Growth changes body size and weight, while maturation can affect how medicines are processed and eliminated. Depending on the medicine, an unchanged prescription can therefore produce different exposure or effects as the child develops. A previously suitable regimen can become insufficient or unsuitable.
The implications depend on the medicine and the child; weight gain alone does not establish which adjustment is needed. FDA/ICH: paediatric clinical pharmacology
The prescribing clinician must review current benefit, adverse effects and whether treatment still meets the child’s needs. Even when a medicine continues to provide the same benefit, changing demands can leave substantial needs unmet. Medication review belongs within the assessment of the child’s functioning and wider support. [1]