Assignment: Off-Label Drug Use in Pediatrics Walden Off-Label Drug Use in Pediatrics

 

Despite the lack of approval by the FDA on drugs to be prescribed for pediatric patients, the off-label drug is still used in healthcare. Therefore, the off-label drug is important for health issues among children, infants, and adolescents and is used for medical conditions that are not approved to treat (Scolle et al., 2021). The paper examines the rate at which the off-label drug is prescribed in children and explains the factor that influences its prescription for children with ADHD.

The Circumstance under which Children need Off-Label Prescription

Various circumstances are likely to cause off-label prescriptions for children, including a lack of clinical trials in special age groups (Garcia-Lopez et al., 2020). A child is also likely to be given an off-label drug prescription when the standard therapy fails (Garcia-Lopez et al., 2020). The drug helps in offering relief of the

Assignment Off Label Drug Use in Pediatrics Walden

symptoms and cure a specific disorder.

Therefore, the circumstances leads to the violation of the pharmacological algorithm of medication. However, it is recommended that a practitioner be cautious with the medication profile before prescribing the off-label drug to children with ADHD (Scolle et al., 2021). The first step should be to evaluate the

evidence-based research study of the off-label drug. If the evidence supports that the off-label drug is efficient for the children, the practitioner should proceed with the prescription.

For instance, the off-label drug that can treat children with ADHD is guanfacine and clonidine. Guanfacine is absorbed orally and is eliminated within 17 hours of half-life (Okada et al., 2019). Guanfacine helps in regulating the behavior of the prefrontal cortex. It also enhances the network connection needed to boost the cognitive experience (Okada et al., 2019). 50 % of the drug is excreted in Renal excrete.

Clonidine is also an off-label drug that can be prescribed to children with ADHD. It helps stimulate the alpha-adrenoceptors in the brain (Joo & Kim, 2018). This leads to decreased peripheral resistance and the sympathetic outflow from the central nervous system (Joo & Kim, 2018). It is excreted through urine. The estimated half-life is 30 minutes which occurs after epidural administration.

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