concerta is a prescription medication that is used to treat attention deficit disorder. as a general rule i would try to avoid nonprescription medications that contain pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine as the active ingredient. taken with concerta these medications would likely increase your child’s heart rate or blood pressure. it is best to choose a cold medicine based on your symptoms. for a sore throat or other pain or fever a pain reliever/fever reducer such as acetaminophen is a good choice. for a runny nose or sneezing an antihistamine such as chlorpheniramine is the right option. pseudoephedrine is a choice to treat nasal or chest congestion. a “dry” or “hacking” cough may be eased by dextromethorphan and a “wet” or “productive” cough might respond to guaifenesin. without knowing your child’s specific symptoms it is hard to choose the right cold medicine for him. but hopefully some of this general information can be helpful. you can always talk to your local pharmacist for a more specific recommendation. and always let your pharmacist know about the medications that your child is taking as it is always important to check for interactions between prescription and nonprescription medications before use.
what cold medicine can i safely give to my 10-year-old child that is taking concerta?