DD has only ever slept through the night with painkillers

[Yadhap]

Expecting to get flamed by some for this but would really appreciate anyone who could help me make sense of this.

DD is 14 months old. Was a decent sleeper from birth but all went downhill at 3m and she was absolutely dreadful until 12m when she started sleeping bigger chunks each night (maybe only waking once).

We give her calpol/nurofen before bed when we think she’s teething. She has 8 teeth and currently has two molars coming through. They are halfway out but not all the way out despite the fact they first little sharp edge appeared over two months ago. She always seems to be teething - I think hers take a while to move but I’m always hesitant to blame everything on teeth.

In the last couple of months she’s slept through the night a few times but ONLY when she’s had calpol/nurofen before bed. So for example, in the last seven days she’s slept through the night after having calpol before bed but the two nights we didn’t give her anything she took ages to go to sleep and also woke in the night for 1hr and we ended up having to give her calpol to get her back down.

Can anyone help me make sense of this? Surely if she was in that much pain she’d wake again when the calpol wore off? Can teething really cause this? Or is it a complete coincidence?

I feel like I give her too much calpol. I don’t have an issue giving it to her if I know she’s in pain but if I gave it to her every night she’s teething I would have had to give it to her every night for the past two months as that is genuinely how long these molars have been coming through.

I can't read the telegraph article because I'm not a member but here's a screenshot from the sun (sorry)

I've had kids brought into A&E with raging temperatures and obviously feeling super shitty, the first thing we ask is 'have you given calpol?' Its kept in triage as 99% of parents will say 'no because I wanted you to see how sick they were' and I have to say 30 mins after having calpol and being stripped off most not all children are playing and sitting up, we don't have a waiting area of comatose children

I could have written this, not for the want of my child to sleep through because for 23 months she's been a shite sleeper but she always seems to have teething problems or reasons to give her some most nights.

I worry I give it to her too much too.

Calpol is not a sedative!
OP my DS had a very hard time teething and I felt like I was giving it all the time too but in reality he was in pain and he needed it.
Please don't beat yourself up.

To the poster upthread who said, give her a placebo and tell her it's calpol - she's 14 months old.

My daughter used to give my toddler grandson calpol once a week so they both got one decent night's sleep a week.

I take 2 paracetamol before bed one night a week for the same reason.

I think your baby has sleep issues that will pass as she gets older but I don't see any harm in calpol a couple of times a week - a lot of mums resort to it in desperation.

Oh and he is 3 years old now and a very good sleeper, not addicted to calpol...surprisingly.

Have you tried things like frozen washcloth/bite ring? That "rub on gums"-numbing gel? Going straight to Calpol seems a bit odd.

Paracetamol, like any pain killer can lead to kidney damage, so it is really quite risky

Hi there. Please don't beat yourself up. I had a 14 month old a year ago and I absolutely get the constant teething thing. The period between about 13-18 months it felt constant and he has always suffered at teething times. I remember going to the gp to ask if it was ok to be giving him so much Calpol as a teething episode would last ages and I too found that the only thing that helped during the night was a dose before bedtime but was starting to feel awful about if. The GP reassured me that the guidelines on Calpol packages are extremely conservative and you'd have to be giving a child lots of doses every day for months at s time for it to have any significant negative effect. He gave me "permission" so to speak to use it as I saw fit if it helped teething which as a huge relief

It's weird...I've looked into the sleep thing online and everything I read is very clear that Calpol does not have a sedative effect. However logically I don't think it's a coincidence that they sleep longer. It's like any pain killer I guess. If it's removing discomfort then of course you are more likely to not wake up and have a more peaceful sleep

That said I do remember reading that the idea that babies wake consistently out of teething pain is a bit of a parental misconception and that even with the average molar teeth this would only affect on average about 2 or 3 nights sleep per teething cycle. But then I guess all kids are different

I wouldn't beat yourself up but if it's something you're a little worried about I'd suggest making sure of no Calpol during day whenever you could help or and when you do a bedtime dose make it say the smallest dose you could give rather than maximum. You could then gradually build to only having it on standby in case of a wake up tho I get that negates the point somewhat

I beat myself up about it but after about 18ms when teething slowed down I just stopped using it as much and we returned to irregular usage so I think it's a phase that'll pass

My DS3 was always in pain at night and it turned out to be undiagnosed dairy allergy. As soon as I cut out dairy from my diet and his then his sleep improved dramatically. Is there any chance it could be something similar?

@Yadhap I hope you come back to look at this thread and don't get put off by the pain relief shaming.

If you haven't done already. Take your DC to the GP. How are they in the day? Are they happy and alert or grumpy and miserable? It could be their teeth, it could be something else causing them pain. But please go and get it investigated.

My eldest was a miserable baby. He cried constantly. I was told it was normal. He actually had reflux and was in constant pain. Even now he is older, he as a lower pain threshold than his brother. He also gets everything worse. When the DC had chicken pox, DS2 had a handful of spots and was fine after a couple of days. DS1 was absolutely covered in spots and was very unwell for a week. Children are not robots. They are all different, with different pain thresholds.

