Off-label drug use describes the process through which pharmaceutical drugs are applied majorly for unapproved age, dosage, or administration route. Over the counter drugs as well as prescription medicine can be applied in off-label manners, though numerous studies were done on off-label use majorly emphasizes on the prescription drugs. Additionally, the application of off label drug is considered as an essential portion of modern medicine. Most patients, including children, benefit a lot when they are provided with medicine or devices under unspecified conditions.
Circumstances
Most of the drugs that are recommended for the children are applied off-label as a result of the fact that medications are less tested in their age group but may be appropriate in numerous circumstances . One of the major circumstances is when children are suffering from allergic reactions (Corny et al. 2015). Allergic reactions have no permanent drugs that can be used for their cure. Therefore under such conditions, children can be allowed to use such drugs. Another important circumstance is when a child’s condition is life-threatening ( Arcangelo et al . 2017). In this condition, a child can be easily provided with off-label drugs to help reduce the condition which he or she suffers before seeking for further medication.
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Strategies
Various techniques can be applied to make the off-label use as well as the dosage of medicines safer for kids from early stages to adolescence. One of the major strategies is the proper evaluation of the drug substance type. This majorly consists of doing proper research about the drug ( Panther et al . 2017). Another strategy is the consideration of the appropriate age for drug use. Lastly, the appropriate dosage is also considered as an effective strategy to make the drugs safer for the kids as well as proper attention for kids after administration of the drugs.
Off-label drug names and descriptions
An example of the drugs is Cyclizine, this is an off-label medicine sold in various names and particularly used to treat nausea in children of 6years old and above ( Arcangelo et al . 2017). Another drug is Quetiapine, which is majorly applied to assist children of 4years and above in treating bipolar conditions.
References
Arcangelo, V. P., Peterson, A. M., Wilbur, V., & Reinhold, J. A. (Eds.). (2017). Pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice: A practical approach (4th Ed.). Ambler, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Corny, J., Lebel, D., Bailey, B., & Bussieres, J. (2015). Unlicensed and off-label drug use in children before and after pediatric governmental initiatives. The Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics , 20(4), 316–328. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4557722/
Panther, S. G., Knotts, A. M., Odom-Maryon, T., Daratha, K., Woo, T., & Klein, T. A. (2017). Off-label prescribing trends for ADHD medications in very young children. The Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 22(6), 423-429. DOI: 10.5863/1551-6776-22.6.423
