High-yield paediatric drugs and drug groups: exam indications, weight-based doses with maximums, monitoring, side effects and one pearl each.
Use: fever for comfort, mild–moderate pain, migraine first line, dengue (the safe antipyretic). Antipyretics do NOT prevent febrile seizures.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Dose | 15 mg/kg PO/PR/IV every 4–6 h (max 1 g/dose) |
| Daily max | 60–75 mg/kg/day (max 4 g/day); lower in neonates |
| Toxic acute dose | ≥150 mg/kg |
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Dose | 5–10 mg/kg PO every 6–8 h (max 400 mg/dose) |
| Daily max | 40 mg/kg/day (max 1.2 g/day OTC) |
| Age | Usually from 3–6 months |
Avoid / caution: dehydration or AKI (renal injury), dengue and bleeding disorders, varicella (linked to invasive GAS skin infection), active GI bleeding, NSAID-exacerbated asthma.
Other uses: migraine first line (with paracetamol); preterm PDA closure (ibuprofen lysine IV 10 mg/kg then 5 mg/kg at 24 and 48 h).
| Drug | Dose / point |
|---|---|
| Morphine IV | 0.05–0.1 mg/kg titrated every 2–4 h with monitoring |
| Morphine PO | 0.2–0.5 mg/kg every 4–6 h |
| Tet spell | Morphine 0.1–0.2 mg/kg IM/IV/SC (calms, reduces hyperpnoea) |
| Intranasal fentanyl | 1.5 mcg/kg – fast ED analgesia without IV |