Levodropizine Dosing in Children
The recommended dosage of levodropizine in children is 2 mg/kg orally, administered three times daily. 1
Evidence-Based Dosing Recommendations
Standard Pediatric Dose
- 2 mg/kg orally three times daily is the established dose for children with non-productive cough 1
- This dosing regimen was evaluated over a 3-day treatment period and demonstrated statistically significant efficacy in reducing coughing frequency and nocturnal awakenings (P < 0.001) 1
Clinical Efficacy Profile
The evidence supporting this dosage comes from a randomized controlled trial in 254 evaluable pediatric patients with non-productive cough 1. The study directly compared levodropizine (2 mg/kg three times daily) with its racemic mixture dropropizine (1 mg/kg three times daily), demonstrating that:
- Levodropizine showed equivalent antitussive efficacy to dropropizine in reducing coughing spells 1
- Both medications significantly decreased nocturnal awakenings due to cough 1
Safety and Tolerability Considerations
Levodropizine carries a lower risk of daytime somnolence compared to dropropizine, which is clinically relevant for pediatric patients 1. Specifically:
- Somnolence occurred in 5.3% of children receiving levodropizine versus 10.3% with dropropizine 1
- Gastrointestinal symptoms were mild and comparable between groups 1
- The overall tolerability profile was favorable in the pediatric population 1
Administration Guidelines
- Administer orally three times daily at approximately 8-hour intervals 1
- Calculate the dose based on the child's actual body weight in kilograms 1
- Treatment duration in the pivotal study was 3 days, though clinical judgment should guide total treatment length based on symptom resolution 1
Important Clinical Caveat
The evidence base for levodropizine is specific to non-productive (dry) cough in children 1. This antitussive should not be used indiscriminately for all cough types, particularly productive coughs where expectoration serves a protective function.