LOS ANGELES - As part of the ongoing development of her revolutionary, multi-media platform to help patients understand the connections between pharmaceutical science and overall wellness, Dr. Mona Vand – The Modern Pharmacist (www.drmonavand.com) is rolling out a series of short, informative videos on “The Facts You Need To Know” about key topics that can impact or even potentially save people’s lives. 

On her latest “Mona Minutes” video presentation (www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNDHw2ivs3w), Dr. Vand discusses the drastic differences between children’s and adult doses of common medications, and how using lower doses of certain adult medications can be life threatening to a child.

“Sometimes, patients call me and say their child needs Benadryl but they don’t have the children’s dose on hand,” Dr. Vand says. “They ask if they can cut their adult tablet in half. With certain medications like Benadryl, this is okay because this is the only difference between adult and children’s dosing. But this is a bad habit to get into and can be really dangerous with other medications.”

“Take the adult version of Pepto Bismol vs. the children’s version,” she continues. “If someone tries to give the child a lower dose of the adult Pepto, this could be potentially life threatening. The adult dose has an aspirin-containing ingredient, and giving a child aspirin can lead to Reye’s Syndome, which can be life-threatening. Children’s Pepto is actually calcium carbonate, the same active ingredient in Tums. So you should pay more attention to the active ingredients versus the brand name.”

Dr. Vand’s key points are:

• Dosing requirements differ for adults and pediatrics.
• You should never assume a medication for an adult will also be safe for children
• Children should never take Pepto-Bismol
• Not all versions of “Adult” and “Children’s” brands are the same ingredients
• It is most important to look at active ingredients, not brand name.

About: Dr. Mona Vand – The Modern Pharmacist is putting a fresh face on the traditional world of pharmacy. Her Modern Pharmacist Movement combines her years of experience in pharmacy with her passion and expertise in nutrition, beauty, fitness and overall wellness. www.drmonavand.com