Pediatrics
Nosefrida
$17.99/ EA
Baby D Drops
Babies need vitamin D for healthy growth and development. Baby Ddrops is a convenient way to ensure your child receives the healthy benefits of vitamin D.
$27.50/ 365 DROPS
(400IU/drop)
Florajen For Kids
Bifidobacteria play an extraordinary and essential role in children’s digestive and immune health. That’s why Florajen’s founding bacteriologist has developed a new probiotic formula especially for children and infants.
Click here for more information on Probiotics for children
$24.00/ 30 CT
Click here for more information on Probiotics for children
$24.00/ 30 CT
How can compounding help your child?
- Liquefying medications that are only available orally
- Adding flavor that your child prefers to make dosing easier
- Combining multiple medications into one dose
- Providing alternative routes of administration
Often, when one thinks of compounding a drug for a child, one thinks of the changing or the adding of a flavor to a medicine in order to make it more palatable for the child. However, in addition to flavoring, pediatric drug compounding has many additional facets.
Frequently, a particular drug that has been prescribed for a young child is available only in tablet or capsule form. Such formats are often difficult for the child to swallow. The compounding pharmacist can readily change the format of the drug to a liquid or chewable form.
A child’s weight can also be a problem. Drug strengths frequently need to be scaled-down in order to provide the proper dose of the drug for the child. Breaking a tablet into some fractional size is not only often difficult, it can result in giving the child a dose of medicine that could be either too high or too low. Fractionating the dose of a drug contained in a capsule at home is fraught with danger.
The compounding pharmacist can easily prepare the exact dose of a drug for a child.
New drug delivery systems are being developed for children. For example, antiemetics for the management of motion sickness can be compounded in the form of a transdermal gel that is dispensed in a graduated syringe and applied to the child’s wrist thus providing easy administration with the elimination of undesirable side-effects.
Murray Avenue Apothecary can provide a variety of prescription compounded drugs for infants and children.
Frequently, a particular drug that has been prescribed for a young child is available only in tablet or capsule form. Such formats are often difficult for the child to swallow. The compounding pharmacist can readily change the format of the drug to a liquid or chewable form.
A child’s weight can also be a problem. Drug strengths frequently need to be scaled-down in order to provide the proper dose of the drug for the child. Breaking a tablet into some fractional size is not only often difficult, it can result in giving the child a dose of medicine that could be either too high or too low. Fractionating the dose of a drug contained in a capsule at home is fraught with danger.
The compounding pharmacist can easily prepare the exact dose of a drug for a child.
New drug delivery systems are being developed for children. For example, antiemetics for the management of motion sickness can be compounded in the form of a transdermal gel that is dispensed in a graduated syringe and applied to the child’s wrist thus providing easy administration with the elimination of undesirable side-effects.
Murray Avenue Apothecary can provide a variety of prescription compounded drugs for infants and children.
Babies and Friendly Bacteria
The Facts:
- How your child was born- vaginally or by caesarian section – strongly influences the type of bacteria your infant will carry
- Babies pick up friendly bacteria from their mothers during their passage through a clean and healthy birth canal.
- Pregnant women, as well as nursing mothers and infants, also need probiotic supplements.
- Current research shows that a bacterial or yeast infection in the vaginal tract can have extremely serious affects on an unborn child, including triggering a premature birth.
- Bacterial vaginosis has been linked to a wide variety of upper genital tract infections, including clinical chorioamnionitis, pre-term delivery, and postpartum and post surgical infections.
- Considerable information links vaginosis with pre-term premature rupture of the membranes, as well as with pre-term labor and birth.
- High concentrations of vaginal microorganisms have been associated with an increased rate of pre-term delivery…high levels of facultative lactobacilli were associated with a decreased rate of pre-term delivery.
- A vaginal infection is often a causative factor in premature and low birth weight infants.
- Vaginal infections in pregnant women present a risk to the fetus
- Bifidobacteria infantis is a natural inhabitant of the gastrointestinal tract of human infants. It also occurs in small numbers in the female vagina, along with L. acidophilus.
- The major beneficial functions of the “baby bacteria” are similar to those of bifidobacteria in adults.
- The common strains of baby bifidobacteria prevent the colonization of invading pathogens in your infant’s intestine because they are fierce competitors for nutrients and attachment sites along the intestinal wall.
- These friendly bacteria also assist in nitrogen retention, assuring normal weight gain in infants.
- Babies are faced with a steady loss of beneficial bacteria, accompanied, inevitably, by an increase in the levels of dangerous disease-causing microorganisms in their bowels.
- When underweight infants are given supplements of B. infantis, there is an increase in nitrogen retention, which helps the child achieve normal weight gain.
