Doctor gives my 1 year old ADULT ONLY Medicine

[Mordeth]

I found some old medicine in the fridge and googled it to see what it is. Found out it's this: http://www.settlepharmacy.co.nz/shop/Pa ... G+10S.html

And that website along with others all say do not give to people under the age of 14. So that means post-puberty only. That means FULL adults only. My son has been giving this drug MULTIPLE times by DIFFERENT doctors (I found more than one package of it in the fridge prescribed by different doctors).

WTF?!?

His first time getting it was when he was ONE YEAR OLD.

One of the things I read about this drug is that if a vulture eats part of an animal that has taken that drug....the vulture's liver shuts down and it dies a short time later.

Adults only, used for chronic CANCER pain, causes liver damage, and they're commonly prescribing it in Taiwan for babies with fevers and bruises.

[milkalex]

Voltaren? Come on.. that's as common as paracetamol and why would you give a baby pain killers anyway?

[StuartCa]

what quantities is your son being given? The tablets you quote are 12.5mg and it recommends 1 or 2 every 4-6 hours.

Many drugs are given in smaller quantities for infants.

I'm not dismissing your concerns but if you're really worried go back to the doctor and ask or if you now don't trust him go to a hospital. Anything to give you peace of mind.

[finley]

Doctors here are frighteningly blasé about handing out pills. I think it's partly that patients expect a big bag of pills, or they're not happy, so doctors feel pressured to prescribe something. In any case, your first line of defence is to check ANYTHING your doctor gives you. It's just common sense, here or elsewhere. If you have any doubts, and the drug is for something non-critical (bruises or whatever), just throw it away; or at least (as StuartCa says) question the doctor about why he's giving it to you and make sure you get a logical answer (not always a given!).

Diclofenac is quite unusual in the UK (Ibuprofen is the NSAID of choice). I just went and read about it and was surprised by the vulture issue. It's an interesting example of the way misapplication of "safe" technology can have completely unexpected side-effects, multiplied through a chain of interdependent systems.

[Isha]

I usually checkout extensively every medicine and related dose on internet before giving it to my son. Original drug profile from the company usually have complete information about the dosage for every age. I found doctors here, although nice, many a times have no clear idea about how to treat effectively. For example, they think that pushing small clots in the body (during IV blockage) is acceptable while I don't think so. So, I do not allow them to do so with my son. Same is with medicines.

[Indiana]

Doctors here are frighteningly blasé about handing out pills. I think it's partly that patients expect a big bag of pills, or they're not happy, so doctors feel pressured to prescribe something.

There is also the fact that doctors get major kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies for prescribing their meds....money, holidays, etc. You can't trust doctors not to prescribe based on their own potential gains.

To the OP, it's good that you research what is being given before you administer it to your child. Taiwanese will typically just take what is given to them without question.

[superking]

Lots of things going on here.

1) Doctors are called, 'quacks,' for very good reason. Science is all about making stuff up.
2) The internet can be a dangerous tool to drive your concerns.
3) Your child is not a vulture and does not eat raw meat at the roadside.
4) Again, as always, this is not a function of Taiwanese doctors being more inept than any other doctors. Doctors are human and fallible. In this case it might just be an interaction between your loving concerns for your son and a bit of ill advised internet snooping. Seeking compaction for your conviction from the flobbers is probably guaranteed but unwise.
5) WHY did you decide to google up some old medicine? Did you have a thought, and then go try to confirm that thought? BINGO! Confirmation bias. You find what you want to find. Even when it isn't pretty.

I don't know you or your son but I doubt very much anything you have allowed other people to guide you to put into your son has had any deleterious effect on his health. The boy is fine. You are not to blame. The doctor is just someone you might want to re-consider asking for advice next time your child is poorly.

Get some calpol.