What is
phenobarbital?
Phenobarbital is a
medicine used in children to prevent
seizures. It may also be used to treat
jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes due
to a very high level of bilirubin in the
body).
How is it given?
This medicine may be
given intravenously (IV) by a health
care provider. It also comes in liquid
and pill forms that you can give to your
child at home.
Phenobarbital has what
is called a "long half-life". This means
that it can take several days for the
amount of medicine in the body to
change. Give this medicine to your child
exactly as your health care provider
prescribes. Do not give more or less or
stop using this medicine without your
health care provider's approval.
If you have the liquid
medicine, draw up the correct amount in
the medicine dropper or oral syringe.
For babies, you can mix the medicine
with a small amount of formula or breast
milk and give it with a bottle nipple
before a feeding. Do not add medicine to
a whole bottle because if your baby does
not finish it, you will not know how
much of the medicine was taken. For
older children, squirt a small amount of
the medicine inside the cheek. Let your
child swallow each squirt before giving
more. This helps prevent choking. If you
have the pill form and your child cannot
swallow pills, crush the pill between 2
spoons or inside a plastic bag or folded
paper. Mix with about 1 teaspoon of soft
food such as applesauce, yogurt, or ice
cream.
Do not give this
medicine at the same time as
alcohol-containing foods or medicines
such as cough syrup.
When should I
call my child's health care provider?
Contact your child's
health care provider if:
- Your child is very
dizzy or sleepy.
- Your child seems
over-excited or over-active.
- Seizures are not
being controlled.
Call your child's health care provider
immediately if your child:
- has seizures more
often than before
- has trouble
breathing
- develops a rash
- is hard to awaken.
