In your opinion, generally speaking, are prescription medicines safe for children?

[mhatrw]

A) Yes, generally speaking, prescription medicines are safe for children.

B) No, generally speaking, prescription medicines are not safe for children.

C) Many prescription medicines are safe for children, and many prescription medicines are not safe for children.

D) We don't really know if prescription medicines are safe or unsafe for children.

E) This sort of broad-based, monolithic poll only makes sense for vaccines. When it comes to prescription medicines, each medicine should be evaluated individually.

[Taverner]

1. C n/t

[LiberalFighter]

2. If I recall, prescriptions are only tested on adults.

[mucifer]

8. wow um no lots and lots and lots of research is going on with kids and meds.

That's why the majority survive cancer these days when years ago few did.

Check out www.curesearch.org you also might want to check out nih.gov lots and lots and lots of research for childhood diseases and meds.

There is soooo much misinformation regarding this stuff I'm baffled.

A little fyi, I'm a pediatric hospice nurse.

Another thing, most kids with cancer are on some form of research study. That is why the advances in cancer treatment have been increasing so rapidly with children.

Some newer medications are not always researched with children when they first come out. It often takes time for the dosing and studies to indicate whether meds can be administered to children and at what dosing.

[LiberalFighter]

10. I just recall within the last year or two that drug testing was done on adults.

The type of drug testing I don't recall whether it involved terminal illnesses or otherwise. Terminal illnesses would be different and likely require lots of waivers to avoid lawsuits.

Your last paragraph was the part that I mainly recalled. I would think once they figure that out they would proceed doing the same for children.

[Warpy]

3. NOTA

It would be E except for the bit about vaccines.

Some medications are safe for pediatric patients. Some are not.

[mhatrw]

4. That's what C says.

But I like E as well.

[Warpy]

6. I plead crap vision

that causes me to misread things. It's true and it works.

[frazzled]

5. There were 3,679,671,222 prescriptions filled in the US in 2009

That's more than 3 billion. http://www.statehealthfacts.org:/comparemaptable.jsp?typ=1&ind=265&cat=5&sub=66&sortc=1&o=a

There are many thousands of prescription drugs on the market. Check them out here: http://www.statehealthfacts.org:/comparemaptable.jsp?typ=1&ind=265&cat=5&sub=66&sortc=1&o=a

Which drug would you like to talk about?

And which of the many scientists, doctors, and pharmaceutical experts here on the Democratic Underground do you value most for their insightful opinion on this subject? After all, we are just overflowing with trained experts on the applications of thousands of drugs.

For heaven's sake.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

7. Interesting question, difficult to answer. n/t

[Odin2005]

9. I have read that kids taking the lowers dosages of Ritalin is GOOD for brain development.

[bemildred]

11. Almost all effective medicines are also dangerous, dosage is everything. nt

[uppityperson]

14. Of course. Wondering why this "poll" doesn't use poll form so can click on one? nt

[ZombieHorde]

15. Only donors can make polls. nt

[uppityperson]

16. Aha, thank you. nt

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[mzmolly]

12. Why it's "E" of course.

;)

[ZombieHorde]

13. A, under doctor supervision.

Edit: recommended, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, or so I am told.

[Dorian Gray]

17. Generally

speaking, I would trust my doctor to prescribe a proper medication and dosage for my child... just as I would trust him to recommend the proper vaccinations for my child.

[mzmolly]

21. Doctors recommend what they're told to recommend.

Every mandated vaccine for every child.