paracetamol

"Lara" wrote in message
...
Rosie wrote:

You can buy paracetamol specifically for babies - i.e. Calpol -

I just have to post on one of my pet peeves here. (feel free to tune
out, it's not directed at you Rosie!) Calpol lists its dosages in
"spoonfuls". Kitchen spoons are hopelessly inaccurate as measuring
devices, and can lead to overdosing to the tune of 50-100%, which for
paracetamol puts the dose square into the range of potentially permanent
liver damage.

Use a syringe to measure in mls, not a spoon.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming....

Lara

Calpol provide a spoon with two measured out sides, one is 2.5mls (which
would be the dosage size for teapot's baby) and 5mls,
the instructions on the box state the dosage.....................

--
Marie
Mum of 3
DD born 03/98, DS1 born 11/99 DS2 born 08/03

"Dawn Lawson" wrote in message
news:AULvb.462586$9l5.156084@pd7tw2no...


Lara wrote:

Rosie wrote:


You can buy paracetamol specifically for babies - i.e. Calpol -


I just have to post on one of my pet peeves here. (feel free to tune
out, it's not directed at you Rosie!) Calpol lists its dosages in
"spoonfuls".

seriously???
That labelling would never pass regulations here, I don't think.
I second the use of accurate measuring equipment

DAwn

This is what is written on the side of my Calpol bottle AND box that it
comes in

Under 3 months:
A single 2.5 ml dose for fever after vaccination at 2 months. A second dose
may be given if necessary, after 4-6 hrs. In other cases speak to your
doctor.
Age Dosage
3-12 months Half(2.5ml) to one 5ml
spoonful
1-6years One to two 5 ml
spoonfuls.


I really don't see any room for misunderstanding here........and i don't see
any reason that the person giving out the dose that the manufacturer intends
the use of the 5ml spoon contained in the box.

--
Marie
Mum of 3
DD born 03/98, DS1 born 11/99 DS2 born 08/03

Irish Marie wrote:
"Dawn Lawson" wrote in message
news:AULvb.462586$9l5.156084@pd7tw2no...


Lara wrote:


Rosie wrote:



You can buy paracetamol specifically for babies - i.e. Calpol -


I just have to post on one of my pet peeves here. (feel free to tune
out, it's not directed at you Rosie!) Calpol lists its dosages in
"spoonfuls".

seriously???
That labelling would never pass regulations here, I don't think.
I second the use of accurate measuring equipment

DAwn


This is what is written on the side of my Calpol bottle AND box that it
comes in

Under 3 months:
A single 2.5 ml dose for fever after vaccination at 2 months. A second dose
may be given if necessary, after 4-6 hrs. In other cases speak to your
doctor.
Age Dosage
3-12 months Half(2.5ml) to one 5ml
spoonful
1-6years One to two 5 ml
spoonfuls.


I really don't see any room for misunderstanding here.......

No, not now that I see it specifies clearly 5mls. Lara didn't mention
that, just that it was in spoonsful. It clearly says the dose in mls.

Thanks Marie

Dawn

Jacqui wrote:

Lara wibbled
Use a syringe to measure in mls, not a spoon.

Sod that, buy it in one-dose 10ml sachets. It even comes with a
measuring spoon for those 5ml half doses.

"one dose"? "Half dose"? Is everyone dosing paracetamol by broad age
categories, not by the weight of the individual child?

Lara "it's worse than I thought" Hopkins

Dawn Lawson wrote:

No, not now that I see it specifies clearly 5mls. Lara didn't mention
that, just that it was in spoonsful. It clearly says the dose in mls.

You're in pharmacy, Dawn? You've probably seen as many people as I have
who promptly lose the dosing spoon, then pull the silverware out of the
kitchen drawer for dosing, because the pack said "spoonfuls" and they
didn't really understand what that "ml" thing meant, so they went by the
spoonfuls. When you're labelling baby medication, you really do need to
assume that a significant minority of people (not most of the people in
this newsgroup, obviously) are scientifically and/or functionally
illiterate.

Lara

Lara wrote:

Dawn Lawson wrote:


No, not now that I see it specifies clearly 5mls. Lara didn't mention
that, just that it was in spoonsful. It clearly says the dose in mls.


