to avoid the steroids most of the time. We use a cool-mist humidifier, ibprofen, and saline mist 8 times a day. When absolutely necessary, I only use HALF of the recommended dose. I absolutely never EVER use nighttime medications-alcohol free or not. There are too many potential complications that can arise.

I think that you you really should talk to a nurse pracitioner or your pediatrician before you start using the Nyquil.

There are great alternatives out there such a cool-mist humidifiers, Hyland's Cold C Plus, Pediacare vapor plug-ins, Vicks chest rub, Eucalyptus oil, Lavendar oil, Aveeno Lavandar Vanilla lotion, etc. These are things that do not need to be special ordered and can be found at places such as Wal-Mart or Fred Meyer's.

With all the information available in regards to medications prescription and over the counter I would use any and all sparingly. So many medications have been taken off the market do to adverse effects I don't feel it's worth the risk. All medications effect the liver and recently there was a report that use of tylenol under the age of six increases the risk of asthma. There are so many things out there that are not safe, regardless of what 'they' say. Myself I would use alternative holistic methods. It's not easy dealing with a child that has sleeping problems. I had one that did not get in to good sleep habits until she was six. My 2 youngest are very sensitive to medications and I have to be very careful with what I give them. I have found that Whole Foods or Vitamin Cottage have great alternatives to medications that are filled with chemicals, preservatives and colorants.
Best of luck to you.

Hi E.,
Here is what I know, I know by giving your child meds even OTC meds, that you are pretty much ruining her liver. Why give your child meds when you might be helping one problem by creating another problem? There are other more natural ways to your problem.

I can't believe you would EVER use medication as a sleep aid or a travel method at any point.
It is one thing to use when your child is really sick, but to rely on a drug to get your child to sleep is insane!
You are teaching her that when things are hard or you can't deal, turn to drugs to fix the problem. Don't you think that sets a bad example?!
I am just shocked you had the guts to come on here and admit that you use this method of sleep aid to be honest.
Plus it sounds like you have heard or at read about what they are finding out and STILL bought some medication???
It appears that you use Nyquil for yourself and that perhaps you don't realize how addictive this stuff can be. Even the tylenol nighttime stuff can be... Just because you use it as a crutch doesn't mean you should be passing this terrible habit onto your child. AND just because it is over the counter doesn't automatically make it safe. Products get pulled everyday for being unsafe. We want to think out government never allows things on the market that would harm us, but it happens and then some study comes out to tell us that in fact it is bad and all they can say is whoops... and that is usually only after a few people die first!
I am sorry for the harsh responses you are getting towards your question, but I think as moms we are just more concerned for your childs welfare and think perhaps you need to revise how you deal with her sleeping issues and use a non-medicated approach for her own safety! Sure it may take longer for her to get to sleep, but parenting isn't supposed to be fast and easy...

It is no longer recommended for under age 4 WHEN THEY ARE SICK (not for sleeping).

Hi E.,
New research out showing cold medicines aren't good for kids and really should not be used as sleep medication. There are a lot of other things in the meds that aren't for sleep that she should not be taking. It's also better for her to learn to go to sleep on her own and not rely on medications especially at this early age. It is part of growing up, learning how to get back to sleep, and you are teaching her that medication is the answer.

Even on planes, we fly a lot, bring a dvd player, or crayons and coloring book, play games, uno is a small card game that you can play together and doesn't take up much room in a bag or purse, have her draw what she sees out the window, tell stories... we have good quality time together on a plane.

Again, there is a new study out about cold medicines for kids and they are going to be putting warnings out, I think for 6 and under.
Good luck, have fun,
SarahMM

Wow...unless you just didn't explain well enough, it sounds like you give your little one waaaay too much medication for the wrong reasons. I can understand somewhat if she's really sick, but not just to help her sleep when woken by the family cat. I don't really want to go on a rant this morning, so I will just tell you what I decided to do this last time my kids were sick. They both had the stuffy noses and and congested cough. The cold turned into a sinus infection for my son who is 6. I decided I didn't want to fill his body with lots of medications and I also wanted to avoid antibiotics if possible. We are really big about letting our bodies do their jobs to heal themselves with a little non-medicated help from dear old mom. I ran the vaporizer at night with Vick's to help them breathe and keep them from coughing. I think for the next round(and I know there will be one before school is out)I will try eucalyptus oil in the vaporizer. I got some advice from the health store to use saline nasal spray. I looked into that advice, and it turns out that it actually thins out the mucus in the sinuses and eventually the infection goes away. This worked wonders for both of my kids. Of course, if it hadn't I would have taken them to the doc. I think as moms it is our job to protect and care for our children in the best way possible. I don't have anything against medications, but I think the misuse of medications is very dangerous. I like what one mom wrote(sorry I forgot who)about helping your daughter get back to sleep by telling her a story, rubbing her back, etc. Try everything before you go for the quick fix. You could really be harming your daughter.

My advice - don't use any medication for anything but it's intended use, or as advised by a doctor. You're not just giving her sleep aid, your giving her decongestant, cough suppressant, and antihistamine, and she has no need for any of those. It can be h*** o* the liver and may make the medication less effective when she does need it.

She needs to learn how to calm herself and get back to sleep. It's a skill we all need, and at 6 she should be able to learn. If she doesn't, she could become dependent on other stuff to make her sleep, and she may eventually seek out something stronger than cold medicine, that you can't buy in the drug store.

You voiced your doubts. It looks like you may already know the answer to your question.

Hi E.,

When my little guy has trouble sleeping, I put lavender oil on his pillow. It worries me to use any over the counter or Rx drugs on children. Sugar supresses the immune function, so if you see a cold coming on, stay away from sugar and get plenty of fruits and veggies.

L. C
www.DenverJuicePlus.com