Dosage Seems high...who Do I follow...the Dr or the Pharm??

Updated on October 02, 2008
S.A. asks from Huntley, IL
11 answers

My son was prescribed 1 tsp of Amoxicillin twice a day for 10 days. He's four months old and 18 lbs 1 oz. He's a big boy but he is young and I was thinking that dosage seemed high. I asked the pharmacist and she said it was a tad high because for his weight she calculated 740 ml for him and so she told me to call the doc or just dose him just under 1 tsp. I don't know whether to just do what the pharmacist said or call the doc and verify. I don't want to be a pain to the doc and I don't want to not follow directions either.

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M.B.

answers from Chicago on

Hi,
My sister in law works as a Pharmacy Tech, the pharmacists know more about the medicines. I would definitely go by what they say over the doctor. Pharm. are trained in medicine, Dr. in illness/diagnosing. Good luck

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K.R.

answers from Chicago on

I would call the doctor to just make sure of what dosage you should give your son and don't feel that you are bothering the doctor because that is what they are there for. It is always better to be safe then sorry. I hope your son feels better soon.

K.

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J.M.

answers from Chicago on

The pharm knows the dosages better than the dr. It is the pharms responsibility to make sure that your child is getting the right dosage. Call the dr. if you want but I always listen to the pharm.

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E.P.

answers from Chicago on

Call the dr. to verify dose but....my experience has always been to trust the Pharmacist's expertise when it comes to medicinal information, especially when the Pharmacist is questioning it. I'm always picking their brains about side effects/best time to take meds, contraindications, foods to take/not to take w/ meds. Even sometimes, if my kids or I become ill or have something unusual happen, I will call the local pharmacy and ask if "they are seeing this illess/flu in our neighborhood", because, in proximity, they are closer than my Dr. " They are a wealth of information. Good luck.

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K.K.

answers from Chicago on

Call you Dr., but FYI...my guy was prescribed that too. For an ear infection that was there for a long time she decided to used the higher dose.

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C.S.

answers from Chicago on

I would call the doctor if you have any questions, they are legitimate concerns. Also you might be able e-mail on questions that don't need a reply right away.

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M.P.

answers from Chicago on

My son is older than yours but the same size and was just on Amoxicillin for an ear infection too, same dosage. I would be more likely to trust the pharmacist, that is their specialty. That being said, no medications are perfectly safe for babies because they can't really do research in dosing them. Who is going to volunteer their kid for a drug study? My friends husband is a pediatric anesthesiologist and told me to be very careful giving meds to a baby, nothing is really regulated and it is all a guessing game.

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A.Z.

answers from Chicago on

S.,
Call your doctor, but you may have misunderstood what the pharm said. 740ml is not a single dose. There are 5ml in a teaspoon so I am not sure how she was calculating. Is his amoxicillin 250/5(it should say on the prescription bottle-that has some to do with it too. I used to be a pharm tech and my sister is a pharm-I was going to ask her but I need to know what strength the amoxicillin is. Also, dr may round up a very slight amount b/c it is hard for parents to measure amounts that are not simply-example asking you to give your child 4.35ml of the medicine. You really wouldnt know the exact amt then b/c it is not marked anywhere on the medicine dispenser. Anyways, your dr. should not act as if you are bothering him-that is what you pay him for. You will just ask the nurse anyway and she will ask him....Good luck!

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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

Call the doctor - they won't think you're being a pain in the butt.

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S.W.

answers from Chicago on

Call your doctor. You are not a pain. He/she is there to answer any questions, especially for a prescription. That is what they are there for!

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M.S.

answers from Chicago on

S.,

If you are in doubt - CALL! My sister, who works in health care, always reminds me that this is the doc's and nurse's job so you should never feel awkward about calling them.

Best of luck!!!

M.

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