A few minutes later another woman came with her child who was suffering from a similar condition. After the examination, the doctor posed the same question about the diet. The mother replied that she fed her baby unsweetened milk.

'No sugar in the milk? Add a bit of sugar, he will be all right.'

Can you guess the logic of a doctor recommending two different diets to cure the same ailment? He believes that many of the ailments in children are self-limiting and require time and patience rather than drugs. What this doctor did was to free the mother from anxiety, and yet did not prescribe drugs. From the history of frequency and quantity of feeds, the colour, odour, and consistency of the stool, he found that the diarrhea was due to indigestion rather than infection. On physical examination, he noticed that it was not severe enough to cause dehydration. He knew that in such cases, once the intestines were emptied, their normal activity would start and the diarrhea would be automatically controlled.

In contrast to this, most other doctors would have prescribed an anti-diarrheal antibiotic and possibly, also a vitamin preparation. Even if the doctor does not do so, patients often demand a drug for each and every symptom i.e. 'pill for every ill'. They erroneously believe that drugs switch the activity of the body on or off. Drugs should be used only when absolutely necessary. No doubt they do good, but they also cause adverse effects which may become apparent only after some time. Since neonates (newborns up to 30 days after their birth) and children are in a growing state, they are more susceptible to suffering from the adverse effects of drugs than an adult whose organs and systems are all fully functioning. It is, therefore, advisable that parents have patience in simple and short-lasting ailments of their children like coughs, colds, mild diarrhea, headaches, or mild fever in which frequent, unnecessary, and indiscriminate use of drugs may, at times, cause permanent harm to vital organs like the liver, ears, bone marrow, and kidneys. The child's growth may also be retarded in some cases. Since the child's health is extremely important for his future growth and happiness, great discretion is advised while giving drugs.

Drugs commonly employed in the treatment of ailments in neonates and children are listed in the table given below. Details of most of these drugs have already been discussed under relevant chapters. Drugs to neonates and infants can be administered orally, through the rectum or by injection. The rectal route is more useful in children who are vomiting persistently, are unconscious or having convulsions. Rectal suppositories are available for diazepam, paracetamol and antiemetics.

In neonates, these drugs should be given on the advice of the doctor, as even a slight overdose may lead to serious side-effects. The drug metabolizing and drug excretory systems (liver and kidneys) of neonates are underdeveloped to deal with drugs. In addition, in neonates, the blood protein binding capacity of a drug is low and a large amount of the drug remains in the free form, and is responsible for both excessive effects and adverse effects. These de deficiencia are further enhanced in the prematurely born, who are, therefore, more likely to be harmed by drugs.

The side effects can be minimized to an extent by giving the correct dose of the drugs. A child is not a small adult. Its dose requirements are different. Dispersible tablets and liquid preparations are commonly used. It is best not to administer liquid medicines in teaspoon doses as teaspoons vary greatly in size. A standard 5 ml or 10 ml measure should always be used.