Teaching kids about over-the-counter medicine
How to talk to your kids about taking over-the-counter medicine safely. Credit: iStock
Q. What should parents of tweens teach them about using over-the-counter medications?
A. Putting aside the abuse of over-the-counter medications -- which is another conversation -- many tweens don't even know how to use them correctly when they're warranted, according to a survey by OTC Literacy, an educational campaign from Scholastic in partnership with the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
"About half of tweens don't know about the dangers of over-the-counter medications and how to take them properly," says Gail Banach, director of public education at the Upstate New York Poison Center in Syracuse. "Parents overestimate their tweens' awareness of the safe use of medication."
Research shows kids start to treat themselves when they don't feel well -- for instance, taking headache tablets or cough medicine -- at around age 11, which is fifth or sixth grade, Banach says. Kids often think over-the-counter products can't harm them, she says.
Parents should teach kids to always read dosage directions and not take more than the prescribed amount in the directed time period.
Kids also should understand that active ingredients can be duplicated in different medications, and they should be careful not to unintentionally "double dose," Banach says. For instance, a cold medicine product might include acetaminophen. If they have a headache and keep taking Tylenol as well, they could get more than the recommended safe amount of acetaminophen without realizing it.
Beth Whitehouse writes about families, parenting and great things to do with the kids on Long Island. She’s been a Newsday editor and shared a 1997 Newsday staff Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800.
