Medical News You Can Use: Get rid of children's Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl

McNeil pharmaceutical has received complaints from consumers about the presence of foreign materials and dark specks in the products manufactured by them. The medications are: Children’s and Infants’ Tylenol, Children’s and Infants’ Motrin, Children’s Benadryl and Children’s Zyrtec. The list includes cough and cold medications that contain Tylenol, Motrin or Benadryl. A complete list of the medicines is available at “mcneilproductrecall.com” or “WebMD” sites. The FDA has noted the defects and consequently the company has withdrawn these products voluntarily. All the pharmacies and supermarkets have removed the medicines from their shelves.

In my practice I have noticed several parents giving these medications as they still have them in their cupboards. Please discard them. Even though, to this date, no ill-effects have been reported because of the contamination it is prudent to avoid giving these products to children. Why take any risk? For fever, pain, cold and allergies, generic equivalent medicines manufactured by other companies are available that are equally effective. Get them and use them.

Dr. Raghavendra Rao is a pediatrician in Porterville. He writes periodically for The Recorder.