Medicine in children

Filed in archive Treatment on October 17, 2005

Some physicians are uncertain what the correct dose of medications are for children:

"It's difficult," says Grayson's pediatrician, Dr. Sandra Kim of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "And there are nights I lie awake and think of our kids and try to think of better ways we can limit the toxicity as much as possible."

Pediatricians say it can sometimes be challenging to determine dosages for children, because for most drugs there are no official guidelines to follow. They have to rely on their professional judgment and their colleagues' experiences.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it faces many obstacles in testing drugs on children.There are ethical concerns, children's bodies are complex, and often parents are reluctant to give their consent.