Multivitamin with fluoride is a combination dietary supplement that contains different vitamins and minerals, including fluoride. This supplement is typically used in children at high risk for cavities, such as those living in communities where the drinking water doesn't contain enough fluoride. Multivitamin with fluoride is taken by mouth and comes in various formulations, such as tablets, chewable tablets, and liquid suspensions.
Dietary supplement
Multivitamin with fluoride is a combination dietary supplement. It contains:
Multivitamins made up of several important vitamins and minerals your body needs to support many functions.
Fluoride protects your teeth from acid and damage caused by bacteria in the mouth.
Source: DailyMed
Some brands have fruit-flavored drops for better taste
Liquid suspensions come with a dropper to make measuring and giving the medication easier
Conveniently combines many vitamins and minerals in a single form
Available as a lower-cost, generic medication
Each product has different active ingredients
Difficult to customize the dose since multivitamin with fluoride is a combination of many ingredients
Might not be recommended to take with dairy or foods
Available as a prescription only
There are several available brands of multivitamin with fluoride available. Make sure to carefully read the label on the packaging for the list of ingredients as well as the specific directions on how to take the medication. Ask your child's provider about what dose your child should take before starting the medication.
Tell your provider or pharmacist about all the medications and supplements you're taking before starting multivitamin with fluoride to make sure there are no interactions. You might need to give multivitamin with fluoride to your child at least 2 hours before or after taking food or medications with calcium, aluminum, or magnesium. These supplements might lower the amount of fluoride your child's body absorbs.
Make sure to check the ingredients of your toothpaste, food, and drinks to see if they contain fluoride. Before giving your child multivitamin with fluoride, ask their healthcare provider for guidance on using other products that contain fluoride. Having too much fluoride in the body can lead to side effects (e.g., changes in how the teeth look).
Store multivitamin with fluoride at room temperature and out of reach of children so that they don't accidentally take too much. If your child accidentally took multivitamin with fluoride and you notice them vomiting up blood or having diarrhea and stomach pain, call your local Poison Control Center right away at 1-800-222-1222.
More tips for the chewable tablets
Make sure to chew the tablets, don't swallow them whole. This will allow the medication to work best.
Chewable tablets aren't typically recommended for children under 4 years old. This type of tablet can be a choking hazard. If your child is under 4 years old, talk with their provider about the best multivitamin with fluoride options for them.
More tips for the oral (by mouth) suspension
Shake the suspension well before use. Make sure to use the dropper that comes with the medication to measure the dose. Don't use household spoons, because they aren't accurate and might cause you to give your child the wrong dose.
Fill the dropper to the appropriate line based on your child's dose. Then, squeeze the dropper bulb in your child's mouth to give your child the medication. It's normal for a small amount of medication to be in the tip of the dropper after giving your child the dose.
More tips for iron-containing products
Make sure to tell your provider and pharmacist about all the medications you're taking before starting multivitamin with fluoride, especially if you're taking antacids (e.g., calcium carbonate (Tums)), tetracycline antibiotics, or fluoroquinolone antibiotics). These can interact with the iron in multivitamin with fluoride. Don't start any new medications without talking to your or your child's provider or pharmacist first.
If your child is using a multivitamin with fluoride supplement that contains iron, don't use any other iron supplements. This can lead to too much iron in your body, which can cause side effects, such as nausea, constipation, or diarrhea. And if the iron levels are too high, your child can experience serious toxicity.
Multivitamin with fluoride can change the color of your stool, which is a common, but harmless, side effect of iron supplements. Don't be alarmed if you see your stool turn a green or tarry-black color.
Multivitamin with fluoride can cause some serious health issues. This risk may be even higher for certain groups. If this worries you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about other options.
Taking too much fluoride can cause a condition called fluorosis that can cause changes to your child's teeth. Additionally, ingesting large amounts of fluoride at one time can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain. If your child experiences any of these symptoms while taking multivitamin with fluoride, call their healthcare provider or contact a Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 right away.
Risk factors: Taking too much iron | Receiving multiple blood transfusions | Medical problems that raise your blood iron level | Children under 6 years of age
If your child takes multiple supplements that contain iron or take a higher dose of iron supplements than recommended, there's a chance that their iron level will become too high. This is dangerous because it can lead to problems such as tears in the gut, seizures, and liver damage. Your child's provider might regularly do blood tests to check their iron level if they're taking multivitamin with fluoride that also contains iron. Let your provider know right away if your child experiences symptoms of too much iron, such as nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and diarrhea.
Accidental overdose of iron-containing products can be extremely harmful to children under 6 years of age. Keep iron/folic acid supplement out of reach of children so that they don't accidentally take it. If your child took iron/folic acid supplement and you notice them vomiting up blood or having diarrhea and stomach pain, call your local Poison Control Center right away at 1-800-222-1222.
Different brands of multivitamin with fluoride supplements have different kinds and amounts of vitamins and fluoride. Some brands also contain iron. Please read the manufacturer label of your child's product for specific directions.
Ask your child's provider about the dose you should give to your child before starting the medication.
Use in children age less than 6 months
Live in areas with adequate fluoride levels in drinking water
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