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Safe Medicine Tips for Kids


Ashley Stewart , PharmD Candidate 2010

Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy, Shenandoah University

Prepared during Consumer Health Information Corporation Clerkship
McLean, VA

 

As the summer season comes to an end, and more and more school buses are seen driving on the road, it can only mean one thing; school is starting or is already in session. But with the start of the school year, comes the start of the cold and flu season. It is natural for children to share toys and play together which makes it natural for them to share germs as well. Hopefully with this guide by your side, you and your family will be prepared to tackle any sickness that comes your way this year.

 
Giving Medicine to Your Child Correctly

  • Give the correct amount, at the correct time on a regular schedule for as long as the doctor ordered.
  • Continue giving the medicine until it is gone, even if the symptoms appear to be gone.
  • Do not mix the medicine in food or drink.
    • Your child may not finish the food or drink and have the wrong amount of medicine.
    • Your child may grow up not liking the food or drink because they link it with the bad tasting medicine.
    • Ask the pharmacist to flavor the medicine to a flavor your child likes or teach your child to swallow the tablet form of the medicine.
  • Do not squirt medicine from a medicine dropper down the back of a baby’s throat.
    • Place the dropper inside the mouth, next to the cheek, and slowly give the medicine to avoid choking.
  • Use approved medication devices when giving your child medicine.
    • Kitchen teaspoons and tablespoons may not give the right amount of medicine. They could cause you to give too much or too little of the medicine.
    • Ask your pharmacist if you need a medicine dropper or syringe, medicine cup, or medicine spoon. These items will correctly measure a teaspoon (5 ml) or tablespoon (15 ml).

Things to Know before Choosing an OTC Medicine

  • Always ask a pharmacist for help.
    • They can help you choose a medicine and tell you the correct amount to give based on your child’s weight and age.
    • Know the number of a 24-hour pharmacy just in case your regular pharmacy is closed and you need to know what to do or have a question.
  • Know your child’s weight.
    • Children’s medicine is dose by weight and if you do not know it, then you cannot give them medicine and the pharmacist may not be able to help.
  • Know what symptoms you are trying to treat.
    • This will prevent giving your child the wrong type of medicine.
  • Be aware of all medicines your child is taking at the time.
    • You do not want to give your child two medicines with the same ingredient as they could have bad side effects.
  • Know if the medication is safe for your child.
    • You do not want to give double the dose of infant concentrated drops to an older child because the drops are stronger than the liquid syrup medicine for them.
    • You should not give cough and cold medicines to children under 4 years old.
  • Know your child’s allergy and medical information.
    • You do not want to give a medicine with an ingredient that your child is allergic to or that could make their illness worse.
  • Know what medicine helped your child before.
    • If it worked before, then it may work again.  But ask the pharmacist first because using some medicines repeatedly can make them not work over time.

Common Medicines for Children

  • Fever and pain reducers
    • Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Advil or Motrin (ibuprofen)
    • These medicines lower the body temperature to get rid of fever and can reduce aches and pains.
    • The Journal of Pediatric Health Care recommends contacting your child’s doctor before using these medicines if your child is 3-6 months and the fever is 101°F (38.3°C) or higher or your child is more than 6 months and the fever is 103°F (39.4°C) or higher.
  • Antihistamines
    • Claritin (loratadine), Benadryl (diphenhydramine), Zyrtec (Cetirizine)
    • These medicines help stop runny noses, eyes from itching, and sneezing from allergies.
  • Cough syrups
    • Robitussin and Delsym (dextromethorphan) and Mucinex (guaifenesin)
    • Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant which will calm the cough.
    • Guaifenesin is a cough expectorant which will help loosen mucus so it can be coughed out of the body.
  • Cold medicine
    • These medicines contain multiple types of ingredients including acetaminophen and ibuprofen to help make symptoms manageable.
    • It is very easy to have an overdose with these medications because they contain a lot of the same ingredients in other medicines your child may be taking.  It is important to not to give these to children under 4 years old.
    • Use a cool-mist humidifier, saline drops and a bulb nasal syringe, and increase your child’s fluids to help them feel better.
  • Decongestants
    • Sudafed PE (phenylephrine)
    • These medicines will help get rid of stuffy noses.
    • The liquid form is found in many cold medicines.
    • The nose sprays, when used too often, can stop working and make the nose stuffy again, and should be used for 2-3 days at a time, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Parents, be sure to cut these tips out of your newspaper to hang on your refrigerator. The tips are not only meant to be helpful during the school year, but all year. While it is important to give your children their medicine safely, it is equally important that you do the same for yourself.

 

 

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