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Child Having Cold, Cough, Blocked Nose And Throat Irritation. Is It Safe To Give Benadryl?

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Posted on Thu, 8 Nov 2012
Question: my 1.5 old is having dry cough throat irritation , nose block and cold. I am her mother, and I had throat irritation and coufgh few days back, took bactriM and controlled it . So she might have the same thing.

can we give her any medication ? LIKE BENADRYL ? or can we give her a milder dosage of paracetamol?
I took homeopathy belladona and Stodal Syrup, is it safe to give her the same medicine?

please help us here. thanks
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Asra Ishtiaq Ahmed (2 hours later)
Hello XXXXXXX

Thanks for writing to Healthcare Magic.

Your child has features suggestive of upper respiratory tract infection.

It is common for children of this age to have pharyngitis due to viral infection for which antibiotics are not indicated. Viral infections occur in several members of the family at the same time. Your child can contract the infection from the neighborhood as well. A viral infection will usually have preceding symptoms like lethargy, malaise, reduced appetite or generalized body ache.

On the other hand, bacterial infections are more localized and do not present with vague symptoms.

You have mentioned that you were effectively treated with Bactrim which is an antibiotic and so it was certainly a bacterial pharyngitis. Your child also appears to have bacterial pharyngitis as the symptoms are very specific and there is no prodrome.

Due to nose block your child will have difficulty during breathing and the nasal secretions can tickle down the throat and cause cough which is usually more severe at night. If the condition is left unattended, the same infection can then involve the lower parts of the respiratory tract and cause lung infection.

If you are not willing for a consultation and your child has been having these symptoms for long, it would be worthwhile to control the infection with antibiotic and relieve the nasal block by administering Nasivion P. Paracetamol will help in bringing down the fever. Yes benadryl is effective for cough and cold but will not cure an underlying infection. It also causes sedation and your child may get drowsy.

We have high regard for all fields of Medicine, whether it is Allopathy , Homeopathy or Ayurveda. All have their merits and demerits. Your child is only 1.5 years old and it is uncertain how homeopathic drugs are metabolized or excreted by the body. So the side effects or long term toxicity are not known in children.

We can however safely prescribe you the above mentioned drugs.

Wishing your child a very speedy recovery.

Please do not hesitate to revert back to me if you have even the slightest of doubt.

Take care.
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Dr. Asra Ishtiaq Ahmed

OBGYN

Practicing since :2008

Answered : 689 Questions

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Child Having Cold, Cough, Blocked Nose And Throat Irritation. Is It Safe To Give Benadryl?

Hello XXXXXXX

Thanks for writing to Healthcare Magic.

Your child has features suggestive of upper respiratory tract infection.

It is common for children of this age to have pharyngitis due to viral infection for which antibiotics are not indicated. Viral infections occur in several members of the family at the same time. Your child can contract the infection from the neighborhood as well. A viral infection will usually have preceding symptoms like lethargy, malaise, reduced appetite or generalized body ache.

On the other hand, bacterial infections are more localized and do not present with vague symptoms.

You have mentioned that you were effectively treated with Bactrim which is an antibiotic and so it was certainly a bacterial pharyngitis. Your child also appears to have bacterial pharyngitis as the symptoms are very specific and there is no prodrome.

Due to nose block your child will have difficulty during breathing and the nasal secretions can tickle down the throat and cause cough which is usually more severe at night. If the condition is left unattended, the same infection can then involve the lower parts of the respiratory tract and cause lung infection.

If you are not willing for a consultation and your child has been having these symptoms for long, it would be worthwhile to control the infection with antibiotic and relieve the nasal block by administering Nasivion P. Paracetamol will help in bringing down the fever. Yes benadryl is effective for cough and cold but will not cure an underlying infection. It also causes sedation and your child may get drowsy.

We have high regard for all fields of Medicine, whether it is Allopathy , Homeopathy or Ayurveda. All have their merits and demerits. Your child is only 1.5 years old and it is uncertain how homeopathic drugs are metabolized or excreted by the body. So the side effects or long term toxicity are not known in children.

We can however safely prescribe you the above mentioned drugs.

Wishing your child a very speedy recovery.

Please do not hesitate to revert back to me if you have even the slightest of doubt.

Take care.