My son's Pediatrician told me to give him dimetapp?

Question

She told me to get him Children's Dimetapp, becuase he has an ear infection. The problem is, he's 7 almost 8 months old. She said to only give him 0.4 ml becuase he only weighs 21 pounds, but i dont know if i should or not. Ive heard stories about babies dying from having Children's Dimetapp and Children's Tylenol Cold and Cough, even when a doctor perscribed it. So, has anyone give this to their child under age 2 or even 1? What happened? Should i do it?


Also, if i can give him the dimetapp, should i still give him Infant Motrin or would they interact with each other? Thanks!

To the people that keep telling me to ask medical advice from people online and to call the doctor. Ive already done that, im just wondering if anyone else's doctor told them the same.

Answer 1

I have three children. My pediatrician only advices Tylenol or Motrin. I would use with caution if you decide to use it.

Answer 2

There was an article in May's Parents Magazine that gave a caution about giving cough medicine to children under 2 years old. There have been a few deaths associated with those that contain pseudo-ephedrine. But the caution in the magazine was against parents just giving a smaller dosage without a doctor's guidance and overmedicating. Since your doctor gave you a dosage based on age and weight I think that you'll be fine.

Sorry I can't give you a personal experience, I've never had to give cough medicine to my kids when under the age of 2. As far as mixing the two, I would advise you to call a local pharmacist for drug interaction advice.

Answer 3

My youngest had tons of ear infections and I did give him Tylenol cold and Dimetapp. It is used to help with the mucus, they recommend it for the decongestant in it. It will help with the fluid and pressure. I always followed the Dr. recommended dose and only gave it when I felt he really needed it (like at bed time so he was more comfy to sleep). I did however stop with the Dimetap because it wired my Little guy, he would be wide awake at 3 am. Tylenol cold was nice because it also had a pain reliever in it and he tolerated it well. My son is fine now and almost 2. Trust your Dr. but as with any medication don't over use it.

Answer 4

Dimetapp is ok for infants over 6 months of age. The decongestant will help to dry up any fluid in the ear from the infection. Some infants becme irritable. It is safe, however if he does not tolerate it well, gets crabby, etc you can stop it. It is not necessary to clear the infection but may make him a little more comfortable in the meantime. Tylenol or Motrin is safe as well at this age. There is no harm in giving them together however if you feel more comfortable, seperate the meds within a few hours.
A warm compress helps with pain too. It may be tough keeping it on his ear at this age though.

Answer 5

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RE:
My son's Pediatrician told me to give him dimetapp?
She told me to get him Children's Dimetapp, becuase he has an ear infection. The problem is, he's 7 almost 8 months old. She said to only give him 0.4 ml becuase he only weighs 21 pounds, but i dont know if i should or not. Ive heard stories about babies dying from having Children's...

Answer 6

With an ear inf with my oldest daughter I gave her 0.8ml of Tylenol for the pain, you just need to make sure you are giving the medication with the correct dispenser( the one that came with the medicine) and on a schedule only if needed as directed on the label instructions, also your child's pain will significantly die down if you sleep with him on your chest so he can sit upright while sleeping or propped in a carseat/comfy chair. If you put him to sleep on his back/stomach flat I guarantee he will be in pain laying flat increases the pain. As far as giving two different meds I don't know I just stuck with the tylenol and eardrops if ear drops were prescribed I think your ped is using the dimetapp to dry the liquid in the ear that is causing the infection. But I'm not a doctor so you may want to call your ins co nurse hotline or go to urgent care if you are uncomfortable with the situation.

Answer 7

Do not give him both unless told to. I think Dimetapp has a pain/fever reliever in it. Dimetapp should not be given to individuals with a heart defect, if you son is healthy it should be fine but honestly....your his parent and should never just 'trust' the doctor, they are human too and make mistakes. If you feel uncomfortable with this, get a second opinion.

Answer 8

I swear by a product called Hyland's homeopathic remedies. They have everything from ear aches to teething and they are all natural. They have worked on all 3 of my children. I have only given those or Tylenol and Motrin. I was always to nervous to give anything else.

Answer 9

Both of my children had to take dimetapp early in life.. they are 23 and 19 now.. Did them wonders..

But yes, I feel he told you right.. Why bother paying for a doctor if you don't trust them?.. And if you got the info on the interent, it would explain your might be stressing over bogus emails..

Answer 10

Infant Dimetapp