Coffee & Conversation in a smoky room: Overtime and Cold Meds

Oct 1, 2007

Overtime and Cold Meds

Job still going well! I've never worked this much overtime before. The days fly by and it's 5pm then 5:30pm and I'm trying to finish up and get the heck out of there. But there's always one more Refill request to Fax, one more patient to call, one more lab result to look up.

I worked through lunch today, with my doctor frowning and and commenting that the reason I worked through lunch was because she went out of town last week. It's all good though. I was OK with it. I like doing what I'm doing and it made me feel better to get a few extra charts off my desk today. I'm like Earl and I believe in Karma...it'll pay off.

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There's this new buzz about cold medicine and kids going around. Here's an article.

Personally, I have given my daughter doses of cold medicines and antihistamines in her little lifetime. They worked. She started having pollen allergies at age 3 and if we didn't/don't nip them in the bud early she develops a sinus infection. She still takes prescribed Nasonex so it eliminates the need for Benadryl or Robitussin.

I think the main issue...the biggest problem is that parents are giving these to their young kids without the knowledge of proper dosing (By Weight...not age). They aren't seeking the advice of their doctors or they aren't understanding the instructions. It could be they just don't have the money to have a Primary Physician (pediatric or family practice) and just guess the proper doses when the kiddos get sick.

Either way, what will happen is they'll just take the infant stuff off the market and the children's stuff will advise NOT to give to a child 6 and under.

This is good news for the pharmaceutical companies who provide the prescribed stuff. That's where all that money is gonna shift.

I posted a little about this over at Nursing Voices. If you want to add your comment.

(Slick, eh?)

1 Comments:

At 18:22, MY OWN WOMAN said...: The only thing that irritates me about "cold medications" is that the medications are "combos." For instance, the medication gives some tylenol and some antihistamine. Generally that wouldn't be a problem unless you come to the ER. There are so many "cold medications" with so many different drug dosages and combinations that if a child has a fever and we want to give tylenol or motrin, we have to spend way too much time (for the child and for the nurse) looking up what medications have what.

Personally, and this is just from my perspective, I like to see separate dosing, then I know what I'm dealing with.

PS: I've been wanting to get over to your blog and this is the first opportunity I have had to do so. I read your two other blogs and the tribulations that you and your husband went through. From reading your posts in Nursing Voices and now here at this blog, I can see that your experience have made you a very strong person.