This special guide profiles hundreds of the most commonly-prescribed brand name and generic medications for children, as well as commonly recommended over-the-counter preparations. Each profile includes common uses, side effects and interactions, and warnings for each drug.

The Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA) and the Pediatric Research Equity Act (PREA) were designed to encourage more pediatric studies of drugs used for children. The FDA asked the IOM to review aspects of pediatric studies and changes in product labeling that resulted from BPCA and PREA and their predecessor policies, as well as assess the incentives for pediatric studies of biologics and the extent to which biologics have been studied in children. The IOM committee concludes that these policies have helped provide clinicians who care for children with better information about the efficacy, safety, and appropriate prescribing of drugs. The IOM suggests that more can be done to increase knowledge about drugs used by children and thereby improve the clinical care, health, and well-being of the nation's children.

Prescribing for children is a particularly challenging discipline due to specific issues of drug absorption, metabolism, distribution and excretion. The aim of this book is to improve understanding in all aspects of paediatric prescribing, from the development of suitable drugs through to their practical administration. With its origins in the EU-funded Global Research in Paediatrics (GRiP) project this is the first truly international textbook to provide guidance on the principles behind optimal neonatal and paediatric prescribing. Harnessing the international expertise of paediatricians and pharmacists in the field, Prescribing Medicines for Children compliments the British National Formulary for Children (BNFC), facilitating translation of essential pharmacological principles into good prescribing practice. It incorporates specific information on how to promote safe and effective prescribing in paediatrics, including how to avoid medication errors and adverse drug reactions in children. Highlights include the differences in prescribing habits between countries and the shared principles that underpin rational prescribing in paediatrics and neonatology. The book is divided into two sections: Section A provides concise educational material relating to paediatric pharmacology and optimising how medicines are developed and prescribed for children. Section B considers key clinical prescribing areas and can be used as a quick reference guide. Each chapter is focused on the key issues in prescribing for a respective clinical specialty or context. Prescribing Medicines for Children is essential reading for all those who are involved in prescribing medicines to neonates and children. This includes undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacists, nurses, paediatricians and primary care physicians, academic scientists, and those working in the pharmaceutical industry and drug regulation.

An indispensable guide to children’s medications that belongs on the bookshelf of every parent, grandparent, and teacher. Most parents have worried about the side effects and possible long-term consequences of administering a particular medication to their child. The medication may be available over-the-counter, like cough syrup, or it may be prescribed by a doctor, like an antibiotic. Parents want to know: Is the medication safe? Is it effective? Will it help my child? A pediatric pharmacist for nearly thirty years, Edward A. Bell has spent his career listening carefully to parents' concerns. In Children's Medicines, Bell draws on the latest scientific information, coupled with his experience in hospital and clinic settings, as a university professor, and as a parent, to answer questions about whether, when, and what medications to give to infants, children, and teenagers. Bell touches on practical issues of medication administration and explores areas of particular concern for parents. Inside the book, readers will find • information to help parents weigh the benefits and risks of medicines • an explanation of why some adult medications are not safe for children • descriptions of medicine for treating fever and common illnesses • practical tips on measuring, flavoring, and administering medicines • directions for giving medicine in the mouth, the nose, the ear, and the eye • advice for keeping children of any age safe around medications • facts about vaccinations: how they work, which ones are recommended, and their safety • a guide to the FDA's approval process for use of medicines by children • information about drug pricing, expiration dates, and storing medicine at home • a chapter on ADHD and the treatment of adolescent depression that takes into account the long-term side effects of antidepressants • details about the use of herbal and complementary therapies, including probiotics and vitamins • a discussion of over-the-counter cough/cold products • information on which websites to use for accurate medical and drug information Full of information helpful to parents, grandparents, and others who provide care for children, Children's Medicines is a reliable and insightful guide to how drugs for children of all ages are prescribed and used.

This special guide profiles hundreds of the most commonly-prescribed brand name and generic medications for children, as well as commonly recommended over-the-counter preparations. Each profile includes common uses, side effects and interactions, and warnings for each drug.