The Recall...

I'm sure many of you know by now that this past weekend there was a pretty large recall of what felt like every infant medication on the market...If you haven't seen it - here's the list of all recalled drugs. 

We got the frantic call from my parents Saturday morning to check all our meds and throw them out - we did check and everything that we had in the house was on the list.  Now I don't typically medicate my daughter, but for the sake of honesty, when she's pulling at her ear, screaming in pain and biting anything she can get her hands on, I'll give her some medicine to ease the pain.  I figure I would do the same for myself.  And lately, she's needed it a few nights. 

But this wasn't my concern when I heard about the recall - we'll handle a few sleepless nights if we can't give her medicine - what worried me was that what would I do if she got a fever? What if (like several of my friends' kids) her fever spiked to 104?? What would we do then if Tylenol and Motrin were 'off the market'?? What would we do if our child got really sick??

Luckily, we didn't have any fever to worry about this weekend (but we did have a sleepless night with a teething baby)...and this morning I got an email from my friend (thanks Ro!) that came from a local pediatric practice saying:

What should I give my child for pain or fever?

You may use generic alternatives of the liquids or switch to the chewables where appropriate.
Click here for info on liquid-chewable equivalents of tylenol and motrin.
The generic for Tylenol is acetominophen. Tylenol Chewables are still available.
The generic for Motrin is ibuprofen. Motrin Chewables are still available. Advil is a brand of ibuprofen and therefore equivalent to Motrin. Advil has infant and child formulations that can be used.
The generic for Benadryl is diphenhydramine. As well, brand Benadryl comes as a chewable which has not been recalled. One teaspoon of the benadryl liquid (12.5 mg) is equal to 1 chewable (12.5 mg)
The generic for Zyrtec is cetirizine. As well, brand Zyrtec is available as a chewable which has not been recalled. One teaspoon of the Zyrtec liquid (5mg) is equal to 1 chewable (5 mg.)
Claritin is another allergy medicine which can be used.
Click here for information on allergy medications.
 
 
**Obviously, contact your pediatrician regarding what to give your child if he/she gets sick**

Makes me wonder what kind of practices are set up to ensure our childrens' and our safety? And are stores going to be vigilant about taking these medications off their shelves? From what I understand McNeil Consumer Healthcare is going to send reimbursement checks (I'll be calling them later today)....not sure that a reimbursement is going to cut it - I may have given my child faulty medication and you'll send me my money back?! thanks. 

I guess the lesson learned is to be really careful about what we're giving our children and please make sure you forward the link of recalled medications to all the parents you know!