One In Five kids Still Getting Over-The-Counter Cold Medicine

The warning has been in place since 2009, but Toronto researchers have found many parents are still giving their kids 6 and under over-the-counter cold medicines. Health Canada says the medications are ineffective on kids that age, and could be potentially harmful causing seizures or comas if used incorrectly. In checking the use of the drugs a year before the warning and two years after it was issued, the researchers found usage dropped just slightly – from 22 per cent to almost 18 per cent. Dr. Jonathon Maguire, a pediatrician and researcher at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, says there is no scientific evidence that these off-the-shelf remedies reduce the duration of a cold or its symptoms.