Common Medications for Children: At some point, almost every child runs a fever, gets a rash, has a cough, or develops some other symptom that calls for medication. A basic knowledge of a few frequently used drugs can help you treat these common complaints with confidence. But giving medication to a child can be a confusing business. Drug companies complicate things by giving medications multiple names. There’s the trade name you probably know (Tylenol, for instance), and the generic name— often unpronounceable—that identifies the active ingredient (acetaminophen, in this case). Many over-the-counter drugs contain several active ingredients.
COMMON MEDICATIONS FOR CHILDREN
Robitussin Allergy and Cough syrup contains brompheniramine, dextromethorphan, and pseudoephedrine; each does something different. When you give your child a spoonful of medicine, it’s not always easy to know just
what you’re giving.
To clear things up a bit, the guide that follows lists the generic names for some of the most common medications, tells what the medication is supposed to do, and gives its most frequent side effects. Most prescriptions include the generic names, and all over-the- counter drugs list the generic ingredients on the box under “active ingredients.” Many commonly used medications fall into a few categories—antibiotics, antihistamines, and anti-inflammatory medications, for example. Information about those drugs is grouped under the applicable categories.
The purpose of this guide is not to replace the advice of doctors or pharmacists. It is to help you better communicate with them. So when the doctor says, “Let’s give her some ibuprofen for that sore shoulder,” you can be thinking, “Oh, Motrin; we already tried that.”
A special word of caution: this guide includes only some of the most common side effects. The package inserts that come with prescription drugs list many more. But it is not possible to list every possible side effect for any medication, because individuals can have unusual reactions. Any medication can trigger a possibly serious allergic reaction, for example. Any unexpected, unpleasant symptom that shows up after taking a medication is a side effect until proven otherwise.
MEDICATION SAFETY
All medications should be treated with respect. Prescription drugs can have powerful side effects. But over-the-counter medications can also be dangerous, especially if a child takes an overdose. Notably, some very common cough and cold medicines have been found to be unsafe in children, sometimes even deadly —yet they are readily available without prescription and packaged for older children and adults. Some commonsense principles can lower the risk:
- Give medications, whether prescription or not, only on a doctor’s advice.
- Keep medications in a locked cabinet or drawer. Even timid children have been known to climb up to high cabinets or shelves when curiosity drives them.
- Don’t put your trust in childproof caps. They will slow a persistent child down, but they might not stop her.
- Pay special attention when you have visitors who might be carrying medications with them, or when you and your child visit others’ homes. A handbag left sitting on a low table is a tempting target for a toddler.
- Tell your child that the medication is medicine, not candy.
At times of stress or when your daily routine undergoes a change, think about medications, cleaning supplies and other poisonous chemicals, and household hazards in general. Times of change are times of danger.
A WORD ON TERMINOLOGY
When doctors write prescriptions, they use a shorthand that can be confusing. When they say take one pill twice daily (BID in doctorese), they mean one pill every twelve hours. For example, you could take one dose at 8:00 a.m. and another at 8:00 p.m. Three times a day (TID) means every eight hours (for example, 8:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m., and midnight); four times a day (QID) is every six hours (for example, at 8:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m., and 2:00 a.m.). PRN means “as needed.” PO means “by mouth.” A prescription that reads, “take one tab PRN PO QID” means you may—but aren’t required to—take one tablet as often as every six hours.
Measurements may also need translating. The instructions that come with over-the-counter medicines speak of teaspoons, tablespoons, ounces, or occasionally capfuls. But prescriptions are likely to be written in milliliters (ml) and milligrams (mg). A standard teaspoon equals five milliliters, a tablespoon equals fifteen milliliters, and an ounce equals thirty milliliters. A doctor who instructs you to give “one teaspoon three times a day” wants you to give five milliliters every eight hours. Since the teaspoons in your home may not hold exactly 5 milliliters, it’s safer to use a medicine cup or an oral syringe in order to get the dose right.
The reason it’s good to be familiar with these terms is that you can ask questions. If the doctor tells you to take one tablet three times a day, then writes BID on the prescription, you should ask about that. If the doctor writes QID, and you’re not sure whether you should give the medicine every six hours on the button, even if it means waking your baby, you should ask. Be sure you understand the instructions before you leave the office. Ask the pharmacist, too. You can’t be too careful.