Jan
21
2010

Are You Dosing Your Medicine Correctly?

We’re sick.  All of us.  My entire household, children included.  My kids are about to turn 5 and 2 years old.  What is a parent supposed to do these days with a sick child?

Before, parents didn’t think twice about grabbing a spoon and chasing their kids around the house to give them a poorly measured dosage of awful tasting medication.  Now, medication tastes like candy to kids and my oldest acts like he scored a candy bar when he hears he needs to have some medication.

We also have the fear of what our kids can and can not take.  My son had the most horrible cough ever and I spent about 45 minutes in the store reading the dosage information to ensure I could purchase something that was suitable for his age (Triaminic long lasting cough is approved for children under four).

My little one, he’s just stuck suffering.  You can’t medicate a tiny little adorable little man who’s barely two years old.  The best I can do for him is put a humidifier in his room and some baby menthol rub on the outside of his clothes (I won’t apply it to his skin, I hear it could burn or make a child cold) and listen to him suffer all night long.

Then I came across this video. I couldn’t have watched it at a better time.

I’m always very careful about what I give my children.  I read the label time and time again but even I can admit, if I don’t have a dosing cup, I’ve used a spoon.  A spoon has been used on me.

Let me quote some statistics I read from Tara Parker Pope with the NY Times Blog.-

A 1992 study of dosing errors reported to poison control centers found that failing to distinguish between teaspoons and tablespoons was a major cause for overdosing of cough and cold medicines and liquid acetaminophen. Although too much cough medicine is typically not a major health worry, many liquid medications contain acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. Acetaminophen overdose is a major health concern and can lead to serious illness, liver failure and even death. And while small dosing errors may not seem like a major concern, excessive doses can add up and make it relatively easy to exceed the recommended daily limit, now four grams.

The availability of numerous measuring devices amplifies the potential for medication errors.

  • 49 percent of adult prescription cough syrup users most often use a dosing cup as their method of dosing.
  • 39 percent of adult prescription cough syrup users most often use a household teaspoon as their method of dosing.
  • In a recent Harris Interactive® Poll of 932 adult prescription cough syrup users, 35 percent reported drinking a dose of syrup directly from the bottle without measuring.
  • A patient’s ability to measure out a precise dose of cough syrup may be directly impacted by various factors including: current state of health, mental clarity, fatigue, fever, time of day/night and environmental distractions.
  • An overdose of hydrocodone, one of the main ingredients in this category of cough medicines, can result in respiratory depression. Its normal use may impair motor skills and judgment.

So that’s it. I know I don’t typically get serious in my blog, but like I said, I’m sick and my children are sick.  I’ve learned a lot of valuable information, and to me the last bullet point is most upsetting to me because we have a history of codeine allergy in my family and it’s highly possible my children could inherit that allergy.

This is not a paid or sponsored post, it’s just something I wanted to share with everyone.  I’m sitting here with a fever for the third day in a row and because of various medical allergies and medications I’m taking, I’m not allowed to take any kind of medication, so I have to suffer through this and pray it ends quickly.  Wish me luck!

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Written by Julie Maloney in: Uncategorized

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