by Jessica Bosari

Created on: June 12, 2009

You already know how important it is to stay updated on safety recall information when it comes to your children's toys, but do consider that medication recalls can also affect your children? You may hear a report that a certain drug was recalled, see a long list of medications that could contain the drug and not think for a moment that it might be in your kids' medicines. Think again. You need to stay informed about drug recalls.

Many drug recall notices only give a short overview of the reasons the medication is being recalled. For example, when Phenylpropanolamine was recalled from cold medicines, the FDA notice indicated the recall was made due to an increased chance of stroke in women age 18-49. The notice does not mention children at all, probably because most OTC medications are not tested on children. So if you assume the notice only applies to "women age 18-49" and do not take time out of your busy schedule to read the list of medications, you are not getting the full picture.

You heard right, the medications you give your children for coughs and colds probably were not ever tested clinically on children. The FDA now requires tests on the pediatric population before a medication can be approved for prescription. This is why it is rare to see a new children's medication come on the OTC market. Most OTC products were approved before studies on children were required. Products were approved based on the evidence found in its safety for adults. Pediatric testing itself is a challenging endeavor because no one wants to subject their child to an untested medication.

It is important to understand that a drug can also have adverse affects on a child that are not warned about on the label. Children can be more sensitive to a medication and have different reactions altogether. Families have learned that allergy medications can make one child sleepy and another excitable. We have learned that the aspirin that once seemed so harmless is dangerous to children, possibly causing a serious autoimmune disorder.

The practical concerns of parenting must be weighed as well. Why must a child suffer with a cold when there is a safe medication available to relieve a headache, fever or runny nose? Most OTC drugs are safe for children and have not resulted in injury to any child. However, parents should stay up to date as new information becomes available to help safeguard their children.

So what is the best way to protect your children? You can subscribe to the FDA's MedWatch Newsletter. You can join the MedWatch E-list and get reports informing you about new recalls. Take the time to read the list of medications. It may not even say that the medications are for children, so you will need to pay close attention. There will usually be a link to a medication's manufacturer that gives more details or a phone number you can call if you have any concerns. If you are at all unsure, call the 800 number on the medicine package and you can get the facts about any recalls to the medication directly from the maker.

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