These errors are all too easy for even the most vigilant moms to commit. How many do you recognize?
When feverish, congested 2-year-old Kadence woke up in the middle of the night, her mom, Marena Teague, gave her a dose of ibuprofen and cold medicine, just as her pediatrician suggested. Kadence started fussing again a little later, and Teague, half asleep, reached for the medications again. "I realized almost instantly that I'd double-dosed Kadence with both medications," says the Summerville, Georgia, mom. In a panic, Teague called poison control. "I was told to keep Kadence awake for a few hours to make sure she didn't develop breathing problems or become unconscious," she says. "I kept the phone in my hand in case I had to call 911 fast." Thankfully, Kadence, now 5, was fine, but other kids aren't so lucky. Each year, an estimated 71,000 children are treated in emergency rooms for accidental medication poisonings. Medical experts say that many parents unintentionally goof when giving kids medicine. Such errors can lead to prolonged illness as well as potentially serious side effects, particularly in infants and toddlers, which is one reason the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) no longer recommends OTC cold and cough medications for kids younger than age 4. (Teague's incident occurred in 2008, before the AAP changed its recommendations.) "A young child's small size and immature metabolic system makes him much more vulnerable to medication mistakes," explains Daniel Frattarelli, M.D., chair of the AAP's committee on drugs, and a pediatrician in Dearborn, Michigan. Help your sick kid get well safely by avoiding these common Rx blunders.
When feverish, congested 2-year-old Kadence woke up in the middle of the night, her mom, Marena Teague, gave her a dose of ibuprofen and cold medicine, just as her pediatrician suggested. Kadence started fussing again a little later, and Teague, half asleep, reached for the medications again. "I realized almost instantly that I'd double-dosed Kadence with both medications," says the Summerville, Georgia, mom. In a panic, Teague called poison control. "I was told to keep Kadence awake for a few hours to make sure she didn't develop breathing problems or become unconscious," she says. "I kept the phone in my hand in case I had to call 911 fast." Thankfully, Kadence, now 5, was fine, but other kids aren't so lucky. Each year, an estimated 71,000 children are treated in emergency rooms for accidental medication poisonings. Medical experts say that many parents unintentionally goof when giving kids medicine. Such errors can lead to prolonged illness as well as potentially serious side effects, particularly in infants and toddlers, which is one reason the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) no longer recommends OTC cold and cough medications for kids younger than age 4. (Teague's incident occurred in 2008, before the AAP changed its recommendations.) "A young child's small size and immature metabolic system makes him much more vulnerable to medication mistakes," explains Daniel Frattarelli, M.D., chair of the AAP's committee on drugs, and a pediatrician in Dearborn, Michigan. Help your sick kid get well safely by avoiding these common Rx blunders.
Many OTC meds contain the same active ingredients even though the symptoms they treat differ. For instance, lots of multi-symptom cold formulas contain acetaminophen, the pain-relieving, fever-reducing drug found in Tylenol. If you treat your child's congestion with a multi-symptom product and her fever with Tylenol, she'll get double the recommended amount of acetaminophen.
Better Rx With kids older than 4, treat only their major symptom, says Dr. Frattarelli. You can check an OTC product's "Drug Facts" label to confirm that it's the best one for your child's symptoms (look under the active ingredient's "purpose" and "uses"). Don't give two drugs at once unless directed by your child's doctor.
More than a third of all U.S. children take a daily vitamin or another supplement, yet less than 40 percent of these kids' parents tell their pediatrician about it. "Doctors need to be aware of anything in a child's system that could interact with a medication or lessen its efficacy," says Rainu Kaushal, M.D., director of pediatric quality and safety at New York-Presbyterian Hospital's Komansky Center for Children's Health, in New York City.
Better Rx Carry an updated list of the types and dosage amounts of every medication, vitamin, and supplement your child takes, as well as a list of her allergies. (You'll be glad you have it if there's an unforeseen medical emergency.) Be sure to hand a copy of it to your pediatrician at every well visit.
It's tempting to stop giving antibiotics when your child seems better and it's a battle to get her to take them. But bacteria can linger and become resistant to the medication if you don't follow the full course of treatment, says Dr. Kaushal. If the ailment returns, your child will have to start over with a full course of a different antibiotic that may have more severe side effects.
Better Rx Ask the doctor and pharmacist about adding flavoring or mixing the medication with food.
Lots of parents give Benadryl to their children to help them sleep on an airplane, but 10 percent of kids get more excitable -- not calm -- after taking the drug. When researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center set out to show that Benadryl caused drowsiness, they instead discovered that it actually made the kids more hyperactive.
Better Rx Bring lots of fun toys, healthy snacks, and, most of all, patience on your next long trip.
Household kitchen spoons can hold two to three times more liquid than standardized dosing cups, syringes, or spoons, according to a study in the International Journal of Clinical Practice. But even these medicinal devices can be problematic if you're not careful. Another study from the New York University School of Medicine found that 70 percent of parents pour more than the recommended amount into dosing cups.
Better Rx Use a dropper, syringe, or dosing spoon instead of a dosing cup. (Starting in mid-2011, the concentrated infants' acetaminophen formulation is being phased out and packaged differently; the dosing device will now be a syringe instead of a cup.) Always read the markings carefully. "Teaspoon (tsp.) and tablespoon (Tbsp.) can look very similar. If you mix them up, your child can get three times the recommended amount," says Stuart Levine, Pharm.D., of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, in Horsham, Pennsylvania.
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