overdose?

I gave my son his dose of loratadine in the morning and in the midst of giving his other meds in the evening i forgot the loratadine is only once a day, I gave it again in the evening, but he thew up a little right after.  Question, did he overdose? and also, should I give him his dose in the morning like the first dose, at night?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

The vomiting that your son had was due to loratidine overdose. The recommended dose of loratadine for most adults and children age six and over is loratadine 10 mg once daily and the recommended dose of loratadine for children ages two through five is loratadine 5 mg once daily. Try to give loratadine at the same time each day to keep an even level in your blood. So if the last time when you gave loratidine to your son was at night, then give the next dose after 24 hours i.e. at night.

Look out for other symptoms of loratidine overdose for the next 2 hours like rapid heartbeat, drowsiness, and unusual muscle contractions.If yes ,then pls take your son to ER immediately. The stomach may have to be pumped or supportive care may have to be given.

Take care and pls do keep us posted on how your son is doing.