Paediatrics

If you’re having trouble administering pills or tablets to your child – whether that’s because they’re an infant or because they’re having trouble with the taste or size of the pill – talk to your doctor about the option of having the medication prepared as a flavoured liquid suspension, powder or troche by a compounding pharmacist.

All we need is a script from your doctor and we’ll take care of the rest.

The medication we’ll provide is exactly the same as the one produced by the large pharmaceutical companies, just prepared as a liquid, powder or troche rather than a hard pill.

The medication is made in our state-of-art, fully licensed, and strictly regulated laboratory in south east Queensland, meaning safety and efficacy is guaranteed.

Flavours Your Kids will Love

We all know that some medicines taste simply awful. You can’t really blame kids for not wanting to swallow something that tastes that bad. A compounding chemist can help by making up your child’s medication in fun flavours like butterscotch, chocolate, raspberry, vanilla and bubblegum.

It’s not sugar, but it sure does make the medicine go down!

What are Liquid Suspensions?

A liquid suspension is simply a liquid – think old fashioned cough medicine – and is much easier to swallow than large pills.  Liquid suspensions can also be administered through an oral syringe, which may be the only practical option in the case of infants. 

What’s a Troche?

A troche is similar to a small lozenge that dissolves slowly when placed under the tongue. Most of the active ingredients in the medication are absorbed into the bloodstream through the mouth and cheek walls, while the remainder is absorbed into the body when it enters the stomach through saliva. Like liquid suspensions, many medications can be made up as troches. Troches are particularly suited to patients who have difficulty swallowing, or for patient’s who have highly sensitive digestive systems that can’t handle the irritation of strong medications that enter the gut.

Why Powder?

Powders can be accurately measured and added to your child’s favourite food or drink. Just be sure that you child consumes all the food or drink so you know they’ve have their full dose. Powders may not be suitable for all medications; you doctor will be able to provide advice on this.

Why You Should Never Crush Pills

In desperation parents sometimes resort to crushing pills with the back of a spoon and adding the resultant powder to the child’s favourite food. However there’s a good reason why this course of action is inadvisable.

study conducted by the University of Queensland found that up to 24% of a pill’s active pharmaceutical ingredients can be lost when it’s crushed. A certain amount remains on the back of the spoon, on the crushing surface and all parts in between. Crushing pills means you can never be sure that your child is getting a dose in sufficient strength to effectively treat their health condition.

And according to the government’s NPS MedicineWise agency, “The stability and bioavailability of drugs can be significantly changed by the simple act of crushing a tablet, preparing an oral liquid from a tablet or capsule, or mixing a crushed tablet or capsule powder with food or other thickening agents.”

“Manipulating solid dosage forms remains a significant source of medication error and harm to patients.”

What Kinds of Medication Can Be Compounded?

Almost all medications can be compounded with a script from your doctor. Some of the most common medications we compound for children include:

  • Omeprazole Suspensions
  • Melatonin Drops
  • Folic Acid
  • Antihistamines
  • Decongestants
  • Antibiotics
  • Pyrantel
  • Paracetamol.

 

Will it cost more?

In most cases the answer is no. We can arrange for you can pick up the prepared medicine from a pharmacy close to you, and we also deliver Australia wide.

For more information on safe and effective paediatric compounded medication Contact Us.