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made specially for measuring drugs. n

4. Types of Medicines Used For Coid Symptoms
This section will give you information about the different ingredients found in cold

medicines.

• Deconaestant (oseudoephedrine. phenvleohrine) used to dry up a runny or
stuffy nose. Side effects include drowsiness or irritability and dry mouth.

• Antihistamine (diohenhydramine. bromoheniramine. chlorpheniramine and

many others) used to dry up runny or stuffy noses due to allergy. They may
also relieve other allergy symptoms such as sneezing, itchy, watery eyes
and itchy throat. Side effects include drowsiness or occasionally agitation.
• Cough suppressant (dextromethorphan, DM) used to reduce cough due to

throat and bronchial irritation. Side effects include drowsiness.

• Expectorant (auaifenesin) used to thin secretions.

(See Section V-J Cough)

Fever reducer/pain reliever (acetaminophen and ibuprofen) will only help to
reduce fever and relieve pain for the amount of time they are effective for (4-6
hours for acetaminophen and 6-8 hours for ibuprofen). These preparations will
not help other cold symptoms. Side effects are uncommon, although stomach
upset may occur. Both medications are toxic if too much is given, so be sure not
to give them more frequently or at higher dosage than recommended. (See
section V-0 Fever and acetaminophen and ibuprofen dosage charts). If
your child's fever does not respond to appropriate doses of fever medication,
please call our office. Both infant acetaminophen and infant ibuprofen
drops are more concentrated than chiidren's preparations, and should
always be measured only with the dropper provided. Never use a teaspoon
or medicine cup to measure infant preparations.

H. COLIC

Colic is frequent and seemingly uncontrollable crying in an otherwise healthy
infant. It has many causes. Colic may be due to difficulty digesting certain
foods or from excessive air swallowing. If your baby drinks fast or cries and
swallows a lot of air, try to calm your baby down and burp him more frequently
(see Burping, section i-C and Crying, section l-F). Some infants relax with
"white noise", such as the vacuum cleaner or washer, or a ride in the car. Colic
may also be due to emotional tension in the household. Try to resolve
differences of opinion that relate to the baby and do not get upset over little
things. If you feel that your baby has colic and these tips have not helped, feel
free to discuss it with us during office hours.

I. CONSTIPATION

Bowel patterns vary in children and in adults. One child may have bowel
movements several times per day while another has a bowel movement only
every several days. Infants' patterns vary from many times per day to just once
weekly. Many infants get red in the face and strain to pass stools, but if stools
are soft they are not constipated.

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