From the Guidelines
For a 7-year-old child weighing 73.6 pounds, the recommended dose of oseltamivir phosphate (Tamiflu) is 60 mg twice daily.
Calculating the Dose
- The child's weight is approximately 33.4 kg, which falls within the >23 kg to 40 kg range, corresponding to a recommended dose of 60 mg twice daily 1.
- The total daily dose is 120 mg, which can be achieved with 10 mL of the 6mg/mL suspension administered twice daily, as 10 mL of the suspension contains 60 mg of oseltamivir.
Administration
- Oseltamivir is administered orally without regard to meals, although administration with meals may improve gastrointestinal tolerability 1.
- For the 6 mg/mL suspension, a 60 mg dose is given with 10 mL of oral suspension 1.
Important Considerations
- Oseltamivir is available as a generic drug or as Tamiflu in 30-mg, 45-mg, and 75-mg capsules and as a powder for oral suspension that is reconstituted to provide a final concentration of 6 mg/mL 1.
- If the commercially manufactured oral suspension is not available, a suspension can be compounded by retail pharmacies (final concentration also 6 mg/mL), based on instructions contained in the package label 1.
From the FDA Drug Label
Table 1 Oseltamivir Phosphate for Oral Suspension Dosage Recommendations in Pediatric Patients for Treatment and Prophylaxis of Influenza Weight Treatment Dosage for 5 days Prophylaxis Dosage for 10 days* Volume of OralSuspension(6 mg/mL) for each Dose† Number of Bottles of OralSuspensionto Dispense Patients 1 to 12 Years of Age Based on Body Weight 15 kg or less 30 mg twicedaily 30 mg oncedaily 5 mL 1 bottle 15.1 kg to 23 kg 45 mg twicedaily 45 mg oncedaily 7.5 mL 2 botles 23.1 kg to 40 kg 60 mg twicedaily 60 mg oncedaily 10 mL 2 bottles 40.1 kg or more 75 mg twicedaily 75 mg oncedaily 12. 5 mL 3 bottles
To determine the appropriate dose for a 7-year-old child weighing 73.6 pounds, first convert the weight to kilograms.
- 73.6 pounds is approximately 33.4 kilograms. Based on the weight, the child falls into the 23.1 kg to 40 kg category. The recommended dose for treatment is 60 mg twice daily. The recommended dose for prophylaxis is 60 mg once daily. The volume of oral suspension (6 mg/mL) for each dose is 10 mL. 2