Meds: A - E

DDAVP (Desmopressin Acetate)

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(des-moe-PRES-in) (AS-e-tate)

What is DDAVP (Desmopressin Acetate) ?

DDAVP is a medication that takes the place of ADH (Antidiuretic hormone), which is normally made and released from the pituitary gland. The main role of ADH is to decrease the amount of urine made by the kidneys. DDAVP can be used to control Diabetes Insipidus (DI) or to treat bedwetting.

Special Instructions

It is very important to follow all of the instructions that come with the medication
Keep this medication in the refrigerator (do not freeze)
Give only the dose prescribed by your child's doctor
It is important to give DDAVP at approximately the same time each day
Closed bottles are good at room temperature for 3 weeks
Keep this medication out of the reach of children
Do not use after the expiration date on the bottle/package
If too much medicine is taken by accident, call the Drug and Poison Information Center (DPIC), 513-636-5111 or 1-800-222-1222, or call your child's doctor immediately

If a dose is missed

For any medication information related to your child's dosing schedule and/or missed doses, contact the healthcare provider who prescribed the medication.

Side Effects

Contact your child's doctor if these symptoms persist or become troublesome:

Nose bleed
Runny nose
Dizziness

Warning Signs

Contact your child's doctor immediately if he/she experiences any of the following:

Sudden weight gain of more that 10% body weight
Confusion
Excessive sleepiness
Headache
Shaking / Seizures
Nausea / Stomach ache

How to Administer Medication

How to give this medication to your child:

1. Pull the plastic tag on the neck of the bottle.

2. Break security seal and remove plastic cap.

3. Twist off the small seal from the dropper. Keep this and put it back on the bottle after dispensing the dose to prevent leakage.

4. The drug is administered by a soft, flexible, plastic rhinal tube which has dose marks at 0.2, 0.15, 0.1 and 0.05 mL.
Take the arrow-marked part of the tube in one hand and place the fingers of the other hand around the cylindrical part of the dropper bottle.

Insert the tip of the dropper in a downward position into the arrow-marked end of the tube and squeeze the dropper until the solution has reached the desired calibration mark.

The dose is measured from the arrow-marked end of the tube to the appropriate calibration.

Disconnect the tube from the bottle by withdrawing the bottle quickly downwards. In order to prevent air bubbles from forming in the tube, maintain constant pressure on the dropper.

If you have trouble filling the tube, talk to your child's doctor or pharmacist for information on using a diabetic or tuberculin syringe to draw up the dose and load the tube.

5. Have your child try to gently blow their nose to remove any mucous.

Gently insert the arrow-marked end of the rhinal tube into your child's nose.

6. Place the other end of the tube in your mouth and give a short, strong puff to distribute the medication into your child's nasal passage.

You may also use a larger syringe (5-10 cc) to blow the medication into your child's nasal passage.

Older children can be taught to blow in their own medication by following the steps listed below

Fill the rhinal tube as above and insert in ~ ¾ inch into the nose.
Put the other end of the tube into the mouth.
Hold breath, tilt the head back and then blow with a short, strong puff through the tube so that the solution reaches the right place in the nasal cavity.

7. Reseal the dropper tip and close the bottle with the plastic cap. Wash the tube in water and shake it well to remove any excess water before putting away.