The Ins & Outs of Pediatric Dosing
How to Safely Give Your Child Medication
If you have children that you care for, you may already be aware of how important it is to know about pediatric dosing. Children metabolize medications differently than adults, so it’s important to make sure that you are giving the correct dose.
At Forward Pharmacy, we offer a range of services that take into account the specific issues involved in pediatric medication and dosing. We’re here to make the process a little more approachable for you as a caregiver.
Knowing what services are available is half the battle. With Forward Pharmacy as a resource, you can rest assured that the children in your care are getting the best care and attention possible. Read on to learn more about some of the services and resources we offer!
Keeping track of your child’s dosage changes
Our pharmacists can calculate dosage and provide documentation for you to take home with you.
To account for changing body weight, our pharmacist will calculate the dose for your child’s medicine in dose per kilogram or dose per BSA (body surface area) units. We will be sure to include this documentation on your hard copy prescription, showing how the calculated dose compares to recommended dosing, for both new and refill prescriptions.
As part of this process, our pharmacist completes a form called “Your Child’s Medicine,” which is then given to the child’s caregiver at prescription pick-up, to help the caregiver understand the explanation behind the calculated dosage.
Why do we calculate dosages this way? Children are not just little adults. They metabolize medicines differently, and that means they are more susceptible to side effects if the dose is too high.
They are also growing! The dose they had last year may not be enough this year—just like the shoes from last year no longer fit this year.
Taking the right amount: we offer free dosing devices for all liquid pediatric medications
Your doctor has determined the proper dose of medication based on your child’s age, weight and health condition. As your pharmacists, we want to make it as easy as possible for you to ensure that the prescribed dose is the actual amount your child takes each time. That is why we provide FREE calibrated dosing devices with all liquid pediatric medications (oral syringe, dropper, cup) to help ensure the proper dose can be easily administered.
So skip the soup spoon. Take advantage of our free dosing devices, and don’t hesitate to call or stop in with any dosing questions you have.
Need a custom compounded medication? No problem!
What if your child needs a medication that is not already made in the form or dosage that is needed? At Forward Pharmacy, we offer custom compounded medications.
We can make many medications that are only available in pill form into a liquid. We can also make dosages that are lower or higher than commercially available products to suit the needs of your child.
Watermelon! Cherry!—delicious free flavors for liquid medications
At Forward Pharmacy, we can flavor your child’s liquid medications for free. Why? Years of experience have taught us that medicine only works if it is taken. So we offer a variety of fruit flavors and sweeteners to help make even the most bitter medications easier for your child to take. So you can avoid that familiar medication tug-of-war, and get some Mary Poppins points instead.
There are many reasons why taking medicine as a kid can be a different experience than it is for adults. So it only makes sense that pharmacists need to be knowledgeable and sensitive to the issues that come up for our youngest patients. Stop in to learn more or to benefit from our services. From calculating doses to offering custom compounded medications to providing the best tools and flavors that make the process easier—at Forward Pharmacy, we’re committed to helping you provide your children the specific kinds of care they need.
Find your nearest Forward Pharmacy
Published on Dec 20 2019
Categories: News