CALPOL/PARACETAMOL IS NOT A SEDATIVE

Source: the British national formula
Further information on paracetamol for children:
www.medicinesforchildren.org.uk/paracetamol-mild-moderate-pain

@Yorkshiredolls say it louder for those in the back 🙌

I may sound Really bad saying this but someone told me to use cough medicine
So my dd wouldn't sleep at all and I just wanted to start that routine and someone told me just a touch of cough medicine and it should work

It worked wonders! Ever since for 2 years she's still going strong going to bed at 2 and sleeping. I did it for a week to get the continuous routine then stopped an she just stopped waking an just went to bed at 7 because she was shattered ?

@Yadhap I think you're getting a bit of a hard time about this.
My DC suffered terrible with teething. Tried absolutely everything, powders, gel etc. Nothing helped. The only thing that did help was Calpol/Nurofen before bed and again if he woke in the night and couldn't get back to sleep (all correct doses and time between doses).
I spoke to my gp about it as I was worried about keep giving him the meds. GP said as long as I keep within the recommended dose and times, it's fine even over a long time - he had calpol/nurofen on and off for about 18 months in the end. He would have the painkillers for between a few days to maybe a 2-4 week period, until teething settle for a bit. And then another period of a few weeks and so on.
Please do check with your GP for advice and reassurance though. Im just telling you about my experience to reassure you that you shouldn't be beating yourself up about it.
Good luck! Teething is the worst if your child suffers.

Sorry for shouting, I feel It had to be made clear there is a lot of misinformation on this thread. op, it sounds like your giving one dose in any 24 hour period. If youre giving the correct dose for the childs weight this in itself isnt likely To be harmful. However as you say your having to use it most nights to keep your child comfortable I think it would be sensible to speak to you GP about it to check its not something else thats causing them the discomfort

What @Yorkshiredolls said!

So much misinformation on here!

Firstly dont feel bad for trying to help your dd. My now 6 year old didnt sleep and seemed to be teething for years. She actually has only slept through the night 4 times in her life but that's another story. But I felt like I was giving her too much calpol too but she did need it for the teething. In hindsight I wonder did she have ear infections at the same time but I was too tired and exhausted to think that straight at the time. I would take her to the gp for a full ear, throat etc check . Ask their advice but at least you'll know if she has another issue going on that needs clearing up and that might be waking her. It's a tough time, nearly completely broke me but it does 100% get better!

Hi OP. Don't beat yourself up about this, but I would definitely get advice from gp or health visitor as you know this isn't normal.
As a dentist can I pick up on something else. Normal suspensions of calpol do contain a lot of sugar.
If you are giving your child a sugary syrup regularly during the night and not getting the opportunity to brush her teeth afterwards, it could have a damaging effect on her teeth.
And paracetamol is not a sedative. There used to be a magic potion called "Mediced" when my son was a baby. This contained paracetamol and a sedative antihistamine, which sent kids straight off to sleep!!! It has been discontinued now for obvious reasons.

Could your DD have developed a medication overuse headache?

People who use acute pain-relief medicine more than two or three times a week or more than 10 days out of the month can set off a cycle called 'medication overuse headache’

Lots of adults have this, I’m assuming children are no different.

It's weird that all the UK information leaflets say it doesn't make you drowsy but a poster upthread linked to an Australian information leaflet and it says that it does.

I had always assumed that drug information was the same no matter what country you're in.

The reason she sleeps better after calpol is she's NOT in pain and therefore able to sleep. Paracetamol given in the doses presribed will not damage the liver. Paracetamol is a fantastic pain management medication and the first medication we use on ward to relief pain.

Re teething: unfortunately teeth take ages to come in and probably the nights on which she's sleeping less is the cutting through the gum stage.

Teething powders, gels etc are fantastic and great to use alongside pain relief medication such a calpol. The sweet taste is to make it pleasant.

My ds had terrible trouble sleeping through as a baby - it doesn't last forever and you are doing the right things.

good luck

@wellthatsunusual

It's weird that all the UK information leaflets say it doesn't make you drowsy but a poster upthread linked to an Australian information leaflet and it says that it does.

I had always assumed that drug information was the same no matter what country you're in.

www.nps.org.au/medicine-finder/paracetamol-an-solution-for-infusion

That’s the official site for medicines for paracetamol in Australia. If you note there is no reference in the other link for drowsiness so not sure what they are basing it on.

I’m finding it very interesting that people are saying Calpol doesn’t have a sedative effect.
I can’t take paracetamol during the day as it makes me drowsy, I have to find an alternative painkiller.
If I take it before I go to bed, I tend to sleep much better.

@wellthatsunusual

It's weird that all the UK information leaflets say it doesn't make you drowsy but a poster upthread linked to an Australian information leaflet and it says that it does.

I had always assumed that drug information was the same no matter what country you're in.

The australian leaflet alludes to several Preparations of paracetamol including brands containing codeine. Codeine can certainly cause drowsiness, but it is not a component of infant paracetamol preparations in the Uk The leaflet isn’t clear which preparations these side effects refer to

Calpol doesnt sedate, but i think some people are more sensitive to aches and pains which keep them awake than others, and i presume this extends to kids too. I must admit if im struggling to sleep, a couple of paracetamol and an antihistamine quite often helps, yet neither are sedating in themselves