This is the question all Smart Parents should be asking of every
medication they consider giving their children. Our society, in
part due to rampart drug company advertising, is infatuated with
medication. It seems our culture requires a medication for just
about every little discomfort in life. While I champion many of
the great medical advances of our time, I also urge a little
caution and common sense when it comes to deciding when, and if,
to give your child medication. For decades the American Academy
of Pediatrics has been on to the fact that cold and cough
medications are not helpful for kids. Codeine and
Dextromethorphan (Robitussin) are the two most commonly
prescribed and purchased over-the-counter cough medications. The
AAP summarizes: - No well-controlled scientific studies were
found that support the efficacy and safety of narcotics
(including codeine) or dextromethorphan as antitussives (anti-
cough) in children. Indications for their use in children have
not been established. - Suppression of co