General medical words
What Does Pediatric Mean on a Medicine Label?
Pediatric · say it: pee-dee-AT-rikAlso written: paediatric, pediatrics, children, pediatric patients
Short answer
Pediatric means relating to children. On medicine labels it refers to babies, children and teenagers, usually under 18 years old.
What it means
Pediatric (spelled 'paediatric' in UK English) means to do with the medical care of children. On medicine labels, 'pediatric patients' usually means anyone from newborn up to the teenage years, though the exact age groups can vary by label and by country.
Labels have a 'Pediatric Use' section because children are not just small adults. Their bodies handle medicines differently, so doses are often based on weight or age, and some medicines have not been studied in children at all. A line saying 'safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients have not been established' means there is not enough research in children, not that the medicine is known to be harmful.
Related words include neonatal (newborn babies, the first weeks of life), infant (babies up to about one year) and adolescent (teenagers). Geriatric is the matching word for older adults.
Where you may see it
- The 'Use in Specific Populations: Pediatric Use' section of medicine labels
- Over-the-counter labels with 'Children under ... ask a doctor'
- Hospital department names (pediatrics) and referral letters
📄 How it looks on a report
Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients below the age of 12 years have not been established.
🙅 What it does not mean
- 'Not established in pediatric patients' does not mean the medicine is proven dangerous for children; it means it has not been studied enough.
- A pediatric dose cannot be worked out by guessing a fraction of the adult dose. Ask a pharmacist or doctor.
- Pediatric does not only mean young children; it often includes teenagers.
🗒️ Questions to ask your doctor
🧾 Reports where you will see “Pediatric”
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💊 Medicines whose labels mention “Pediatric”
Plain-English explanations of each medicine, from its official FDA label.
- Acetaminophen
A pain reliever and fever reducer
- Albendazole
an anthelmintic drug, a medicine used to treat infections caused by parasitic worms
- Albuterol
A bronchodilator (a medicine that opens the airways) of the beta-2 adrenergic type. The FDA class is not listed, so this description comes from the label's own wording.
- Alendronate
a bisphosphonate, a medicine that slows the breakdown of bone by blocking cells called osteoclasts
- Allopurinol
a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, a prescription medicine that acts on uric acid
- Alprazolam
a benzodiazepine, a type of central nervous system medicine
- Amitriptyline
An antidepressant of the tricyclic type
- Amlodipine
a calcium channel blocker, a type of medicine that relaxes blood vessels
- Amoxicillin
a penicillin-class antibacterial medicine that works against bacteria
- Amoxicillin and Clavulanate Potassium
A penicillin-class antibacterial combined with a beta-lactamase inhibitor, as the label describes it
🔗 Read more from trusted sources
- “Pediatric” on MedlinePlus ↗
US National Library of Medicine
- NCI Dictionary definition ↗
US National Cancer Institute: “pediatric”
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More words: general medical words
General information about a medical word, not advice about your own results. Ask the clinician who ordered the test what it means for you.