A sufficient ranitidine infant dosage is affected by the weight of the infant, the infant’s response to the treatment, the condition being treated, and the method of administration of the drug. Both the oral and injectable doses of the drug for all conditions are expressed as a range, and the precise dosage is to be determined by the patient’s doctor. The infant’s weight also affects the amount of drug that should be administered, and dosages are listed as milligrams per kilogram (mg per kg) to account for this. The recommended ranitidine infant dosage for erosive esophagitis is between 2 and 4 mg per kg per day when the drug is administered as an injection and between 5 and 10 mg per kg per day when the drug is administered as an oral tablet.
One of the most important factors in determining what constitutes a sufficient ranitidine infant dosage is the weight of the child being treated. To account for the importance of this, all dosages for infants are expressed per kg. This means that a 20 kg infant will receive twice the dose that a 10 kg infant will. Larger infants generally need more of the drug for it to have an effect on their body, but this isn’t necessarily the case.
Different patients can react to drugs differently, and as a result, the sufficient ranitidine infant dosage can be different for different children. For example, if two infants of equal weight have a gastric ulcer, one may have a positive reaction to a 2 mg per kg dose, but the other may not. The dosage would then be increased for the infant who showed no reaction to the lower dose. The sufficient ranitidine infant dosage can double in size as a result of the infant’s response to the treatment. The decision to raise the dosage should only be made by the infant’s doctor.
Ranitidine can be administered either as an oral tablet or as an injection, and the method used affects the dosage required. For example, if an infant is taking the treatment for a duodenal ulcer, the recommended dosage when the drug is injected is between 2 and 4 mg per kg per day. When the drug is administered orally, the recommended dosage doubles, to 2 to 4 mg per kg administered twice daily.
The specific condition being treated can also be a factor in determining sufficient ranitidine infant dosage. For example, an infant taking the drug orally for gastroesophageal reflux disease would receive between 5 and 10 mg per kg per day. The oral dosage for duodenal ulcer prophylaxis is between 2 and 4 mg per kg per day.