Tips on preparing oral antibiotic suspensions for kids

Children are sometimes prescribed antibiotics in powder form and parents asked to ‘just add water’. However, it’s not as simple as it sounds. — dpa

Children with a bacterial infection are sometimes prescribed an antibiotic in powder form, which parents have to reconstitute with water into an oral suspension.

And they often make mistakes.

Gabriele Röscheisen-Pfeifer, executive board member of the Lower Saxony Pharmacists’ Association in Germany, says there are three things mum and dad need to know about mixing and administering an oral antibiotic suspension for their child.

1. Shelf life

Unopened, the antibiotic powder has a use-by duration of two to three years.

However, the reconstituted medication must be stored in a refrigerator and used up within 10 to 14 days.

Once opened, the powder shouldn’t be kept for use in the event of another infection.

Rather, you should discard it, particularly considering that antibiotics should never be administered without consultation with a doctor.

2. Shake

The powder and water can separate somewhat when stored in the refrigerator.

So to ensure the medication’s effectiveness, you should always shake it before use, advises Röscheisen-Pfeifer.

3. Don’t dilute

“I’ve seen everything already,” the pharmacist says, which is why she sees the need to point this out: Don’t add water to the suspension after every use, as this will progressively dilute the active ingredient.

And never administer the powder alone. “Some parents have done this too.”

Conveniently, the powder is often premixed with water at a pharmacy.

But it may be a good idea for parents to wait and see how their child’s symptoms develop before deciding whether to administer the medication. In this case, they’re given the powder for reconstitution at home. – dpa