Medications for children: Listen to the doctor to avoid side-effects

As a parent, you must be convinced that you know all about medications for children. But How often do you reach for a bottle of cough syrup or a strip of antibiotics when your child is unwell? Or do you use an old doctor’s prescription that was given when your child was sick with the same symptoms six months back? Maybe you decide to play doctor and just give your child half of what you would normally take for a similar condition? These are some common mistakes that parents usually make when it comes to giving medications to their child.

It is important for you to remember that your child can be at grave risk from these actions of yours. You must realise that your child is not an adult in a small package. He is just a child and his needs are different from yours. He is also very sensitive and improper dosage can harm him, at times with life-long repercussions. Improper medications for children can have serious side-effects.

ONE IN 12 CHILDREN AT RISK OF DRUG INTERACTION: STUDY

According to researchers, about one in five children regularly use prescription medications. Nearly one in 12 of those children are at risk of experiencing a harmful drug interaction. Adolescent girls are at the highest risk, they say. This study at the University of Illinois at Chicago, is published in the journal Pediatrics.

For the purpose of the study, researchers reviewed the medication use patterns of more than 23,000 children and adolescents living in the US. This data was part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2003 to 2014. They saw that almost 20 per cent of children had used at least one prescription medication. Nearly 14 per cent used chronic medications and 7 per cent used acute medications.

Researchers defined the use of chronic medication as taking at least one prescription medication for more than 30 days and acute medication as taking at least one medication for less than 30 days. They say that their analysis revealed that medication use increased with age, from 14 per cent in children younger than 5 years to 22 per cent in adolescents between the ages of 13 to 19 years.

SIDE-EFFECTS CAN BE SUICIDAL THOUGHTS TOO: RESEARCHERS

They also saw that the most common medications for children were respiratory and psycho-therapeutic agents. Respiratory agents, which were used to manage asthma, included bronchodilators and leukotriene modifiers. Psychotherapeutic agents were CNS stimulants and anti-depressants. These have a link to rare but serious side-effects like suicidal thoughts, serotonin syndrome and even sudden death.

Researchers say that these findings provide valuable insight on how many young people in the US regularly use prescription medication. It also shows that polypharmacy, the use of multiple medications simultaneously, is common and comes with a potential risk, they say.

According to the study, approximately 7.5 per cent of children used multiple medications simultaneously, and among them, one in 12 was at risk for a major drug-drug interaction. Among those using multiple medications, adolescent girls were at highest risk, with nearly one in five using interacting drug regimens.

IMPROPER MEDICATION CAN EVEN CAUSE DEATH: EXPERTS

Researchers say that the vast majority of these potential interactions involved anti-depressants with the most common potential adverse interaction effect being QT prolongation. This is an abnormal heart rhythm that can cause sudden death in otherwise healthy kids, they say. They also report that that this risk is especially noteworthy given that ‘this condition is often asymptomatic and sudden death is an under-reported problem in children. They are also of the opinion that gender difference was because of the higher concurrent use of anti-depressants with acute medications like NSAIDs, anti-emetics and macrolide antibiotics in adolescent girls.

During the course of the study, researchers found that prescription medications associated with an increased risk of suicide are among the most commonly used and these are also used often in combination with another drug.

However, this study did not go into the incidence of adverse drug events specifically in association with the concurrent use of prescription medications, researchers say. However, they are hopeful that the findings of this study will lead to better preventive efforts and promote awareness about drug interactions and increased risks of prescription medications.

COMMON MISTAKES THAT PARENTS MAKE

Many parents make some common mistakes when it comes to giving their kids some medicines. Let us take a look at a few of these mistakes.

You think you know better than the doctor

Antibiotics are bad for children and most paediatricians avoid prescribing them. But, at times, it is needed to cure certain illnesses. As a parent, you may just not like the fact that your baby is on antibiotics. As soon as your child feels better and looks almost normal, you decide to take him off it. You think that you are doing him a favour. This is the worst thing that you can do. You must let your child complete the entire course of antibiotics or take the risk of recurrence of the disease. The full course must be needed to completely kill off the bacteria or virus that is causing the disease. The doctor would not have recommended it otherwise. If you stop it mid-way, the disease-causing organisms may live on in your child’s body. Follow your doctor’s orders even if you don’t like it.

You get the dose wrong

You may be using spoons to administer the medicine to your child. This is wrong because, you may get the dosage wrong like this. It is better to use a syringe or dropper instead. Then you will be able to give the exact dosage to your child. This will ensure that there is no risk of over-dosing. Medications for children need the exact dosage.

You think age matters more than weight

When it comes to medications for children, a doctor takes into account the weight and not the age of the child. This is because their metabolism depends on their weight. Most parents are unaware of this. As a parent, please lead the label of the medicine carefully to see if the dosage is right for your child. If it is not, check with your doctor.

Published : October 5, 2019 9:26 pm

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Medications for children: Listen to the doctor to avoid side-effects

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Medications for children: Listen to the doctor to avoid side-effects

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