Pretty much the title but why is it always consistently 12 years of age across the board? What makes a 12 year old suddenly be able to take these medications? (BTW I know you can talk to your doctor to see if it’s okay for younger children to take them as well and that some medications can be taken by children under the age of 12)
In: Biology
Its about dosage, mostly. Also, how fast any given drug gets absorbed by the body, in some cases. Kids and elderly react differently to drugs than young adults for example. Sometimes stronger, sometimes faster.
Sometimes, that reaction might be too much for the body to handle to such extent that it can literally be lethal, be it because of dosage per unit (pill, etc…), or by how much reaction that dose will cause (like cardiac drugs – all to easy to die from that stuff if you dont have the dose EXACT and controlled, even if you are in a target age group. But even OTC drugs with less potent active substances can be dangerous, like paracetamol with its liver toxicity, for example.)
This reaction can and often is also affected by another drug, or alcohol. Mixing them is a BAD idea.
And ALWAYS double check the dose and use of any drug. And then check again, for good measure.
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