Pharmacy Times 2008 OTC Products - (Page 14) Choosing Wisely: Making the Right OTC Selections for Children Yvette C. Terrie, BSPharm, RPh Ms. Terrie is a clinical pharmacy writer based in Haymarket, Virginia. provider prior to using OTC products, especially in children under 2 years of age.1 Before recommending any products, pharmacists should assess the patient’s physical and medication history— as well as any allergies—to screen for possible contraindications. T ith the array of OTC products available, the selection of an appropriate product may be overwhelming and confusing for many patients and caregivers. This REC O IST is M especially true when choosing medications for M AC children, because of differences in physiology and pharmacokinetics, lack of clinical data, insufficient SINCE 1997 drug labeling, and problems related to drug dosing 8 w Ac h ie vem e n t A administration.1 and Pharmacists should encourage parents and caregivers to seek advice from their primary health care N EN W D ED • ar Special Formulations for Children Pharmacists should stress the importance of using products formulated especially for children and provide information about the OTC medications that are available in various therapeutic categories and formulated in different flavors and in several dosage forms, such as chewable tablets, liquids and suspensions, disintegrating and dissolvable tablets, and thin strips. Children vary continued on page 16 • PH AR M 20 M M AC IS T REC O d PH AR PH AR d 8 Ac w h ie vem e n t A 8 w Ac Antacids/Heartburn h ie vem e n t A d ar Product M AC % Pharm Recs ar PH AR M PH AR d ar Number of pharmacist recommendations per month: 1,053,360 ar d 0 M M AC IS T REC O M M OTCs Pharmacists Recommend EN EN D ED D ED 20 20 20 Blood Pressure Monitors % Pharm Recs Product % of Pharmacist Recommendations 0 0 REC O M Prilosec IST 38.6 M M M AC Pepcid Complete 17.1 Zantac 75 12.1 8 Tums 6.4 w w 8 Ac Ac h ie vem e n t A A h ie vem Maximum Strength e n t Pepcid AC 5.7 0 Product IS T REC O Gaviscon Mylanta Maalox Original Strenth Pepcid AC Pepto Bismol Other 5.0 4.3 3.6 3.6 1.4 2.2 Omron LifeSource (A&D Medical) Homedics Samsung Other 66.2 7.9 7.3 0.7 17.9 Product Tears Naturale Refresh GenTeal Systane Bausch & Lomb AKWA Tears Number of pharmacist recommendations per month: 612,360 OTC Supplement 2008 EN EN D ED D ED 20 0 Number of pharmacist recommendations per month: 320,040 Artificial Tears % Pharm Recs Product % Pharm Recs Product Blood Sampling Devices % Pharm Recs Product % Pharm Recs 26.1 25.2 11.7 10.8 5.4 2.7 Hypotears Similasan Dry Eye Relief Visine Optive Other 2.7 2.7 2.7 1.8 8.2 One Touch Accu-Chek Softclix FreeStyle 27.0 20.0 18.0 13.0 BD Ultra-Fine Ascensia Prestige Other 10.0 4.0 1.0 7.0 Number of pharmacist recommendations per month: 524,160 14 Pharmacy Times
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