Patient's question:
Doctor:Hello! My baby is 8 months old now, and he has a cold. He keeps having clear nasal discharge, or his nose is stuffy, and he also has tears. Could you please advise what medicine he should take? I usually hear that colds don't come with tears. Is this normal?
Also, my baby's bowel movements are very dry, coming out one by one. He struggles to poop, crying the whole time. Is there any good solution for this?
Doctor's answer:
Hello:Children's colds, in addition to common symptoms like nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing, are mostly accompanied by fever, easily develop into coughing, and often include digestive issues such as vomiting or diarrhea. Moreover, the condition progresses rapidly after onset, so timely treatment is essential. Children's colds should not be treated by simply reducing the dosage of adult cold medications; instead, children-specific cold medications should be used.
Common Western medications for children's colds include Children's Tylenol. Specifically designed for the symptomatic treatment of children's colds, it can relieve the main symptoms of various colds: fever, headache, sore throat, nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and coughing. Take 3–4 times daily: 5 mL per dose for children aged 2–5, and 10 mL per dose for children aged 6–11.
Common Chinese medications for children's colds include:
Children's Cold Relief Tablets: Made from ingredients such as mint, patchouli, Isatis root, Isatis leaves, root of desert willow, and gypsum. It has the effects of expelling wind and clearing heat. Suitable for general children's colds with fever, as well as influenza with fever. Take 3–6 g per dose, 3 times daily.
Children's Cough Pills: With the effects of detoxifying, clearing heat, resolving phlegm, and relieving cough. Suitable for treating wind-cold colds, coughing with excessive phlegm, etc. For children under 3, take half a pill per dose, 2 times daily; for children aged 3 and older, take 1 pill per dose, 2 times daily.
Children's Treasure Pills: With effects such as expelling wind, resolving phlegm, digesting food, and calming fright. Suitable for wind-cold colds with fever, runny nose, coughing with excessive phlegm, vomiting, and diarrhea. Take 1 pill per dose, 2–3 times daily; half the dose for children under 3.
Children's Phlegm-Resolving Pills: With effects of resolving phlegm, relieving cough, calming wind, and stabilizing the spirit.