A report this week in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews indicates that administering zinc within 24 hours of onset of the common cold could reduce severity of symptoms and the cold’s duration- the sticking point being that exact zinc dosage has not yet been determined.

Lead author of the study, Dr. Meenu Singh of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India, said:

“This review strengthens the evidence for zinc as a treatment for the common cold… However, at the moment, it is still difficult to make a general recommendation, because we do not know very much about the optimum dose, formulation or length of treatment.”

The authors added:

“In addition, given its toxicological profile, the potential for zinc to induce adverse effects at the doses participants are required to take also needs to be determined.”

The review culled the results of 15 separate trials, spanning more than 1,000 participants. After a week, patients treated with zinc were less than half as likely to still be suffering symptoms.

In 2009, a nasal zinc remedy for colds, Zicam, was recalled after being linked to anosmia- the loss of the sense of smell.

Zinc may reduce duration, severity of colds is a post from: The Inquisitr

Just after a study was released showing a dramatic dip in ER visits following removal of young children’s formulations from the market, another study has been published indicating that dosing instructions on the products are often confusing as all get out.

A staggering 98.6% of nearly 150 over-the-counter medications examined by the study exhibited at least one inconsistency between package instruction and an “accompanying device with respect to doses listed or marketed on the device.” One out of four of the items reviewed completely lacked markings necessary to properly administer the medication to children.

“Among the measuring devices, 81.1 percent included 1 or more superfluous markings. The text used for units of measurement was inconsistent between the product’s label and the enclosed device in 89 percent of products. A total of 11 products (5.5 percent) used nonstandard units of measurement, such as drams, cubic centimeters, or fluid ounces, as part of the doses listed,” the authors write.

Researchers also found potential problems with a lack of standardized measurement in medication packaging and dispensing devices. Dr. H. Shonna Yin of the New York University School of Medicine and Bellevue Hospital Center, who conducted the study to determine dosing safety of some of the most popular pediatric OTC formulations, explains some of the inconsistency.

“Devices often have extra markings on them that are not listed on the label, which can be distracting and lead to confusion,” says Dr. Yin. “Furthermore, some devices are missing doses that are recommended on the label, making the task of dosing more difficult.”

Co-author Benard P. Dreyer, MD commented on the study, indicating that introducing standardized dosing instructions could help avoid dosing errors in children. The study indicated that half of American children are given such a medication at least once a week.

Study: Dosing instructions on kids’ OTC meds often incorrect, confusing is a post from: The Inquisitr

A study published in medical journal Pediatrics shows that following a recommendation that cold medications for babies and very young children was implemented that the number of emergency room visits for drug-related complications fell correspondingly.

The Washington Post called the study a “mixed bag,” as visits for children who accidentally ingested the drugs or whose parents did not check the medications after two years remained high. However, it seems that might not be a “mixed bag” at all, as the instruction to discontinue using the medications entirely was not heeded in these families.

The CDC’s Dr. Daniel Budnitz commented on the new statistics, saying that the study also illustrates a need for better childproofing on children’s medications. Per Dr. Budnitz, the guidelines were revised twice:

Makers of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines voluntarily withdrew the products, mostly syrups, in October 2007. Pediatricians had complained that the products don’t work in young kids and posed a safety risk because of accidental overdoses causing extreme drowsiness, increased heart rate and even some deaths.

The Food and Drug Administration in 2008 warned against using the medicines in children younger than 2; labels now advise against using them in children younger than 4, Budnitz noted.

Also noted was that both before and after the medications were removed from store shelves, two out three of the related visits were due to children that got into the medications on their own. As with the study released recently about antibiotic treatment for children’s ear infections suggests, with common childhood bugs, the best treatment may involve allowing the bout of illness to run its course.

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Study: 2007 discontinuation of baby and toddler cold meds caused big drop in ER visits is a post from: The Inquisitr

Four months ago grandmother Sally Harpold went to a drugstore and bought one box of Zyrtec-D cold medicine for her husband and then less than seven days later at a different drugstore she bought a box of Mucinex-D cold medicine for her adult daughter. This meant she had purchased 3.6 grams of pseudoephedrine in less than a week’s time.

Then on July 30 she was arrested by by the police on a Vermillion County warrant for a class-C misdemeanor, which carries a sentence of 60 days in jail and up to a $500 fine.

Her crime?

She had broken a law that is designed to stop people buying large quantities of drugs that can be used to make methamphetamines – of which pseudoephedrine is one of the ingredients. As a result of being arrested her mug shot ran on the front page of her local paper with a headline of “17 Arrested in Drug Sweep”.

Vermillion County Prosecutor Nina Alexander quite proudly says that the law doesn’t make any distinction when it comes to who is buying cough medicine, whether they be a drug dealer or a grandmother taking care of their family. Alexander states that she is just enforcing the law as it was written and that if you take these products you should know what is in them.

Part of the excuse for continuing with the charges of Sally Harpold are as pharmacist Ron Vencel, JR Pharmacies in Terre Haute, is that many drug manufacturers are getting family members to go out and do the buying of the ingredients that they need. It should be noted as well that Sally Harpold works at the Rockville Correctional Institute for women.

The morning she was arrested, Harpold and her husband were awakened by police officers banging on the front door of their home at Midway along U.S. 36. She was allowed to get dressed, and was then taken in handcuffs to the Clinton Police Department, where she was questioned about her cold medicine purchases. She was later booked into jail, and her husband had to pay $300 bail to get her released.

Harpold said she did go talk to the prosecutor about the situation, and Alexander offered her the deferral program, in which Harpold is required to pay the court costs, abide by all laws and not be arrested for 30 days. At the end of 30 days, the class-C misdemeanor will be erased from her record.

Alexander said she is working with Harpold about the charge, but the prosecutor asserts that Harpold did break the law with her purchases and is being held accountable.

Source: TribStar.com – Wabash Valley woman didn’t realize second cold medicine purchase violated drug laws

hat tip to Boing Boing and The Agititor

Grandmother could go to jail for buying cough medicine is a post from: The Inquisitr