AboutDr. Ravindra Bhaskar Ghooi Expertise I can provide information on drugs and medicines, their actions, uses, interactions and adverse effects. To avoid confusion, generic names of
medicines may please be provided. I am a pharmacologist, having worked
on animal and human pharmacology, and presently I am the Dean of Bilcare Research Academy, where we teach courses on clinical research. We dont work on saturdays and sundays, hence questions reachng me on these days will be replied on Monday, please bear with me.
Question Hi, I had my wisdom teeth extracted two and a half weeks ago. The oral surgeon prescribed me Amoxicillin as an antibiotic and Hydrocodone 7.5 for pain. I was fine until about two weeks later (yesterday), and upon seeing the dentist again I found out that I had an infection. Since I have trouble swallowing pills, I was prescribed clindamycin palmitate hydrochloride (Cleocin Pediatric) as an antibiotic. I was also given ibuprofen for pain. The problem is that they didn't have enough of the liquid meds in stock so I have to go back and get the rest tomorrow. The dosage instructions are as follows:
Cleocin Pediatric: 20 ml three times a day for 7 days (so this would be 420 ml total).
Ibuprofen: 40 ml 4 times a day as needed for pain (so 160 ml a day)
However, the Cleocin is only 100 ml per bottle and the ibuprofen is 160 per bottle. This means I'd need 3 more bottles of Cleocin and who knows how many of ibuprofen. My question is, does this seem like a correct dosage, and more importantly for me, in your experience as a pharmacist, am I going to have to pay copays for EACH bottle? Normally I would just be getting one bottle, and under my insurance is like $15 per prescription. Would I be looking at a total amount in the hundreds just to get all the meds I need? Sorry for the long inquiry, and thanks for your help.
Answer Hi Chris,
I will not go into the dosages recommended and the number of bottles required. The dosages of these drugs are quite well established and they seem ok.
The problem is about the cost. Mostly pediatric preparations are two to ten times more expensive than adult medicines, and I am afraid you will have to bear these costs.
As an alternative I suggest you procure adult medication as tablets or capsules and then crush the tablet and take it with a spoon or syrup or honey. You can pull the capsule apart and add the contents to a spoonful of syrup or honey and take them.
This way you will get the required dose and will be able to redue the cost very considerably, I am sure that it will fit within your tight budget.
If you have any difficult get back to me on my email rghooi@gmail.com or you may even call 0919922918967. Only check the difference between your timing and that of India.
Ravi Ghooi
