This book provides a guide to approximately 175 drugs used with children. An introduction precedes the three major sections of the guide. Section 1 provides an overview of pharmacology and therapeutics in chapters on the basics of pharmacology, the language of pharmacology and therapeutics, compliance, side effects, and medications in school. Section 2 presents information about specific medical conditions common to school-aged children, including the biological basis for the condition, estimates of incidence, the rationale for therapy, the types of drugs used for treatment, and a glossary of terms related to the medical condition or drugs. Tables provide quick reference guides to the uses, names, dosage requirements, side effects, and potential interactions of individual drugs or drug classes. Conditions covered include attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder, asthma, colds and allergies, diabetes, epilepsy, infections and infestations, mental and emotional disorders, and pain and fever. Appendices comprise the third section and include common side effects, a list of drugs, information resources, schedules of controlled substances, a list of certified regional poison control centers, Canadian drug names, and a short bibliography. Also included are photographs of some common drugs. (DB)