Four times A DAY

[questabellatreetop]

My DS has tonsillitis, he needs four doses of medicine a day. I take this to mean he needs four doses in a 24hour period, to me it's painstakingly obvious, DH says only during the day, I think that is absolutely ridiculous. Who is right?!

Never woken anyone to give medicine. No need at all

(@Awwlookatmybabyspider put it like this. I wasn't expecting it to be about medicine)

Your DH is right

A phrase rarely used in here

4 x doses = waking hours only! This time I'm afraid to say your DH is correct

Yy they definitely don’t routinely wake patients in hospital to give antibiotics. They are given during waking hours.
All those children of parents who keep waking them up in the middle of the night will hopefully be allowed to get some sleep after this thread!

I must be an idiot then, i get recurring UTI's, and i always set an alarm for every 6 hours, even if thats 4 and 10, AM ad PM. It says space the doses evenly, i take it literally.

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-az/antibiotics-conflicting-advice-768884.html

"My usual advice is to take the correct number of doses in 24 hours, spread over the waking hours."

Are you serious?!

Of COURSE your husband is right. You don't wake someone in the night to give them meds!!!

4 x a day, like 8 am, 1pm, 5pm, then 9pm... (ish.)

I haven’t rtft but the idea of waking a sick child in the night for (non acute, non hospital administered) meds is just bonkers, I struggle to believe that anyone would be that daft. Family of doctors here, antibis should be evenly spaced through waking hours, keeping a child up til 11pm just fora normal course of antibiotics is both unnecessary and unhelpful. Let the poor child sleep!!

Your husband is right so yes YABU.

I cannot BELIEVE some people take it literally, and take them every six hours DEAD on!

Do people really do this?!

I used to do 6am (not my choice), 12, 6pm and woke them up for final dose at 10pm right before I went to bed. I say "wake them up" bit truth was they were barely concious and went straight back to sleep.

Waking hours only for my kids.

Even many years ago as an ICU nurse, I recall there would be the odd midnight dose of intravenous ABs (most would be at 10pm) and that would be it until the 6am lot.
There may of been the odd 2am or 4am dose IV but that was not usual.

Let them sleep.

I agree Spiggle that's what I've always been told to ensure the drug levels are at the optimal level based on their half life.

I definitely wouldn't wake them during the night. They need their sleep to get better

i used to wake my DS to give him last dose when I went to bed when he was a toddler but would go to sleep at 6.. not properly wake up take medicine and go back to sleep...

now he is older just spread over the day.

If they are in hospital they would space it evenly throughout the 24 hours, it's how they are designed to work most effectively, but at home I've always just spaced through waking hours, mainly because the medicine is so disgusting that trying to force it in at night would just mean we were up for a couple of hours!!

It would never have occurred to me to wake someone to administer drugs, unless specifically instructed to do so. Sleep is credibly important for healing.

I find it hilarious that doctors, nurses and pharmacists (ie the qualified, degree educated medical experts) are saying to spread the doses over waking hours but other pp (presumably with no medical training) are saying that the dh is daft for wanting to let his ill child sleep through the night. Of course you let the child sleep, if dh woke me up to remind me to take a tablet, I’d not be overly impressed and I wouldn’t expect the dc to be overly impressed either.

Love that all the actual doctors, nurses, pharmacists have said waking hours only, but there are still folk that think they know better telling op to wake up their child...

If they are in hospital they would space it evenly throughout the 24 hours
No, we wouldn’t

I was told by a pharmacist it's over waking hours and that sleep is too important to recovery so you shouldn't be waking to take medicine

that's what I've always been told to ensure the drug levels are at the optimal level based on their half life.

Indeed. If you're going to do something, you might as well do it as efficaciously as possible. Having said that, one of my dds was prone to fitting when unwell so I had more reason than most to make the best job of it I could.

The dcs woke up, drowsily took their meds, and were off back to sleep in seconds. Never had a problem. And I resent being called
bonkers. A bit.

the only time they give antibiotics strictly at set intervals and during the night for my daughter is when she is in hospital having IVs. we often have orals to take and have never woken her to take them.

I give up!

though even in hospital she doesnt take oral meds during the night - they dont wake her for the IVs, they just plug her in (tho the bleeping when its finished wakes her up)

It's 4 doses within their waking day.

Some medicines need at least 4 hours between doses.

My ds has a daily medicine that's 4 times a day at least 4 hours apart.

Sod getting up and doing it during the night