ABOUT DOSEDOCTOR

What Is DoseDoctor?
DoseDoctor provides the medically correct pediatric dose of most OTC medications such as Tylenol, Advil, Benadryl, Robitussin, Dimetapp, Motrin, Triaminic, Pediacare, Nyquil, and many others for your child.  It is a resource developed by a board certified pediatrician for parents to use to know their child is getting the proper dose of OTC medication.  Dr. John C Bauer, MD (a physician who is board certified in both Pediatrics and Internal Medicine) developed the DoseDoctor concept.   In his pediatric practice, Dr. Bauer realized the frustration parents have with giving OTC medications to their children.   While the medications are easily available, the instructions can make them confusing to use.   And most labels require you to "Ask a Doctor" for dosing instructions for younger children where accurate dosing is most important.   This is extremely time consuming for parents and for doctors as well.   Making it even more confusing for everyone is the fact that there are so many different names and variations of these OTC medications (and new versions seem to pop up everyday).   No physician, or parent, can keep track of them all.   DoseDoctor was therefore created to make OTC medication use more convenient for parents & doctors.

DoseDoctor DOES NOT RECOMMEND WHAT MEDICATION TO USE.   It simply gives you the correct dose of whatever you have chosen.   As with all medications you give your child, ALWAYS READ MEDICATION PACKAGE LABELS FOR SPECIFIC WARNINGS, CAUTIONS AND POTENTIAL DRUG INTERACTIONS with other medications.   Also, while you may ask DoseDoctor for dosing information for multiple medications for the same child, DoseDoctor assumes you are using this for informational purposes only.   DO NOT GIVE YOUR CHILD MORE THAN ONE MEDICATION without first consulting your doctor.   DoseDoctor DOES NOT SUBSTITUTE FOR YOUR PHYSICIAN'S KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR CHILD'S HEALTH.   For instance, while most OTC medications are safe for nearly all children, some children have certain medical conditions that may make some medications unsafe to use.   Therefore, as with any medication you give your child, please confirm with your doctor that it is one that is safe for your child to have.   DoseDoctor recommends discussing OTC medications with your doctor at well-child visits.   Simply ask "are there any over-the-counter medications my child should not take?"   Once you have chosen an OTC medication to give your child, use DoseDoctor to give your child the correct dose. 

How Does DoseDoctor Work?
DoseDoctor calculates your child's OTC medication dose based on his/her specific weight.   Because of size constraints, OTC medication labels are not able to provide such specific instructions.   Most labels usually provide dose instructions based on age AND weight RANGES.   This leads to a situation where not all children fit in any single dosing category (their weight might indicate one dose, but by age the chart would recommend a different dose).   Also, medically speaking, these age/weight ranges are quite wide.   This means the smallest child in a given dose range may be getting the correct dose for her, while the largest child may be getting a less-than-effective dose for him.   Pediatricians all know that the most accurate way to dose medications in children is by using each child's exact weight.   For instance, the medically correct dose of acetaminophen (Tylenol, Feverall, and others) is 6.8 mg per pound of body weight (or 15 mg per kilogram).   That means a 10 pound child should have a dose of 68 mg.   The dose for a 20 pound child would be 136 mg, and so on.   DoseDoctor uses widely published data on OTC medications and their ingredients to calculate each child's dose in that way.   Therefore, each calculated dose is specific for your child.   For the very few medications that only have dosing information based on ages, DoseDoctor uses that published data to provide accurate dosing for your child.   Using the secure DoseDoctor Site, you provide DoseDoctor with your child's weight and then select the OTC medication you want to give.   DoseDoctor then calculates the correct dose for your child.   It is simple, and easy, for any parent to use.  

How Do I Use DoseDoctor?
To use DoseDoctor all you have to do is subscribe today.   Once you subscribe, you simply (and securely) register your children.   You provide the child's birth date (so that exact age is known) and weight.   You then select a medication from DoseDoctor's ever-expanding list of OTC medications and DoseDoctor calculates the correct dose for your child.   You can then print a medication dose calendar to place on you refrigerator to help track when you have given a medication.   For your convenience, DoseDoctor also keeps a record of what medications you have chosen so that you can print a copy to take to your physician for review.   With your FREE family membership, you have access to all of DoseDoctor's features including the medication dose calculator, medication dose calendar, and medication history tracker for you to keep track of what you have given your child.