Care needed with OTC medications for kids

How confident are you when giving your child a dose of over-the-counter medication? Most parents would say they are careful to read the label, give the right dose, choose the right medication, and take every precaution to avoid an overdose. Yet a recent study from Australia, presented at the International Pharmaceutical Federation conference last month, shows that getting the dose wrong, or medicating inappropriately, is all too common.

In the study, parents and daycare staff were faced with a variety of hypothetical situations involving illness in young children. They were asked what they'd do, whether they'd give a medicine, and if so, to demonstrate the dose of the type of medicine they'd give.

Alarmingly, 61 percent of adults taking part in the study would have given an incorrect dose of medicine (although only 17 percent gave an overdose). Some would give medication to bring down a fever without actually checking the child's temperature first. One in four were unable to correctly measure the dose they'd intended to give. The researchers said that some parents were under the impression that over-the-counter medicines could not cause harm at any dose. Yet medications such as acetaminophen (the most commonly used drug in the study) can cause fatal liver damage in overdose.

What you need to know. While over-the-counter drugs have their place in managing childhood ailments, they do need to be handled with care. Always read the label, use the measuring device included (not a teaspoon from the kitchen), and always ask for medical advice if you're unsure.

—Anna Sayburn, patient editor, BMJ Group

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—Aaron Bailey