2024-08-01 14:17:19
Pharmacist Sigita Korbutaitė of “Gintarinės vaistinės” explains that usually the age limits indicated on the packages of medicines or food supplements are based on clinical studies.
During research, individual age groups – children from 3 years old, teenagers from 12 years old, adults from 18 years old, elderly people from 65 years old – are given preparations or only active substances and the effect is monitored.
“Since the metabolism of substances changes during human development and growth, it is necessary to conduct research for separate age groups. Usually, manufacturers, without having conducted research or justification for safety and being careful and responsible, classify drugs and food supplements according to age based on previously conducted studies, recommendations and requirements of the Food and Veterinary Service, which notifies food supplements, and the State Drug Control Service, which registers drugs. , – says S. Korbutaitė.
Year to year is not the same
A common situation is when a minor family member falls ill, and there are only medicines intended for adults at home, parents break them, otherwise reduce the doses and still give them to the child. The pharmacist says that adult medicines cannot be given to children not only because the dose is too high, but also because the substances contained in them may not be suitable for the child’s body at all.
“Adult medications are designed to be properly processed by the adult body. Because children’s bodies are different than adults, they may experience different or more severe side effects than an adult taking the same drug, even if a child is given a lower dose. In addition, the groove on the outside of the tablet is not always intended to split the dose in half, but only to divide it for easier consumption of the drug,” she says.
The interviewer points out that often medicines intended for adults contain several active substances, and far from all the active substances of the medicines are considered safe for children.
It is true that when it comes to the age of the child, it is important whether he is still a baby or is already approaching the limit of an adult.
“For example, if it is indicated that the medicine is intended for use by adults, and a teenager is already 17 years old, it will be safe for him to use such a preparation. But if we are talking about a one-and-a-half-year-old child, and the preparation is intended for use by children from 2 years of age, I would not recommend such a preparation, because the younger the child, the more sensitive his body may be.
So before giving your child any medicine, read its information leaflet. If it does not indicate a specific dose suitable for your child’s age or weight, do not give such a medicine or consult a pharmacist, you can call our network’s health line 24 hours a day, where free consultations on health issues are provided 24 hours a day”, advises S. Korbutaitė.
Meanwhile, vitamins are not drugs, so their regulation is not so strict. However, according to the pharmacist, the daily doses of vitamins that are not appropriate for the child’s age may be too high and this may lead to overdose: rashes, digestive system disorders, nausea, vomiting may occur.
Risk of overdose
One of the most important risks posed by the use of drugs, vitamins or food supplements regardless of the specified age limit is the aforementioned overdose, which can even cause poisoning in children or the elderly. S. Korbutaitė states that this can happen both because of an excessive dose and because of difficulties in “digesting” the preparation – in other words, the body cannot properly break it down, absorb and eliminate it.
“The risk, it’s true, is not so threatening, as is the dose that is too small. Sometimes it happens that adults take vitamins intended for children, so you probably won’t notice any benefit. Patients who find it difficult to swallow adult forms of drugs or supplements choose children’s vitamins: gummies, chewable tablets or syrup. In such a case, you should always consult a pharmacist or family doctor about their dosage, as you may need to use double or triple the amount to achieve the desired effect,” she assures.
Sometimes there is an inscription in the information sheet of the medicine that the preparation cannot or is not recommended for people over 65 years of age. The pharmacist says that not all substances are recommended for use in the elderly due to changes in the liver and kidneys during aging, a higher likelihood of adverse side effects, and a lack of necessary dosage changes or research.
Vaccines, drugs for hormone replacement therapy, drugs affecting the nervous system, and some antibiotics usually have not only a lower but also an upper age limit.
2024-08-01 14:17:19