Children and medicine

Reviewed by Stuart Crisp, paediatric specialist registrar

Common complaints
Children are exposed to infectious diseases throughout their childhood. Most infections are caused by a virus, which cannot be treated by antibiotics. But if an infection is thought to be caused by bacteria, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics for the child. Often it is difficult to make the distinction between viral and bacterial infections on clinical examination alone.

Paracetamol, in an appropriate dose, remains a very good treatment to relieve pain and fever in most circumstances. Ibuprofen is an alternative for other than very young children, but should be avoided in asthmatics. Aspirin should never be given to children aged under 16 years unless prescribed by a doctor.

How to get a child to take their medicine
It may be difficult to get children to take their medicine. This might be due to a variety of reasons, but commonly stems from the child not liking the taste of the medicine, or having difficulty swallowing it. To get around this a wide variety of preparations of medicines are often available. Medicine may be found as drops, mixtures, liquids, powders, granules, suppositories, capsules and tablets with or without coating.

The first time a child has to take medicine, it may be a good idea to consult the doctor or pharmacist to decide which type of medicine the child is most comfortable with.

Medicine for small children
Mixtures, liquids and drops with flavoured additives of some kind are often the types of medicine preferred by small children. Often you can mix the medicine with juice or breast milk, but it is important to be sure that the child gets the exact amount of prescribed medicine; neither more nor less. Always follow the instructions given with the medicine and ask your pharmacist for advice if you have problems.

The dose for young children may sometimes be too small to measure using a spoon, in which case you will be given an oral syringe to administer the medicine. Make sure you know what to do before using it.

Medicine for chronically sick children
Some children suffer from a chronic (long-term) disease such as epilepsy or asthma and so constantly need medicine. They should be able to help choose the type of medicine they prefer. Most children handle these problems very well, as long as it is explained to the child why it is necessary to take the medicine.