Children's Medicines: What Every Parent, Grandparent, and Teacher Needs to Know (Johns Hopkins Press Health)

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.