Hello doctor, My son is 14 months old. He had a bad cold and congestion for the past seven days. We consulted our local pediatrician, who suggested a 5 ml of Nuhist twice a day. This medication makes him sleep quite a bit and when I tried reading up about it, there was not much except that some of the components in the medicine are things that should be taken in consultation with a doctor. I just want to confirm, is this dosage right? Should we continue the medicine and in what dosage? Should we be taking care of something in particular?
Hello. The medication your kid is getting is one of the medications for cold. It has the side effect of causing some drowsiness like any other cold medication. The side effect is something that occurs with the normal medication dose. We usually prescribe medications based on weight. I presume your child would be around 12-14 kg. If he is drowsy with that dose, you can give him half the dose, which is 2.5 ml two to three times a day and three days of medication would be sufficient if he is relieved of the symptoms. The main side effect is drowsiness and decreased alertness. If it is not affecting his day to day activities, and his congestion is getting better with medication, you need not worry. Only ensure that he is not left to himself when he is under the medication effect. There are some less sedating medications that can be used, but we use less frequently in kids below 2 years.