how much paracetamol (and similar) for corona?

[fartyface]

We have built up a little stock of "flu" relief medications - mostly paracetamol and ibuprofen.

I have worked on the basis of a full dose per day of each, but I am not sure how many days to plan for. 2 weeks? 3 weeks?

Anyone decided on a duration?

[GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat]

You’ll still be able to receive deliveries so a couple of days worth should be fine.

[fartyface]

but they only let you have 2 lots per delivery,
and you are banking on people staffing the major supermarkets.

We each went to 6 shops today to build a stash. I wont want to be doing that if it is everywhere. Let alone the fact that there were clearly some supply issues already around the place.

[gamerchick]

You’ll still be able to receive deliveries so a couple of days worth should be fine

That's where the immune with no families to care for work, definitely

[GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat]

Only if you’re actually hysterical enough to believe the whole country will go down with it in the same two week period! Meanwhile on planet realistic...

[fartyface]

Preppers topic @georgie did you wander here by mistake?

I am not that enthusiastic about watching my children struggle with some form of flu with nothing to help take the pain away. Mild or otherwise I tend to take paracetamol if I feel unwell.

[GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat]

Yes I did actually. It popped up in Active. Carry on prepping.

[gamerchick]

You're probably better off buying the bottles of cold and flu stuff OP. I've got different types and night and day nurse handy anyway.

[GiveMeAllTheGin8]

I got two weeks worth of paracetamol. Only have about two days worth of ibuprofen so need to get more!
Also have plenty of calpol and nurofen for kids

[EgonSpengler2020]

A high temperature is an important part of your bodies immune response. Paracetamol and other antipyretics have been shown to lengthen illnesses due to suppressing the high temperature.

Try as much as possible to let your body do it's thing. Do not plan from the outset to take paracetamol to is full daily dose. I tend to try to just take it at bedtime to get a good night's sleep of I'm ill.

Definitely do not use it as a means to make yourself feel well enough to go out and about if/when infected with Covid as this is how infections get spread about.

[Pegase]

Is that true @EgonSpengler2020 ?

I mean I know the temp is part of immune response etc but my DD was hospitalised with high temp once and paeds dr very emphatic that high temps in children need to be brought down to prevent other complications.

[EgonSpengler2020]

@pegase

www.nursingtimes.net/archive/does-giving-paracetamol-to-lower-raised-temperature-interfere-with-the-bodys-natural-defence-response-to-infection-08-01-2010/

This is a fairly good basic explanation. You would need to do a Google scholar search if you want to go into more depth.

But admittedly when you're feeling like crap, it's so easy to reach for the paracetamol/lemsip to feel almost instantly better!!

[awesomeaircraft]

With the temperature argument, I think one has to look at the whole picture, how the child is... I tend to not dose low fevers (under 38.5 /39 C depending on how fit the child is otherwise - eating, playing, feeling crap) to allow for natural healing but dose over.

Like @Pegase I had a child hospitalised for febrile convulsion despite using paracetamol at the time. The hospital staff were clear that it was priority to bring down high fever.

[Caspianberg]

I thought you shouldn't be taking paracetamol or ibuprofen for more than 3 days at a time without a doctors recommendation. Ibuprofen especially is dodgy for kidney damage and stomach problems.

So I would doubt you need 2-3 weeks worth of constant full dosage per person, otherwise you could cause more issues than a temperature. 2 basic packets per adult should be sufficient.

[awesomeaircraft]

@Caspianberg, yes, my DM is a nurse and despises Ibuprofen because of the stomach problems it can create (I realise it does not for everyone every time by the way!). As a result I use paracetamol first and only use Ibuprofen if paracetamol is not sufficient, but I ask the kids to drink milk with it. I know it seems mad but I heard too many stories from my DM!

[bellinisurge]

I know the theory about letting a fever do it's work but I suffered febrile convulsions from fever as a child - over 50 years ago - and its one of the few things that made my late Mum go ashen just talking about her experience as a young mum with a sick baby (me).
I'd always be inclined to use fever reducing medicine.

[INeedNewShoes]

I'd avoid taking paracetamol unless your temperature is seriously high. A moderate fever is part of your body's way of fighting the virus. Much better to let your body get on with its job than to suppress it.

I only give DD paracetamol if her temperature is above about 38.8. and if she seems absolutely fine and happy playing, I wouldn't medicate at all.

[Funkycats]

I had that conversation with my doctor when my child was hospitalised with febrile convulsions (despite being given calpol)
He said that it's a fine balance between the high temperature killing bugs and a high temperature killing the child. That we tend to forget that lots of children didn't make it to adulthood in the old days.

[PatriciaBateman]

NICE report that paracetamol/ibuprofen don't prevent febrile convulsions and shouldn't be used for this.

I remember reading elsewhere that it is rapid change that actually triggers the convulsion rather than the degree of the temperature - so a low temp suddenly becoming high or vice versa.

www.nice.org.uk/donotdo/antipyretic-agents-do-not-prevent-febrile-convulsions-and-should-not-be-usedspecifically-for-this-purpose

[PatriciaBateman]

Having said that, I do use paracetamol/ibuprofen for my own kids if they are mildly ill - mainly for their comfort, so they drink plenty, and sleep well.

But if they are at the laying-on-couch stage, I allow the fever, watch them closely, and drip-feed plenty of fluid. If they are that unwell, I don't want them running around playing, and I want the fever to do its work of fighting the infection.

[DesLynamsMoustache]

Why are you going round six different shops?! You can order 100 at a time online at places like Weldricks Pharmacy. We do this routinely (not preppers) so we always have a stock in.

[awesomeaircraft]

@DesLynamsMoustache - thanks, I never knew.

[MissPoldark]

Check out Dr John Campbell on fevers....

m.youtube.com/watch?v=wBHyBrbU6EI