How should you give your child amlodipine?
Follow these instructions when you give your child this medicine:
- Give this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist tells you, even if your child seems well.
- Talk to your child's doctor before you stop giving your child this medicine for any reason. Make sure you have enough to last through weekends, holidays or vacations.
- Give your child amlodipine at the same time each day.
- Have your child take this medicine with food or milk if the medicine causes an upset stomach.
If you are using ready-made oral solution:
- Use the oral syringe and syringe adapter that comes with the bottle to measure the dose.
- Do not shake the bottle before use.
If you are using split tablets:
Use a pill splitter to cut the tablet to the appropriate dose:
- For a dose of 1.25 mg, use a quarter of a 5 mg tablet.
- For a dose of 2.5 mg, use a half of a 5 mg tablet.
- For a dose of 3.75 mg, use a quarter and a half of a 5 mg tablet.
If your child cannot swallow tablets, the dose may be crushed and mixed into a small amount of soft food, such as applesauce or yogurt. The dose may also be mixed with 3–5 mL of water and given with an oral syringe.
If you are using the dissolve and dose device, please refer to the
Dissolve and Dose family med aid for instructions on how to prepare a dose. One 5 mg amlodipine tablet should be placed in 5 mL of water to make a 1 mg/mL solution.
If you are giving your child amlodipine through a feeding tube (either oral solution or dissolved tablets), make sure you flush the tube well with water before and after the dose to avoid clogging the tube.
If mixing amlodipine tablets in water, each dose must be newly prepared each time and administered immediately after the tablet has dissolved.
