Warning: You May be Giving Your Child The Wrong Dose of Tamiflu

Flu season has arrived and this year parents are concerned about seasonal flu as well as the H1N1 flu virus. Children can be especially vulnerable to the effects of flu viruses because of their immature immune systems. Kids under the age of five years have a higher rate of hospitalization for flu complications compared to older children and adults. Sadly, every year a significant number of children die from influenza related complications. For this reason, children are often given the antiviral drug Tamiflu to reduce the risk of flu-related complication. If a child receives this medication in the first 48 hours after flu is diagnosed, the course of the illness can be shortened and the risk of flu related complications reduced. Unfortunately, a new problem relating to the use of Tamiflu in children has come to light.

The Dosing Problem

When doctors prescribe Tamiflu for children they often write the prescription in teaspoons or milliliters since it comes as an oral suspension. This creates confusion since the dosing dispenser that comes with the prescription is marked in milligrams rather than milliliters. To give the proper dose of Tamiflu requires a parent to convert teaspoons or milliliters to milligrams. This creates an additional inconvenience for parents and increases the risk of children being given an improper dose of the medication. The FDA has issued a public health alert to educate parents about this problem.

How Can You Avoid This Problem?

If your child’s doctor prescribes Tamiflu for your child, make sure the Tamiflu dosage is written in milligrams rather than milliliters or teaspoons so that the dosing dispenser that comes with the medication can be used. When giving Tamiflu to children, the dosing dispenser allows for more accurate dosing and reduces the risk of dose related side effects. If you find out after you fill the prescription that your child’s Tamiflu prescription was written in teaspoons or milliliters, call your pharmacist and ask them to convert the units to milligrams so it can be accurately dosed. An alternative is to have them give you a measuring device that’s calibrated in milliliters to use when giving Tamiflu to children. Never use a teaspoon since the risk of over or under dosing is too great.

The Bottom Line?

When using Tamiflu in children, accurate dosing is important both to increase the effectiveness of the medication as well as to reduce the potential for side effects. Some experts even believe that children shouldn’t be given Tamiflu because of the potential for side effects. One common side effect seen with use of Tamiflu in children is vomiting which can sometimes be severe enough to lead to dehydration. Before getting that Tamiflu prescription filled for your child, talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks and make sure it’s written in milligrams rather than milliliters or teaspoons.