Can A 6 Month Old Infant Be Given Sudafed For Persistent Cold?
You can use pseudoephedrine
Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXXXXX
That is rough that your baby hasn't slept for 2 days as it also means you haven't slept for 2 days!
You can give pseudoephedrine to babies who are older than 1 month old. This is only if your baby has no other ongoing health problems. If he/she does, then check with his pediatrician before giving anything.
The product PEDIACARE Infants' Drops Decongestant contains 7.5 mg of pseudoephedrine, and if your baby is a normal weight for his/her age, you can give 3 drops/kg/dose. That means that for the number of kilograms your baby weighs, he can have 3 times that number in number of drops for each dose. He can have up to 4 doses per day. But these instructions should be on the packaging for this product.
Now I have two more things to add:
Sudafed used to mean the drug pseudoephedrine only. But now, at least in the US, the Sudafed company also makes the decongestant phenylephrine. I don't know if this is the case in the UK, but it can be confusing. Phenylephrine is a milder type of decongestant.
The other thing is that pseudoephedrine is a stimulant, and for some babies, this can cause agitation and sleeplessness. It's possible that your baby will sleep because he is decongested from the medicine, but it's also possible he will be awake and agitated or hyper.
Alternatively, if you haven't already tried this, use saline drops in his nose, and a bulb syringe to remove the excess mucus.
I hope this information helps and you all get a good rest!
B. Berger-Durnbaugh, MD