BLOOMINGTON - When oral cough and cold medicines for children age 2 and younger were pulled from store shelves in October, Bloomington mother Angie Hanslow wasn't bothered. | Photo gallery

Nearly two months later, with cold season in full swing, she still doesn't mind - even though her two-year-old daughter, Ashley, was diagnosed with croup on Tuesday afternoon.

"It doesn't bother me because I didn't use it often," Hanslow said of over-the-counter cough and cold medicine that she gave to Ashley occasionally.

"I was skeptical because I'd give it to her once in awhile but it wouldn't do much. So, it hasn't affected me," she said of drug manufacturers pulling medicines from the market after a cough suppressant was linked to several infant deaths.

When Ashley was diagnosed with croup, an acute viral infection of the respiratory tract that is characterized by a fever and harsh cough, Dr. Brian Emm prescribed an oral steroid for inflammation and recommended Tylenol for fever reduction.

In addition, Hanslow may run a humidifier and elevate Ashley's head at night to open nasal passages and reduce the amount of mucus that pools in the back of her throat.

If her younger daughter Kylie, 3 months old, gets sick, Hanslow also may use saline nose drops to remove mucus from her nose.

Hanslow is doing what doctors are recommending with oral cough and cold medicines no longer available for infants and toddlers.

Emm, a pediatrician with Bloomington Pediatrics & Allergy in Bloomington, has treated young children for croup, colds and even some cases of the respiratory tract infection RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). Dr. Dirck Curry, program director of the BroMenn Family Health Clinic in Normal, has treated young children for colds and strep throat.

"I would say that the numbers are similar to what we experienced last year," Curry said.

"I've had questions about the cold medicines daily," Emm said. "I tell parents that there's no evidence that they (the cough and cold drugs) are safe and work at all."

Sometimes, parents of kids age 2 to 12 will give their sick child a cough and cold medicine, Emm said.

"I ask them if they're working and 95 percent of the time, they say there's no improvement," Emm said. "So I tell 'em to stop. There are no well-controlled studies that support the efficacy and safety of cold medicines in children."

Curry said parents understand why the medicines have been pulled and are receptive to trying other things, such as nasal drops.

Danna Boore, whose daughter Amaris, 3, had a checkup with Emm on Tuesday, said she used the cough and cold medicines conservatively with her three daughters and thought they provided some relief - especially at bedtime when everyone needed rest.

"I'd use them to get her through the night," Boore said. "When one child is sick, the whole family is awake at night."

Because Boore also uses a humidifier, Vicks Vaporub and warm showers to open stuffed nasal passages, the pulling of the medicines from the market hasn't had much impact.

"Use Motrin or Tylenol for relief of fever, body aches and sore throat, and try supportive things (such as using a humidifier)," Emm said.

"It is a cold and, after seven to 10 days, it will go away. There are no miracle medicines. This is a multibillion dollar (drug) industry and there are multiple options because none of them work."