- Bifidobacteria deliver B-complex vitamins, as well.
- Baby bacteria are declining, while dangerous drug-resistant bacteria are increasing.
- All babies whether breast-fed or bottle-fed need the protection of friendly bacteria.
- Whether you child is born vaginally or by caesarian sections, he or she will arrive clean, healthy, and free of bacterial contamination as long as you are.
References:
- Silva M, Jacobus NV, Deneke C, Gorbach SL. Antimicrobial substance from a human Lactobacillus strain. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1987;31:1231–3.
- Saavedra JM. Microbes to fight microbes: a not so novel approach to controlling diarrheal disease. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 1995;21:125–9 (editorial).
New Study Links Acetaminophen to Asthma and Allergic Conditions
Acetaminophen Use in Adolescents May Double Risk for Asthma (August 17, 2010)
Main points:
Acetaminophen use in adolescents is linked to development and/or maintenance of asthma, rhino-conjunctivitis, and eczema, according to the results of a global study reported online August 13 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
"This study has identified that the reported use of acetaminophen in 13- and 14-year-old adolescent children was associated with an exposure-dependent increased risk of asthma symptoms," said first author Richard W. Beasley, MD, professor of medicine at the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand in Wellington, in a news release, on behalf of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC).
At 113 centers throughout 50 countries, 322,959 adolescent children (aged 13 - 14 years) enrolled in ISAAC Phase Three completed written and video questionnaires regarding current symptoms of asthma, rhino-conjunctivitis, and eczema. They also completed a written environmental questionnaire regarding potential risk factors such as acetaminophen exposure in the preceding 12 months. Logistic regression allowed calculation of the odds ratio (OR) of current asthma symptoms associated with acetaminophen use, which was the main study endpoint.
Recent use of acetaminophen was associated with an exposure-dependent greater risk for current asthma symptoms, based on multivariate analyses. For medium use (at least once in the last year) vs no use, the OR was 1.43 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33 - 1.53). For high use (at least once in the last month) vs no use, the OR was 2.51 (95% CI, 2.33 - 2.70).
"The overall population attributable risks for current symptoms of severe asthma were around 40 percent, suggesting that if the associations were causal, they would be of major public health significance," Dr. Beasley said. "Randomized controlled trials are now urgently required to investigate this relationship further and to guide the use of antipyretics, not only in children but in pregnancy and adult life."
In multivariate analysis, there was also an acetaminophen exposure dependent increased risk for current symptoms of rhino-conjunctivitis (OR, 1.38 [95% CI, 1.29 - 1.47] and OR, 2.39 [95% CI, 2.24 - 2.55] for medium and high use, respectively) and eczema (OR, 1.31 [95% CI, 1.21 - 1.42] and OR, 1.99 [95% CI, 1.82 - 2.16] for medium and high use, respectively).
"Acetaminophen use may represent an important risk factor for the development and/or maintenance of asthma, rhino-conjunctivitis and eczema in adolescent children," the study authors write.
An accompanying "at a glance commentary" notes that potential mechanisms for these effects of acetaminophen include oxidant-induced airways inflammation and enhanced Th2 responses.
Limitations of this study include cross-sectional design, precluding determination of causality; and potential confounding factors.
Birth-Cohort Study Also Conducted
Also in the same issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine is a small, longitudinal study of the risk for asthma and allergies associated with acetaminophen use in a population in Ethiopia. This birth-cohort study by Alemayehu Amberbir and colleagues from Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, showed a temporal relationship between acetaminophen use and development of asthma and allergy symptoms, supporting a causal role for acetaminophen.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med. Published online August 13, 2010.
References:
Barclay L. Acetaminophen Use in Adolescents May Double Risk for Asthma. Medscape CME. 17 Aug 2010.
Main points:
- Recent acetaminophen use is linked with an exposure-dependent increased risk for asthma symptoms in adolescents.
- Recent acetaminophen use is linked with an exposure-dependent increased risk for rhino-conjunctivitis and eczema symptoms in adolescents.
Acetaminophen use in adolescents is linked to development and/or maintenance of asthma, rhino-conjunctivitis, and eczema, according to the results of a global study reported online August 13 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
"This study has identified that the reported use of acetaminophen in 13- and 14-year-old adolescent children was associated with an exposure-dependent increased risk of asthma symptoms," said first author Richard W. Beasley, MD, professor of medicine at the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand in Wellington, in a news release, on behalf of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC).
At 113 centers throughout 50 countries, 322,959 adolescent children (aged 13 - 14 years) enrolled in ISAAC Phase Three completed written and video questionnaires regarding current symptoms of asthma, rhino-conjunctivitis, and eczema. They also completed a written environmental questionnaire regarding potential risk factors such as acetaminophen exposure in the preceding 12 months. Logistic regression allowed calculation of the odds ratio (OR) of current asthma symptoms associated with acetaminophen use, which was the main study endpoint.
