Giving Medication To Your Children

Safely giving medication to children can be challenging. When a young child needs medicine, many parents experience pressure because they are aware that giving them too much or too little of the medication could have negative side effects. Knowing when to take medications and when not to is essential for safe medication use. If in doubt, always consult your doctor.

Home care is frequently the greatest option for a speedy recovery. For example, children with the flu or a cold should:

• Plenty of sleep
• To prevent dehydration, consume a lot of clear liquids (such as water, juice, and broth).
• Saline (saltwater) drops can reduce nasal secretions in kids with stuffy noses. A warm-air vaporizer or cool-mist humidifier maintains moisture in the air, which aids in clearing congestion. To avoid the growth of mold and bacteria on your humidifier or vaporizer, make sure to clean and dry it thoroughly each day.

Giving Medication To Child – Things to Know

Before giving your child any prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medications, consult your doctor or pharmacist to ensure their safety. You must be aware of the following when giving your child medicine:

• The drug’s brand and intended use
• How much, how often, and how long to take the medication
• How to administer the medication. It should cover any additional instructions, such as whether to take the medication with or without food. Examples include: taken by mouth; inhaled into the lungs; inserted into the ears, eyes, or rectum; or applied to the skin.
• The way the medication is kept
• How long may a medication be safely kept before it needs to be discarded? Common responses or negative effects
• Interactions between drugs that your child is taking
• What happens if your kid forgets to take a dosage

Further Information

• Be sure the doctor and pharmacist have up-to-date information about your child’s weight and age because the dosages of prescription and over-the-counter medications vary on a patient’s weight. Too little or too much medication can have negative effects. Moreover, the component concentrations in various medications vary. As a result, carefully read the bottle and consult the pharmacist if you have any concerns.
• If your kid has any allergies or routinely takes other medications, let the doctor and pharmacist know.
• When necessary, give medications, for example, for pain or discomfort. Use over-the-counter medications (OTCs) such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen as directed by your doctor if you have symptoms like aches, pains, or fever.
• Give your child no cough or cold medications unless the doctor authorizes them, especially if they are younger than six years old. Little children receive minimal benefits from these products, which may have potentially harmful side effects. Many children’s cough and cold remedies include multiple ingredients, which could raise the risk of an accidental overdose if taken along with another medication.
• To ensure that an OTC medication is safe for your child, always see your doctor first.
• Even if your child feels better before then, must take prescription medications as directed by the doctor. For instance, it’s crucial to finish all of your antibiotic doses even after your symptoms go away because they kill bacteria. If not, the infection can return.

Essentials of Medication Safety

• If you have any doubts about whether certain symptoms require medical attention, always consult your doctor.
• Never utilize old medication. For instance, in the event that some liquid medication is spilled or improperly measured, pharmacists will occasionally prescribe more than is necessary. Throw away any unused liquid medication if you have any. Watch the expiration date on medications used as needed to avoid administering an out-of-date medication.
• Never give your child, whether an adult or a child, the medication that has been prescribed for someone else. Even though two individuals share the same ailment, they may require various medications with various dosages and instructions.
• Never give adult-only medication to a child.
• Before giving your child two different medications with the same ingredients, consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Outlook

When purchasing over-the-counter medications, inspect the packaging for signs of tampering and avoid using any that have been cut, torn, or sliced. Examine the expiration date as well. Organize your family’s medical history in one place by working with a neighborhood pharmacist. If you have any questions regarding any medication, including details regarding potential adverse effects or reactions, speak with your pharmacist.