That kitchen spoon might be fine for stirring up some warm chili or perfect pasta sauce, but as a medicine dispenser it is lacking.

Household spoons are not a recommended medication measuring devices. If you took five different teaspoons from five different kitchens, they would all measure just a little differently.

Spoon dosing is a major cause of dosing errors and pediatric poisonings, according to a recent study cited in the Annals of Internal Medicine.


There are even some adults out there who aren’t even trying to measure, with some assuming a swig from a medicine bottle is sufficient.

While such disregard for expected doses is rarer when it comes to pills, there are some patients out there who assume that no matter what the medication may be, more is better.

More people than you would expect self-medicate, although an equally vexing problem would be people who miss doses or deliberately use less medicine than they’re prescribed.

Dosages are especially critical among children. While many medications may have some leeway, others, such as breathing medications and cough syrups do carry a possible risk of overdose.

In November, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration unveiled its Safe Use Initiative, a program aimed at reducing the likelihood of preventable harm from medication use.

In addition, the organization made public new guidance for companies that manufacture, market or distribute over-the-counter liquid medications packaged with dosage delivery devices such as calibrated cups, droppers, syringes and spoons.

Accidental overdoses can be caused by dosage delivery devices that are unclear or are inconsistent with the labeled dosing instructions, the FDA said in a news release, with many accidental overdoses resulting from confusion about exactly how much of a drug to take.

Bottom line, use an approved measuring device for medication dosing!