Medication Dosages
To better assist our parents, we have provided some medication dosage suggestions for common over-the-counter fever, pain, and allergy medications:
Give every 6 hours as needed. (Also available in suppositories; use the same number of mg.)
Do not give more than 4 doses in 24 hours.
| Weight in pounds (lbs) | Elixir 1 teaspoon = 160mg/5ml |
Chewable 1 tablet = 80mg |
Jr. Strength 1 caplet = 160mg |
Reg. Strength 1 tablet = 325mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6-11 lbs | ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) | |||
| 12-17 lbs | ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) | |||
| 18-23 lbs | ¾ teaspoon (3.75 ml) | |||
| 24-35 lbs | 1 teaspoon (5 ml) | 2 tablets | ||
| 36-47 lbs | 1 ½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) | 3 tablets | ||
| 48-59 lbs | 2 teaspoons (10 ml) | 4 tablets | 2 caplets | 1 tablet |
| 60-71 lbs | 2 ½ teaspoons (12.5 ml) | 5 tablets | 2 ½ caplets | 1 tablet |
| 72-95 lbs | 3 teaspoons (15 ml) | 6 tablets | 3 caplets | 1 ½ tablets |
| 96+ lbs | 4 caplets | 2 tablets |
DO NOT USE UNLESS OLDER THAN 6 MONTHS
DOSE: Every 6-8 hours as needed. DO NOT GIVE MORE THAN 4 DOSES IN 24 HOURS.
| Weight in pounds (lbs) | AGE | Infants' MOTRIN Concentrated Drops | Children's MOTRIN Oral Suspension |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-11 lbs | 0-5 mos | Do not use | Do not use |
| 12-17 lbs | 6-11 mos | 1.25 mL | 2.5 mL |
| 18-23 lbs | 12-23 mos | 1.875 mL | 3.75 mL |
| 24-35 lbs | 2-3 yrs | - | 5 mL (1 tsp) |
| 36-47 lbs | 4-5 yrs | - | 7.5 mL (1 1/2 tsp) |
| 48-59 lbs | 6-8 yrs | - | 10 mL (2 tsp) |
| 60-71 lbs | 9-10 yrs | - | 12.5 mL (2 1/2 tsp) |
| 72-95 lbs | 11 yrs | - | 15 mL (3 tsp) |
Give the weight-appropriate dosage listed below every 4 to 6 hours as needed, or as recommended by your pediatrician. These are the recommended safe dosages based on your child's weight. If the listed dosage makes your child too sleepy, you may need to decrease the amount of medicine given in each dose.
DO NOT GIVE UNLESS OLDER THAN 6 MONTHS
| Weight (lbs) | Elixir (12.5 mg/5ml) |
Fast Melt Chewable (12.5 mg tablets) |
Tablets/Quick Dissolve Strips (25 mg) |
Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 12-16 | 2.5 ml (½ tsp) | 6-7 | ||
| 17-21 | 3.75 ml (¾ tsp) | 8-9 | ||
| 22-25 | 4 ml | 10-11 | ||
| 26-33 | 5 ml (1 tsp) | 1 | 12-14 | |
| 34-39 | 6 ml | 1 | 15-17 | |
| 40-45 | 7 ml (1 ½ tsp) | 1.5 | 18-20 | |
| 46-52 | 9 ml | 1.5 | 21-23 | |
| 53-58 | 10 ml (2 tsp) | 2 | 1 tab/strip | 24-26 |
| 59-65 | 11 ml | 2 | 1 tab/strip | 27-29 |
| 66-72 | 12 ml (2 ½ tsp) | 2.5 | 1 ½ tab/strip | 30-32 |
| 73-80 | 14 ml | 2.5 | 1 ½ tab/strip | 33-36 |
| 81-88 | 15 ml (3 tsp) | 3 | 1 ½ tab/strip | 37-40 |
| 89-99 | 17 ml | 3 | 2 tabs/strip | 41-44 |
| 100-109 | 18 ml | 4 | 2 tab/strip | 45-49 |
| ≥ 110 | 20 ml (4 tsp) | 4 | 2 tabs/strip | ≥ 50 |
Liquid Concentration (5 mg/5 ml or 1 mg/1 ml)
Tablet Strength (5 mg chew tab or 10 mg chew tab)
Dose: Take once daily as needed for nasal congestion or sneezing.
DO NOT USE IN CHILDREN < 6 MONTHS OLD
DO NOT EXCEED 1 DOSE IN 24 HOUR PERIOD
| Age | Liquid | Tablet |
|---|---|---|
| 6-12 months | 2.5 ml daily | DO NOT USE |
| 12-23 months | 2.5 ml daily | DO NOT USE |
| 2-5 years | 2.5 ml daily (may be increased to 5 mg daily) | ½ of a 5 mg chew tab daily (may be increased to a whole 5 mg chew tab daily) |
| 6 years and older | 5 ml daily (may be increased to 10 mg daily) | 5 mg tablet daily (may be increased to 10 mg tablet daily) |
Other Important Information:
- As this medication may cause drowsiness, please do not use with other antihistamines (ex: Benadryl) or other OTC products containing antihistamines unless directed to do so by a medical provider.
- Use a proper dosing device that labels mL clearly on the side of the device to avoid inappropriate dosing. For concerns regarding inappropriate dosing: Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
- If your child has kidney or liver problems they should avoid these medications until consulting with your doctor.
