Cetirizine Dosing for a 2-Year-Old Child Weighing 11.96kg
For a 2-year-old child weighing 11.96kg, the recommended daily dose of cetirizine is 2.5mg once daily.
Dosing Considerations
- For children weighing less than 15kg, cetirizine should be dosed at the lower end of the pediatric dosing range to ensure safety while maintaining efficacy 1
- The child's weight of 11.96kg (approximately 5.4kg in the expanded question) places them in the lowest weight category for pediatric medication dosing, requiring careful calculation 1
- For children under 3 years of age, careful monitoring is particularly important as they may be more sensitive to medication effects 1
Administration Recommendations
- Administer cetirizine once daily, preferably at the same time each day to maintain consistent therapeutic levels 1
- Consider giving the medication with meals to improve gastrointestinal tolerability 1
- The medication has a rapid onset of action (within 20 minutes) and a long duration of activity (24 hours), making once-daily dosing appropriate 2, 3
Clinical Efficacy and Safety
- Cetirizine is effective for treating seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis and chronic idiopathic urticaria in pediatric patients 2, 3
- In pediatric patients, cetirizine has been shown to be at least as effective as other antihistamines such as chlorphenamine and loratadine 2
- The medication has a favorable safety profile in children, with a tolerability profile similar to placebo in infants aged 6-24 months 2
Important Precautions
- Avoid exceeding the recommended dose, as this may increase the risk of adverse effects 1
- Monitor for potential side effects, with somnolence being the most common dose-related adverse effect 2
- Cetirizine is predominantly eliminated by the kidneys with a mean elimination half-life of 8.3 hours, so dosing adjustments may be needed in patients with renal impairment 3
- Complete the full course of medication even if symptoms improve before completion 1