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What If A Child Accidentally Ingests Xanax?

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Posted on Thu, 11 Jun 2015
Question: My 3 year old son licked a 0.5 mg of Xanax. Do I need to take to hospital? He spit it out because bitter taste.

Thank you
doctor
Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (20 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
He would not have absorbed any significant amount

Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic

0.5 mg is a small dose. Since he did not ingest it but only licked it this means that out of this 0.5 mg, very very little , if any at all, would have been ingested and absorbed.

This medication is rarely used in children , normally at 0.005 mg for each kg for each dose, in 2 or 3 doses.
This means that if he is 10 kg (about 20 pounds), he would use 0.05 mg per dose , with 0.1 mg to 0.15 mg a day.

This is likely more than the small amount he may have absorbed.

This means that he would have taken less than a doctor would have prescribed for him if he needed it.

He should be fine.

I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Michelle Gibson James

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2001

Answered : 16808 Questions

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What If A Child Accidentally Ingests Xanax?

Brief Answer: He would not have absorbed any significant amount Detailed Answer: HI, thanks for using healthcare magic 0.5 mg is a small dose. Since he did not ingest it but only licked it this means that out of this 0.5 mg, very very little , if any at all, would have been ingested and absorbed. This medication is rarely used in children , normally at 0.005 mg for each kg for each dose, in 2 or 3 doses. This means that if he is 10 kg (about 20 pounds), he would use 0.05 mg per dose , with 0.1 mg to 0.15 mg a day. This is likely more than the small amount he may have absorbed. This means that he would have taken less than a doctor would have prescribed for him if he needed it. He should be fine. I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions