Honey or Benadryl for cough.

[nebula228]

Hi Everyone,

My son has been having sore throat and cough for a week now. Its not a consistent cough. Its usually in the nights. He has a clear runny nose/sniffles. My doctor usually says its better to try natural remedies like honey for sore throat rather than going for 

BENADRYL

.

My sister- in-law is a pharmacist and she said its fine to give BENADRYL for five days in a row in the night and his sore throat will go away. 

So I am in a fix. I usually just give him honey or Chestal as suggested by the doctor and put a vaporizer when he has cold.

Whom should I listen to. My sister in law or the doctor.

Please advise!

[ThreeTwoFive]

If the honey is working, stick with that.  If he's waking up in the middle of the night, consider the Children's Benadryl.  

The pharmacist I talked to did not recommend Triaminic for kids.

We split the difference with Similisan homeopathic stuff during DS's last night-time cough.

[sageowl]

I can't believe a pharmacist would say that given the number of studies published in the last couple of years--research on the efficacy of pediatric cold remedies has concluded that there is little to no benefit in using common cold remedies in children. 

I'd stick with honey, and maybe add a little lemon if he likes that.

Benadryl is an allergy medicine, that has a side effect of inducing sleep.  (In some kids, it has the opposite effect and causes excitability). 

[sassyfirechick]

Well since benadryll is not for coughs why would she even recommend it?  That would raise a red flag for me.  All it does is dry out the sinuses (too much) and then you can get a dry cough....I'd stick with what you know works.  I won't give DD benadryll bc there's a chance she will have the same reaction as me and sleep for 24hrs, with continued groginess for almost 48hrs.

[wishin'&hopin']

Um, doctor.  Benadryl is an allergy medication and will do crap for coughs and sore throat.  So, unless the sore throat is from post nasal drip from allergies...it's not going to do anything except make your kid sleep.  Honey works better (in actual studies) than anything else for cough (children over the age of 1 ONLY).  

[MiddleRiverMama]

Definitely not Benadryl! My pediatrician recommended infant Zyrtec which we use sparingly. We've had great great luck with a honey elixir we got at cvs.

[luckiest]

Yeah, definitely no benadryl.  I wonder if she recommended that as a sleep aid if the cough is keeping him up at night?  Because it won't do anything for an actual cough.  And still a bad idea as a sleep aid, anyway.

Hyland's sells a homeopathic cough elixir that includes honey.  They have a regular one and a night time one, which includes additional homeopathics to help with sleep.  

[expat-mama]

Ok, I'll be the outcast here and say that benadryl (if it does have the effect of making your LO sleepy) can be a lifesaver if he/she is up all night coughing. Yes, it's an allergy medication, but it may help with runny noses and sneezing, and it will make it easier for your LO to get back to sleep (again, if it has the sleepy effect not the hyper effect) after coughing fits. It does for my son.

When my son has a bad cough and cold and can't sleep because of it I will give sometimes him benadryl just so he can get some rest which will speed his recovery. Benadryl is a safe medication when given at the correct dose and not used regularly for help with sleeping. I have looked into this, and many children with allergies are given benadryl very regularly with no adverse affects so I'm not sure why some on here are making it sound like it is something very harmful or dangerous! Every child is different, so there's no telling what affect any drug or even a natural remedy will have on your child so it's always best to use caution and of course speak to your HCP.

[kayleesmom]

What about hylands cough and cold?

[CookAMH]

We really like Chestal...it actually resolves the cough and soothes it.