Essay Example on Drug Use & Off-Label Prescriptions in Children: Risking Health?

Introduction

Information on drug use among the children is scarce as compared to the information that has been provided on the use of drugs among adults. This makes the off-label or unlicensed source of drug prescription among the children and hence risking the health of the children (De et al., 2018). Off-label is us o therapeutic drugs in a manner that has not been approved or in an aged channel of administration or dosage that is not approved. Although off label can be found among the children, its also very common among the adults and it is done when the benefits outweigh the risks (Yackey et al., 2019).

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The use of off label prescription among the children may depend on what the child is suffering from and whether the use of the drug will be beneficial to the child. A good example of drugs that are used off the label on the children includes Chlorphenamine (piriton) that is administered to induce sleep to the children instead of being used on allergic reaction (Hagemann et al., 2019). Another drug that is used in an off-label manner is paracetamol that is at times used for fever rather than pain.

Strategies to make the Off-label use and Dosage of Drugs safer for Children from Infancy to Adolescence

Administration of drugs is a very critical process and should be done through suitable contribution and electronic support, considering the local circumstances under which it is being administered. Scientific trials should be encouraged as a way of improving the safety of the drug administration, and furthermore, there is need to create a good pool of financial incentives for trials concerning the medications that are off-patent (Rushton et al., 2020). Pharmacists and physicians need to take care and report any adverse reactions professionally as required by the code of ethic, especially in off-label use, new drugs or medication error. There is a need to have a computerized way of administering drugs so that we may have an evidence-based calculation for the dosages for the pediatric (Lee et al., 2018). Some examples may include Morphine, Amoxicillin and Atenolol.

References

De Zen, L., Marchetti, F., Barbi, E., & Benini, F. (2018). Off-label drugs use in pediatric palliative care-Italian Journal of Pediatrics, 44(1), 144.

Yackey, K., Stukus, K., Cohen, D., Kline, D., Zhao, S., & Stanley, R. (2019). Off-label medication prescribing patterns in paediatrics: an update. Hospital paediatrics, 9(3), 186-193.

Hagemann, V., Bausewein, C., & Remi, C. (2019). Off-label-prescriptions in daily clinical practice-a cross-sectional national survey of palliative medicine physicians. Progress in Palliative Care, 27(4), 154-159.Lee, J. H., Byon, H. J., Choi, S., Jang, Y. E., Kim, E. H., Kim, J. T., & Kim, H. S. (2018). Safety and Efficacy of Off-label and Unlicensed Medicines in Children. Journal of Korean medical science, 33(37).

Tatterton, M. J. (2018). Anticipatory prescribing and advance care planning in palliative care for children and young people. Nurse Prescribing, 16(5), 228-233.

Rushton, E., & Greenfield, C. (2020). 151 Every breath you take tracheostomy ventilation in children's palliative care.