Why a Kids Emergency Medical Kit?

(the short answer is that kids get sick too-and at the most inopportune time)

As any parent knows, children have a knack for getting sick at the most inconvenient times. Whether it's the night before a big test or during a family vacation, illnesses seem to strike when least expected. Many times, these illnesses happen on a weekend when clinics and pharmacies are closed, leaving a parent to have to decide if waiting for hours in a crowded emergency room full of other sick patients, some even sicker than your child, is worth it.  

The Chief Medical Board at TWC realized that kids needed their own kit. One tailored to their needs for common illnesses that require prescription medication when unable to get to an urgent care or medical clinic in a timely manner.

The Kids Emergency Medical Kit is uniquely positioned to deliver peace of mind and the ability to tackle the most common childhood illnesses.

Kids get many of the same illnesses that adults do but their bodies have their special set of needs. They weigh less and their metabolism is different than that of an adult. 

Below are the prescription medications and some of the illnesses this comprehensive kit can treat:

Amoxicillin 250 mg chewable tablets - #50

Antibiotic

This is one of the most prescribed antibiotics and is chronically on the drug shortage list.

FDA-Approved Uses:

• Ear, nose, and throat bacterial infections
• Inner ear infection
• Nasal & sinus infection
• Strep throat
• Tonsillitis
• Lower respiratory tract infections, including
  pneumonia,
• Skin & soft tissue
• Urinary tract infections

Common Off-Label Uses:

• Anthrax exposure
• Lyme disease
• Dental infections
• Endocarditis prophylaxis

Ofloxacin 0.3% Ear Drops

Antibiotic

For those earaches that won’t go away

• Otitis externa outer ear infection
• Otitis media (inner ear infection, acute)
• Otitis media (inner ear infection), chronic

Dexamethasone 4 mg tablets - #5

Corticosteroid, systemic anti-inflammatory agent, antiemetic

FDA-Approved Uses:

• Anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressant agent of a
  variety of diseases
• Asthma exacerbation

Common Off-Label Uses:

• Croup
• Covid-19, hospitalized patients requiring
  supplemental oxygen
• Acute mountain sickness (AMS)
• High altitude cerebral edema (HACE)

Ivermectin 4 mg compounded tablets - #10

Antiparasitic with antiviral properties

FDA-Approved Uses:

• River blindness caused by parasite
  Onchocerca volvulus
• Parasitic worm
• Lice
• Acne rosacea

Common Off-Label Uses:

• Scabies (skin infection caused by Sarcoptes scabiei)
• Ascariasis (parasitic roundworm Ascaris
  lumbricoides)
• Lymphatic filaria (filarial roundworms)
• Hookworm-related cutaneous larva migrans
• Trichuriasis (Whipworm infection caused by Trichuris
  trichiura)

Ondansetron 4 mg dissolvable tablets - #1

Antiemetic
FDA-Approved Uses:

• Cancer chemotherapy-induced nausea and/or
  vomiting
• Postoperative nausea and/or vomiting
• Radiotherapy-associated nausea and/or vomiting

Common Off-Label Uses:

• Nausea and/or vomiting, acute, severe
• Pregnancy-associated nausea and/or vomiting
• Vertigo-associated nausea and/or vomiting

Epinephrine 0.15 mg IM Auto-injector - #1 (add-on item)

This medication is a lifesaver in the event of a severe allergic reaction

A must have if your child has allergic reactions to nuts or other severe allergies

Alpha-/Beta-agonist
FDA-Approved Uses:

• Anaphylaxis and other severe immediate
  hypersensitivity reactions
• Hypotension (very low blood pressure) or shock

Common Off-Label Uses:

• Asthma, acute, severe
• Bradycardia or atrioventricular block, symptomatic
  Cardiogenic shock
• Post-cardiac arrest shock
• Sudden cardiac arrest due to asystole pulseless
• electrical activity, ventricular fibrillation, or pulseless
• ventricular tachycardia

Kids get sick at the most inopportune times!

Having the Kids Medical Emergency Kit will help keep your child out of the clinic or ER and help them feel better sooner.

Written By Brooke Lounsbury