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Diastat
Diagnosis & Treatment > Seizure Medications > Diastat > Dosing and titration of Diastat
 

Dosing and titration of Diastat

The following information is adapted from the package insert for Diastat.

Calculating Prescribed Dose
The Diastat dose should be individualized for maximum beneficial effect. The recommended dose of Diastat is 0.2-0.5 mg/kg depending on age.

Age (years) Recommended Dose
2 through 5: 0.5 mg/kg
6 through 11: 0.3 mg/kg
12 and older: 0.2 mg/kg

Because Diastat is provided in fixed, unit-doses of 5, 10, 15 and 20 mg, the prescribed dose is obtained by rounding upward to the next available dose. The following table provides acceptable weight ranges for each dose and age category, such that patients will receive between 90% and 180% of the calculated recommended dose. The safety of this strategy has been established in clinical trials.

Diastat

The rectal delivery system includes a plastic applicator with a flexible, molded tip available in two lengths, designated for convenience as “Pediatric”, “Universal” and “Adult”. The 2.5 and 5 mg dosages are available with a 4.4 cm Pediatric tip, the 10 mg dosage is available with a 4.4 cm Universal tip and the 15 and 20 mg dosages are available with a 6.0 cm Adult tip. It is important to note that if a 15 mg dose is to be administered to a pediatric patient utilizing the plastic applicator with a pediatric tip, prescriptions must be written for 2 different twin packs, one for the 5 mg dosage and one for the 10 mg dosage.

The prescribed dose of Diastat should be adjusted by the physician periodically to reflect changes in the patient’s age or weight. It is recommended that dosage be reviewed at six month intervals.

A 2.5 mg dose is available for use as a supplemental dose. This dose may be prescribed at the discretion of the physician for patients who require more precise dose titration than is achieved using one of the four standard doses provided. The 2.5 mg dose may also be used as a partial replacement dose for patients who may expel a portion of the first dose.

Additional Dose
The prescriber may wish to prescribe a second dose of Diastat. A second dose, when required, may be given 4-12 hours after the first dose.

Treatment Frequency
It is recommended that Diastat be used to treat no more than five episodes per month and no more than one episode every five days.