Question
Posted on: March 6 2013I get a preparation for a 5 year old child with diarrhea. Laudanum 1g sugar syrup 30g Aqua AD 200 ml 4 times 5 ml per day
I don't feel good with this prescription from a doctor who works for several years as a GP. What do you recommend? Telephone contact with the doctor is stiff because he always feels attacked even though our intention is to find a solution together.
Answer
A 5-year-old child may have 40 percent of an adult's dose. For Laudanum This means to MD 600mg and 2g. Five ml of the preparation contains 25 mg laudanum at a time or 100 mg per day. Even if there is still a hypersensitivity to opiumalkaloids in a child we are still well below the authorised MD. I see no reason to contact the doctor. I would rather think that the preparation is under-dosed. Or do you think so too? I think this child is allowed to take a soup spoon.