Study: Ibuprofen is best for kids with broken arms
As a medical malpractice lawyer in Chicago, I am intrigued by the following story. Most generic medicines are tested on adults, but may have very different effects in children or elderly patients, so it is important to consider how bodies of drastically different ages may respond to the same medicines.
A recent study reveals interesting information about children and painkillers. The AP reports on a “surprising study” that found “kids with a broken arm do better on a simple over-the-counter painkiller than on a more powerful prescription combination that includes a narcotic” (Marilynn Marchione, FindLaw News citing to the Annals of Emergency Medicine, 8/18).
The study “tested ibuprofen, sold as Advil, Motrin and other brands, against acetaminophen plus codeine - a combo called Tylenol No. 3 that is also sold in generic form,” and found that the children who took ibuprofen did better because “they were more likely to play, they ate better and had fewer adverse effects,” according to the study leader, Dr. Amy Drendel of the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Experts praised the study for testing drugs in children, since to date many painkillers have only been tested on adults but used in practice on children. The study tested only the first three days after a broken arm, so does not imply that ibuprofen is always better than stronger painkillers, but since “one in five kids will break a bone before age 10,” the findings have daily implications.
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