Recent use of acetaminophen was associated with an exposure-dependent greater risk for current asthma symptoms, based on multivariate analyses. For medium use (at least once in the last year) vs no use, the OR was 1.43 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33 - 1.53). For high use (at least once in the last month) vs no use, the OR was 2.51 (95% CI, 2.33 - 2.70).
"The overall population attributable risks for current symptoms of severe asthma were around 40 percent, suggesting that if the associations were causal, they would be of major public health significance," Dr. Beasley said. "Randomized controlled trials are now urgently required to investigate this relationship further and to guide the use of antipyretics, not only in children but in pregnancy and adult life."
In multivariate analysis, there was also an acetaminophen exposure dependent increased risk for current symptoms of rhino-conjunctivitis (OR, 1.38 [95% CI, 1.29 - 1.47] and OR, 2.39 [95% CI, 2.24 - 2.55] for medium and high use, respectively) and eczema (OR, 1.31 [95% CI, 1.21 - 1.42] and OR, 1.99 [95% CI, 1.82 - 2.16] for medium and high use, respectively).
"Acetaminophen use may represent an important risk factor for the development and/or maintenance of asthma, rhino-conjunctivitis and eczema in adolescent children," the study authors write.
An accompanying "at a glance commentary" notes that potential mechanisms for these effects of acetaminophen include oxidant-induced airways inflammation and enhanced Th2 responses.
Limitations of this study include cross-sectional design, precluding determination of causality; and potential confounding factors.
Birth-Cohort Study Also Conducted
Also in the same issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine is a small, longitudinal study of the risk for asthma and allergies associated with acetaminophen use in a population in Ethiopia. This birth-cohort study by Alemayehu Amberbir and colleagues from Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, showed a temporal relationship between acetaminophen use and development of asthma and allergy symptoms, supporting a causal role for acetaminophen.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med. Published online August 13, 2010.
References:
Barclay L. Acetaminophen Use in Adolescents May Double Risk for Asthma. Medscape CME. 17 Aug 2010.
New treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
A recent report in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience (26[3]:221-28, 2001) reported that a combination of North American ginseng extract Panax quinquefolium and Ginkgo biloba improved symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 50% of the children studied.
The children, average age 10 years, showed significant improvement in their hyperactivity, cognitive problem solving and oppositional behavior after 4 weeks of treatment.
Five of the 36 children in the study reported adverse effects, including headache, fatigue and increased hyperactivity and aggression.
This information may be shared with your child's health-care provider.
The children, average age 10 years, showed significant improvement in their hyperactivity, cognitive problem solving and oppositional behavior after 4 weeks of treatment.
Five of the 36 children in the study reported adverse effects, including headache, fatigue and increased hyperactivity and aggression.
This information may be shared with your child's health-care provider.
The ketogenic diet is used by pediatric neurologists to treat children with difficult-to-control seizures. Often children are on the diet for periods of up to several years.
The diet is high in fat and contains adequate protein. The key to the effectiveness of the diet is that it is very low in carbohydrates. In the absence of sufficient carbohydrates, the fats in the ketogenic diet are incompletely metabolized. This incomplete metabolism(ketosis) results in the formation of ketone bodies. It is believed that the ketosis produces the anticonvulsant effects of the diet by mechanisms that remain unclear.
Carbohydrates, which include glucose, fructose, starches and those compounds whose name ends in -ol (sorbitol, mannitol) or -ose (maltose, zylose) are converted completely or partially to glucose in the body. Such production of glucose by the body negates the ketosis and may lead to seizures.
Many pediatric medications contain carbohydrates. A partial list includes:
* Antibiotics
* Cough and cold preparations
* Fever reducers
* Vitamins
as well as many prescription liquid medications.
Often parents and pediatricians do not realize that sunscreen lotions and other types of skin lotions and shampoos frequently contain sorbitol, which may be absorbed through the skin and thus reverse the ketotic process.
Parents of children on ketogenic diets should carefully review the ingredients of any over-the-counter or any other product that they may wish to give to their child prior to its administration.
The Compounding Center of Murray Avenue Apothecary can formulate a variety of medications and lotions that are sugar-free (carbohydrate-free) that can be administered to children on ketogenic diets.
This information may be shared with your health care professional.
The diet is high in fat and contains adequate protein. The key to the effectiveness of the diet is that it is very low in carbohydrates. In the absence of sufficient carbohydrates, the fats in the ketogenic diet are incompletely metabolized. This incomplete metabolism(ketosis) results in the formation of ketone bodies. It is believed that the ketosis produces the anticonvulsant effects of the diet by mechanisms that remain unclear.
