Over-the-counter (OTC) liquid medications can be found in practically every home. Surprisingly though, there’s not a standard way to measure liquid medicines doses.

All too often, people resort to measuring liquids with household measuring devices like teaspoons or tablespoons. These utensils can provide inaccurate dosing since they aren’t intended to measure doses of medicines. There are also syringes, dosing cups, droppers, and other measuring devices that may use a metric scale (milliliter) while others display household measures (teaspoon). These can also be inaccurate if the incorrect scale is used.

Here are the top ten tips to consider when measuring over-the-counter liquid medicines:

1. Never use household measuring devices (teaspoons, etc.) to give liquid medicines. They are inaccurate and may deliver more or less than the prescribed dose. Most OTC liquid medicines come with their own measuring device (dosing cup, syringe).
2. Use the device that comes with the OTC medicine. These are designed to match the specific dosing instructions listed on the product label. In the event a dosing device does not come with the product, ask a pharmacist to recommend one.
3. When administering an OTC liquid medicine to a child, be sure to know the child’s current weight. Most medicine for children is based on their weight. To provide the most accurate dose, especially for liquid medicine, it’s best to dose according to their weight, not age. Tables are often present on the product label to help guide proper dosing by weight. If you are unsure ask the child's doctor or pharmacist.
4. Turn on the lights to measure the dose. Never read container labels or measure liquid medicines in a dimly lit or dark room or when you are distracted.
5. Hold the measuring device at eye level. When measuring the liquid medicine with a dosing cup, place it on a flat surface to pour the liquid. Then lower yourself to read the liquid volume.
6. Using a syringe and bottle adaptor. A special ribbed adaptor (shaped like a Christmas tree) is available to make it easier to withdraw medicine directly from the bottle into an oral syringe. However, bottle adaptors are not child resistant. When using these products, always be sure to remove the adaptor and replace the child-resistant cap after measuring the liquid. NEVER store the syringe attached to the bottle adaptor. Fore more information on this visit here.
7. Ensure child-resistant cap is in place. After measuring liquid medicine, immediately replace the cap. If small children either live in your home, or will be visiting, be sure child-resistant caps are always locked into place.
8. Clean the dosing device after each use. Always be sure to wash the dosing device after giving the medicine. If you fail to do so, bacteria can grow and cause contamination with any future use.
9. Keep the medicine and dosing device together. It’s best to store both the medicine and dosing tool together. An oral syringe can be rubber banded or a dosing cup can usually be placed over the cap. This way you will always have the correct measuring device on hand when you need it. Never use a device supplied with one medicine for a different medicine. This can lead to dosing errors.
10. Keep children's and adult's medicine separate. Always store adult and child liquid medicines in separate areas. This will decrease the chance of accidentally confusing the containers with one another.

Click here for more liquid medication safety tips.

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