GREENSBORO, N.C. — When you think of getting ready for back to school, you typically think of buying school supplies or getting back into a routine.
But how prepared are you for when your child brings home those back-to-school germs?
Dr. Tolu Olajide with Cone Health Community Pharmacy is here to talk all about stocking your back-to-school medicine cabinet to help keep your family healthy this school year.
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What are the key items parents and caregivers should have in their medicine cabinet to help their child with common issues like coughs, colds and fevers?
"Generally we recommend using over-the-counter cough and cold medicine for children starting at least 4 years old. Exceptions do exist. But for children younger than 4, it's definitely recommended that you talk to your doctor before giving them anything over the counter."
"Most of us are familiar with Tylenol or acetaminophen. This is very helpful for fighting off fever. It can also give pain relief as well. It's typically okay to use for both infants and adults, unlike most over-the-counter cough and cold medications."
For chest congestion, Olajide recommends Guaifenesin (aka Mucinex). For cough, she recommends dextromethorphan (aka Delsym).
Remember to keep in mind the child's age and weight to give the appropriate dosage.
What about stomach bugs -- what should caregivers keep at home to help both their kids and themselves?
"With stomach bugs, it's best to start with prevention. They can be caused by a lot of different things. You want to make sure your children know about proper hygiene. Making sure you're washing your hands before and after meals, and that they know not to eat anything that's been sitting out in room temperature for too long."
"When recovering from stomach bugs, it's best to stay hydrated. Stock up on your Pedialyte and water. You don't have to chug, but taking frequent sips throughout the day can help replenish the fluid that was lost. If your kids are struggling with nausea, you can try Dramamine Kids or Benadryl for children 6 and up. If your child is complaining of vomiting with fever or nausea with fever or they've been vomiting for 8 hours or more, it's best to go to your pediatrician because it's likely they need more targeted treatment."
How can parents safely dispose of expired medicine? What are the do's/don'ts?
"One big don't with expired medication is to hold onto them. When you hold onto those medications after the expiration date, we can't attest to how safe or effective it is at that point, so it's best to get rid of it for everyone involved. There are safe drug disposal boxes located at Cone Health Community Pharmacies, typically very large green boxes labeled 'Drug Disposal Program', you can put anything that's in a capsule, tablet or pill form in them. Unfortunately, we do not accept things like liquids, lotions, inhalers, needles or aerosol cans. You can Google FDA flush lists to determine which medications are okay to flush down the toilet. For things like sharps, you can put them in a sharps container or put them in something like an empty laundry detergent container and throw them in the regular trash."
Dr. Olajide answers these questions and more in the above interviews.
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