It was one of many bad days I had as an intern at a busy city hospital: One of my fellow interns had tattled to our supervisor that I had written a prescription for amoxicillin that was twice as strong as it should have been.
It was a rookie error - despite carefully calculating the correct dose based on the child's weight after consulting my trusty Harriet Lane Handbook, I had forgotten that amoxicillin came in different strengths. And as it turns out, the dose I had erroneously prescribed then would actually be the correct dose for treating an ear infection today.
Welcome to the world of pediatric drug dosing, a moving target of sometimes unknown or hard-to-find recommendations that can change frequently. Sometimes the lack of information puts doctors in the position of simply making an educated guess.
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There are many reasons why drugs are still not adequately tested in children. It is not hard to imagine the ethical issues involved with drug experiments, but, as others have noted, the absence of such studies keeps helpful treatments from sick children.
Boston GlobeIs it really a guessing game?