You're in pharmacy, Dawn? You've probably seen as many people as I have
who promptly lose the dosing spoon, then pull the silverware out of the
kitchen drawer for dosing, because the pack said "spoonfuls" and they
didn't really understand what that "ml" thing meant, so they went by the
spoonfuls. When you're labelling baby medication, you really do need to
assume that a significant minority of people (not most of the people in
this newsgroup, obviously) are scientifically and/or functionally
illiterate.

Granted...I'm replying as I read, so you may have seen my other posts
where I mention how hopeless people can be with meds.
At *least* calpol DOES state the ml dosage. I couldn't believe it when
you said it was in spoonfuls, because you didn't mention that they did
specify 5ml spoonfuls or that it came with a measuring spoon.

I don't know what else could be written on the box, actually....there
ARE people, and rather a lot more than you might imagine, who are not
even illiterate, but just plain...well...stupid. What else could you
put? If the user doesn't "get" mls, how else could it be done? I agree
that perhaps the "spoon" reference will send them to the silverware, but
that kind of person is pretty hard to set straight no matter WHAT the
package says, ime.

Especially as the attitude seems to be that these medications are
harmless and that dosing prn at the whim of the parent is just fine, and
off label use totally unrelated to the drug's function isn't absurd.

Yes, I was in pharmacy prior to DS's arrival, and yes, we very regularly
saw all manner of people doing very foolish things with their
medications. (And drs rxing in bizarre ways...Paxil prn???) Even
bubble-packing medications, so that every dose was set out in sealed
packets and labeled for every use time, didn't stop people from abusing
or mis-using their medications. (Hence my cynicism that packaging in a
sachet will do squat for those determined to do their own thing wrt
medication.)

Dawn, agreeing it's a sorry state of affairs

Lara wrote:

You're in pharmacy, Dawn? You've probably seen as many people as I have
who promptly lose the dosing spoon, then pull the silverware out of the
kitchen drawer for dosing, because the pack said "spoonfuls" and they
didn't really understand what that "ml" thing meant, so they went by the
spoonfuls.

I gotta say, we have about 6 of the damn spoons all over the house...
:-)

But there are a lot more people who would dose off the mls than off the
spoonfuls...at least the ones I know.

When you're labelling baby medication, you really do need to
assume that a significant minority of people (not most of the people in
this newsgroup, obviously) are scientifically and/or functionally
illiterate.

Thirded :-).
--
'Tis Herself

teapot wrote:

Can anyone tell me if there are any adverse effects of paracetamol given
to babies?

My mother has problems with us giving P Tylenol/Paracetamol. She thinks
that baby aspirin (for pain only) is best. Mainly cause she has
questions about liver damage, etc. But we don't overdo it, and only use
it when he really needs it.

If he's teething, I have some Hyland's teething tablets that we don't
need/can't use anymore. People have had excellent results with them,
and they're homeopathic. I can toss them in the mail to you on
Monday...
--
'Tis Herself

"Herself" wrote in message
...
teapot wrote:

Can anyone tell me if there are any adverse effects of paracetamol given
to babies?

My mother has problems with us giving P Tylenol/Paracetamol. She thinks
that baby aspirin (for pain only) is best. Mainly cause she has
questions about liver damage, etc. But we don't overdo it, and only use
it when he really needs it.

--
'Tis Herself

Here by my doctor I was told not to give any form of aspirin, as there has
been a link found to Reye's syndrome.

--
Andrea mom of 5 - latest addition Kamron David 5 months 20lbs

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 09:05:07 +0000, (Herself) wrote:

teapot wrote:

Can anyone tell me if there are any adverse effects of paracetamol given
to babies?

My mother has problems with us giving P Tylenol/Paracetamol. She thinks
that baby aspirin (for pain only) is best. Mainly cause she has
questions about liver damage, etc. But we don't overdo it, and only use
it when he really needs it.

Aspirin, on the other hand, is contraindicated for under-12s because
of Reye's Syndrome, which can irretrievably damage the kidneys.
Whereabouts are you that you can still get baby aspirin?
--
Never knock an idea that started out on the back of a beer mat.
(Colin Pillinger, brains behind Beagle 2.)