Carbohydrates, which include glucose, fructose, starches and those compounds whose name ends in -ol (sorbitol, mannitol) or -ose (maltose, zylose) are converted completely or partially to glucose in the body. Such production of glucose by the body negates the ketosis and may lead to seizures.
Many pediatric medications contain carbohydrates. A partial list includes:
* Antibiotics
* Cough and cold preparations
* Fever reducers
* Vitamins
as well as many prescription liquid medications.
Often parents and pediatricians do not realize that sunscreen lotions and other types of skin lotions and shampoos frequently contain sorbitol, which may be absorbed through the skin and thus reverse the ketotic process.
Parents of children on ketogenic diets should carefully review the ingredients of any over-the-counter or any other product that they may wish to give to their child prior to its administration.
The Compounding Center of Murray Avenue Apothecary can formulate a variety of medications and lotions that are sugar-free (carbohydrate-free) that can be administered to children on ketogenic diets.
This information may be shared with your health care professional.
At times, children’s warts are treated with a variety of over-the-counter and prescription medications only to achieve little, if any, results. When this situation occurs, the warts are termed “recalcitrant”, that is, they are resistant to the usual medication therapies.
In a paper*, presented at an infectious disease symposium, Dr. A. T. Lane, described two approaches for the treatment of such recalcitrant warts. Both approaches utilized squaric acid dibutylester (SADBE), a nonmutagenic sensitizing agent, in an acetone solution.
Squaric acid dibutylester is particularly useful in the management of patients with recalcitrant warts who do not tolerate painful procedures.
In the first approach, described by Dr. Lane, patients were treated in an office setting with 0.5% to 5.0% solutions of SADBE, depending on the patient’s degree of sensitivity to the SADBE.
After the SADBE solution was applied, the treated site was covered.
69% of patients treated in this fashion had complete clearance of all warts. The mean number of treatments was 5.7 and the mean duration of treatment was 4.2 weeks.
The second approach involved patients with recalcitrant warts who were treated at home utilizing a 0.2% SADBE acetone solution.
The solution was applied to the warts for 3 to 7 nights per week for at least 3 weeks.
58% of the patients treated with this approach achieved a complete clearance of their warts. Mean duration of treatment was 7 weeks.
*Lane AT. What’s new in pediatric dermatology 2002? Presented at The Fourth Annual Infectious Diseases in Children Symposium West. June, 2002.
In a paper*, presented at an infectious disease symposium, Dr. A. T. Lane, described two approaches for the treatment of such recalcitrant warts. Both approaches utilized squaric acid dibutylester (SADBE), a nonmutagenic sensitizing agent, in an acetone solution.
Squaric acid dibutylester is particularly useful in the management of patients with recalcitrant warts who do not tolerate painful procedures.
In the first approach, described by Dr. Lane, patients were treated in an office setting with 0.5% to 5.0% solutions of SADBE, depending on the patient’s degree of sensitivity to the SADBE.
After the SADBE solution was applied, the treated site was covered.
69% of patients treated in this fashion had complete clearance of all warts. The mean number of treatments was 5.7 and the mean duration of treatment was 4.2 weeks.
The second approach involved patients with recalcitrant warts who were treated at home utilizing a 0.2% SADBE acetone solution.
The solution was applied to the warts for 3 to 7 nights per week for at least 3 weeks.
58% of the patients treated with this approach achieved a complete clearance of their warts. Mean duration of treatment was 7 weeks.
*Lane AT. What’s new in pediatric dermatology 2002? Presented at The Fourth Annual Infectious Diseases in Children Symposium West. June, 2002.
Disclaimer: Any health related information is for educational purposes only. None of the information provided here is to be construed as medical advice. Before applying any therapy or use of herbs, you may want to seek advice from your health care professional. The information on our website should not be a substitute for physician evaluation or treatment by a health care professional and is not intended to provide or confirm a diagnosis.
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Legal Notice: The Author specifically invokes the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and of the press without prejudice. The information written is published for informational purposes only under the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution for the United States of America, and should not in any way be used as a substitute for the advice of a physician or other licensed health care practitioner. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the FDA. The products discussed herein are not intended to diagnose, cure, prevent or treat any disease. Images, text and logic are copyright protected. ALL rights are explicitly reserved without prejudice, and no part of this essay may be reproduced except by written consent.
©2010 by Susan Merenstein, Pharmacist and Owner of Murray Avenue Apothecary.
©2010 by Susan Merenstein, Pharmacist and Owner of Murray Avenue Apothecary.