Survey: Parents struggle with choosing allergy medicine for their children

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Dosing, labeling and a seemingly endless range of allergy medication options can make picking the right medicine a complicated task for some parents, according to the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health at the University of Michigan, released Monday.



"Parents often face an overwhelming selection of allergy medicine without clear guidelines on how to choose the right one for their child," stated poll co-director and Mott pediatrician Gary Freed. "Some parents may be picking allergy medication based on their interpretation of different advice they've heard, which may not always be accurate."



The Mott poll report is based on responses from a national sample of 1,066 parents of children ages 6-12 who were asked about experiences with giving children over-the-counter allergy medicines. Over half had given allergy medicine to their school-aged child in the past year.



The majority of parents (85%) who gave children allergy medicine used medication they already had in the house, with one-in-five (18%) not checking the expiration date first. "While outdated medicines are unlikely to be dangerous, they may have lost some of their effectiveness," Freed suggested.



Most parents used allergy medicines labeled for children, but 1-in-7 (15%) have given their child over-the-counter allergy medicine labeled for adults. A third of those using adult medications gave their child the dose recommended for adults while two-thirds gave a partial adult dose. "If taken as directed, over-the-counter allergy medicines are safe and effective for children, but parents should be very careful to give their child the correct dose. Doses greater than recommended for children can result in more severe side effects," Freed said.



Freed advised parents to read the ingredients on the box to help them shop for the best priced option that fits their child's needs. A good rule of thumb is to match a child's symptoms to the medicine included in the product. For example, antihistamines can help with runny nose and itchy eyes while decongestants help with a stuffy nose.



Doctors are parents' top source for advice about allergy medicine (61%) but almost a third of parents (32%) say they turn to a friend or family member and 38% ask a pharmacist. Overall, 21% of parents report that it is hard to figure out the right dose of allergy medicine for their child.