Practical Prescribing for Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen (S5 Ep. 43)

Two of the most common over-the-counter medications in pediatrics are not as simple and benign as you might think.  This episode uncovers the dark past of acetaminophen, the pearls and pitfalls of prescribing them, and how to talk to families about giving the medications safely.

References:

Clark, E., Plint, A.C., Correll, R., Gaboury, I., & Passi, B. (2007). A randomized, controlled trial of acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and codeine for acute pain relief in children with musculoskeletal trauma. Pediatrics , 119 (3): 460–467. doi: 10.1542/peds.2006-1347

Jones, K., Engler, L., Fonte, E., et al. (2021). Opioid reduction through postoperative pain management in pediatric orthopedic surgery. Pediatrics, 148(6):e2020001487

Kleinman, K., McDaniel, L., & Molloy, M. (2021). The Harriet Lane handbook (the Johns Hopkins Hospital) (22nd ed.). Elsevier.

Miller, T.C. & Gerth, J. (2013). Dose of confusion. Propublica. https://www.propublica.org/article/tylenol-mcneil-fda-kids-dose-of-confusion

National Capital Poison Center. (2020). Poison statistics. https://www.poison.org/poison-statistics-national.

Sullivan, J.E., Farrar, H.C., & the Section on Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Committee on Drugs. (2011). Fever and antipyretic use in children. Pediatrics , 127(3): 580–587. doi: 10.1542/peds.2010-3852

Trippella, G., Ciarcià, M., de Martino, M., & Chiappini, E. (2019). Prescribing controversies: An updated review and meta-analysis on combined/alternating use of ibuprofen and paracetamol in febrile children. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 7:217. doi: 10.3389/fped.2019.00217.

Yin, H.S., Neuspiel, D.R., Paul, I.M., et al. (2021). Preventing home medication administration errors. Pediatrics,148(6): e2021054666