Children often develop a fever suddenly. Fever is rare in adults or is limited to a mild fever, but fever symptoms are common in children with weak immune systems. So, if you’re raising a child at home, you pretty much have baby fever reducers on hand. What should I do if my child suddenly becomes ill and I have no pediatric medicine? Can I give adult medications to my child?
Children are not only smaller than adults, but their bodies and physiological functions are immature, and their drug metabolism is different from that of adults. Therefore, children should use medicines after checking the dosage and usage appropriate for their age and weight. We have reviewed three representative drugs that children should pay special attention to when dosing.
1. Antipyretic analgesic
Usually, if the child’s body temperature is more than 1 degree higher than the average body temperature or is 38 degrees or higher, the child is considered to have a fever and the use of antipyretics may be considered. Antipyretic pain relievers include ingredients such as “paracetamol”, “ibuprofen” and “dexibuprofen”. The preferred antipyretic analgesic for children is paracetamol, which can be used from 4 months of age. If taken in doses larger than those appropriate for your age and weight, acetaminophen can cause liver damage, and ibuprofen can irritate the stomach or impair kidney function. Dexibuprofen is an ingredient that reduces the gastrointestinal effects of ibuprofen, but there is still a risk of kidney failure in case of overdose.
As a rule, antipyretics are administered based on the weight of the child. When measuring the appropriate dosage, body weight should be used as a basis, but if this is not possible, age may be used as a basis. The dosage per body weight for children is between 10 and 15 mg/kg of paracetamol, between 5 and 10 mg/kg of ibuprofen and between 5 and 7 mg/kg of dexibuprofen.
2. Antibiotics
Antibiotics are drugs that inhibit the proliferation and growth of bacteria. People often think they need to take antibiotics for colds, but 80-90% of colds are caused by viruses, so antibiotics are not effective. Therefore, if you want to take antibiotics, it is advisable to consult a doctor, undergo a bacterial culture and antibiotic sensitivity test, and then use antibiotics based on the exact pathogen.
When you are prescribed antibiotics, you should watch the amount and duration of the antibiotics and not arbitrarily reduce or stop the dosage just because your symptoms have improved. This is because in this case there could be an increase in resistant bacteria that do not respond to antibiotics.
In addition, tetracycline antibiotics change the growth of bones and teeth, so they are not used in children and pregnant women, while quinolone antibiotics are not suitable for children because they can cause seizures or damage joint growth.
3. Antihistamines
Antihistamines are medications used primarily for hives or nasal colds. There are side effects such as drowsiness or anxiety, and the antihistamines you can take vary depending on age, so consultation with an expert is necessary.
In fact, although first generation antihistamines have obvious side effects such as drowsiness, there are products that are relatively safe and can be used by newborns regardless of age. Prescription drugs that require a doctor’s prescription are also available in syrup form. Second and third generation antihistamines that improve drowsiness and improve the frequency of administration have no evidence of safety in children, so most of them have age restrictions.
Soo-wan Jo, Hidoc health and medical reporter hidoceditor@mcircle.biz
The first step towards good health – Hidoc (www.hidoc.co.kr)
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