Tessalon cough medicine potentially confused as candy by kids - Providence Children's Health | Examiner.com

A liquid cough medicine that should be kept in child-proof containers could be mistaken as candy by little children the FDA says.

Children may be drawn to Tessalon (benzonatate) because of the round, liquid-filled gelatin capsule - but it can cause serious side effects including cardiac arrest, coma, and convulsion.

The Food and Drug Administration says Tessalon, which is approved by the FDA to treat symptomatic relief of cough in patients older than 10, can be deadly in kids under 10.

Signs and symptoms of overdose can occur within 15-20 minutes of ingestion. In some cases deaths have been reported within hours of the accidental ingestion.

A review of the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System database from 1982 through May 2010 shows five children under age 2 died. Benzonatate overdose has been reported  in kids this young who take just one or two capsules.

Children under the age of 5 are the majority of the 100,000 Americans treated annually in emergency rooms after accidentally swallowing medications and most occur in 1 and 2 year olds, according to a new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.  85 percent of children were treated and released from the ER. About 10 percent had more serious injuries and required hospital admission.

About 90 percent of child poisonings happen in the home, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. 

More than 30 children a year still  die from poisoning.

“Benzonatate should be kept in a child-resistant container and stored out of reach of children," said Carol Holquist, R.Ph., director of FDA’s Division of Medication Error Prevention and Analysis. “The FDA encourages health care professionals to talk with their patients and those caring for children about the risk of accidental ingestion or overdose.”

The CPSC suggests taking some simple measures to keep kids safe before your guests arrive, or as soon as you arrive a friend or relatives home:  

Properly dispose of unneeded or expired medications Don't take medications in front of children, which may inspire them to try to imitate you.   Never refer to pills as candy. Because children can sometimes open child-resistant caps, keep medications out of sight, out of reach and in a locked container.

Additional Resources:

The Poison Control center number is  800-222-1222.  For more information on poison control in RI, click here To report adverse side effects or medication errors from the use of benzonatate, contact  the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program at www.fda.gov/MedWatch or call 800-332-1088.