| Therapeutic Area | Formulary Choices | Cost for 28 (unless otherwise stated) | Rationale for decision / comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avoid anti-motility agents in children. See below for assessment of dehydration in under 5s in line with NICE CG84. | |||
| Oral rehydration | Dioralyte® | £2.25 (6 sachet) £6.72 (20 sachet) | Available in plain, blackcurrant and citrus flavour. Available OTC. Infants under the age of two suffering from diarrhoea should be seen by a physician as soon as possible. |
| Antimotility agents |  Loperamide capsules - suitable for self-care. Codeine | 2mg capsules: £0.97 (30) 15mg tablets: £0.94 30mg tablets: £1.10 | Available OTC as generic loperamide, various own-brand products and as Imodium®. Do not prescribe as branded version owing to high cost. Just three days of codeine containing medicines can lead to addiction – The CCG strongly recommends that prescribers discuss the risk of addiction when initiating new patients on any opioid containing medication and that this discussion is recorded in the patient notes. Watch for increasing frequency of requests for prescriptions |
