Off-label Prescription Drugs in Pediatrics

1 Off-label Prescription Drugs in Pediatrics Off-label prescribing refers to the legally acceptable process by which clinicians give individuals medications approved for another age group or condition. The FDA is responsible for approving medications. Physicians, on the other hand, are free to prescribe medications that best suit a client. Antipsychotic medications are the most common off-label prescriptions. Children are also commonly prescribed medications meant for adults. This exercise investigates the factors that lead to pediatric off-label prescribing and the strategies to improve this process.

Buy this excellently written paper or order a fresh one from acemyhomework.com

2 Factors that contribute to pediatric off-label prescribing Off-label prescribing is commonly practiced by physicians when dealing with critically ill children. Health professionals choose to use off-label prescriptions once they exhaust the approved interventions for certain conditions (Balan, Hassali & Mak, 2018). Children are likely to present with rare conditions that are common among adults (Gore et al., 2017). In such situations, clinicians have no other choice than to administer medications meant for adults. For instance, a child presenting with depressive symptoms may be given antidepressants. A lack of effective alternatives may also contribute to off-label prescribing.

Improving pediatric off-label prescribing Clinicians must take caution in off-label prescribing since these medications may produce serious side effects on children. They should give off-label prescriptions in lower doses to improve their safety. For instance, prescribers should give a lower dose of antipsychotic medications for neurological pain in children (Taketomo, Hodding & Kraus, 2015). Care providers should calculate dosages on a client to client basis to ensure safety is maintained.

Consultation with experts may also help identify safer off-label medications (Palmaro et al., 2015).

Conclusion Off-label prescribing is a common practice in pediatric care. Children are given medication approved by the FDA for other conditions and age groups. Clinicians must consider the safety of the child while administering off-label medications. Care providers are encouraged to prescribe lower doses of these medications to reduce the risk of adverse effects.

3 References Balan, S., Hassali, M. A. A., & Mak, V. S. (2018). Two decades of off-label prescribing in children: a literature review. World Journal of Pediatrics, 14(6), 528-540. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12519-018-0186-y Gore, R., K Chugh, P., D Tripathi, C., Lhamo, Y., & Gautam, S. (2017). Pediatric off-label and unlicensed drug use and its implications. Current clinical pharmacology, 12(1), 18-25. https://doi.org/10.2174/1574884712666170317161935 Palmaro, A., Bissuel, R., Renaud, N., Durrieu, G., Escourrou, B., Oustric, S., ... & LapeyreMestre, M. (2015). Off-label prescribing in pediatric outpatients. Pediatrics, 135(1), 4958. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-0764 Taketomo, C. K., Hodding, J. H., & Kraus, D. M. (2015). Pediatric and neonatal dosage handbook (p. 2062). Hudson (OH): Lexi Comp.