to give medised/calpol night even though the age has changed?

[banana87]

DD is 2.11. I have given her Medised as needed from 1 year, as well as Calpol night as needed from 2 yrs. AS NEEDED means if she's ill, we've not given it to her just to get her to sleep. I was a nanny when Medised was ok from 3 months which is why I have given it after they changed the age.

I've told the GP this and they agree that it's fine if she needs it, but I've been made to feel like a really irresponsible parent by friends who say I shouldn't give it to her as she's under 6.

AIBU?

ahhh thanks everyone. OP said that but I have never heard of Calpol night and just assumed it was some sort of typo, sorry :o

Sedating can affect the area of the brain that controls breathing. Its that simple. Medised is very unlikely to cause this as its only small amounts of active sedative ingredient but personally I do think its overused and kids very rarely need sedatives unless they are in constant pain/have a chronic condition

DoMeDon - if the child falls into a deep sleep they are less likely to be aware of their breathing - it is hard to explain but IYSWIM. For children suffering croup, asthma and other breathing problems you have to be very careful what you give in terms of analgesia as they have to remain rousable.

As a HCP I wouldn't be inclined to give medised to a child under 6, apart from the reasons given above there was also some concern over night terrors/hallucinations caused by medised and similar.

NB - the dosing for paracetamol is also changing, it is of no urgency to do so but you will find over the next year or so the dose will drop by approx 2.5 ml. This is because it has been found that paracetamol is dosed to lean towards to the heaviest children in the population and although the current doses cause no harm to average sized children it is more than they need to be effective.

BimboNo5 thank you, you managed to explain that much better than my sleep deprived brain could!

seeker if a child has a fever, or is in pain then I feel it would be reasonable to offer pain relief. Would you tolerate a headache all day for no reason?

Are my kids the only ones that anti histamine/sedative type drugs never ever effect anyway? When DS was poorly last year with some kind of allergic reaction the A&E nurse all excitedly gave him some piriton claiming 'this will also help him off to sleep' yet he was still up gone 1am?

ah, but I was reading an (okay, old) issue of New Scientist an opinion on medicating flus and fevers, and they said that often, the medication is given, and other needs are overlooked.
It was a medical professional that said it, and they said that giving water to drink might be just as effective if the fever is low, becuase the fluids need topping up. often the medicine is given instead of extra fluids. (and this includes hospitals too)

These guidelines are not changed on a whim, or to make our lives as parents more difficult, or to withdraw a medicine that could help children.

The guidelines were changed because new research identified potential risk, that were not offset by a marked benefit for the child.

Not quite sure what I should think about your GP telling you that it is fine, tbh.

"seeker if a child has a fever, or is in pain then I feel it would be reasonable to offer pain relief. Would you tolerate a headache all day for no reason?"

If a child was in pain then yes of course give pain relief. But surely not without trying other methods first? And then surely the lowest level that will be effective? But automatically medicating a fever is not necessarily a good idea- there are loads of ways of making a child comfortable while letting their body get on with fighting whatever is causing the fever.

Medised and ca pol night are not just pain relievers and anti pyretics.

Up to you and what you feel you are comfortable with. I've never bought medised and never had it prescribed and wouldnt be happy using a sedative on a small child. Normal calpol or childrens ibroprofen have always sufficed on the odd occasion we have needed them.

domedon sedation can cause breathing difficulties as they can reduce the respiration rate which makes breathing difficult if a child (or adult for that matter) is already having trouble breathing properly due to a cold.
All sedative drugs have the possible side effect of breathing difficulty.

When my oldest Dd was a baby Medised could be given at 3 months. I have always given it to my girls if they have a bad cold to help them breathe at night. Just a spoon before bed, otherwise they are awake half the night sniffing and having stuffed up noses.

If you GP has said it is fine I would go by that to be honest and not what your friends think.

I used medised occasionally when my eldest was a baby-and it was still allowed. I can understand the decision to limit its availability though. My upstairs neighbour had a little boy 6 weeks younger than my dc1 and she used to give him medised every night to get him to sleep . Last time I saw her was on his 4th birthday, he still had medised regulrly and only ever slept 4 hours a night without fail.

Karvol, vics and steam is just as effective for bunged up noses though, sedatives are not

We give it to all of ours ( 2 below 6 now) when it's required ( snotty nose, fever and trying to get to sleep).
Our doctor told us the age had been changed because there had been some overdoses because parents didn't realise that it contained paracetamol, and have given them medised AND calpol ( or equivalent).
I would have no hesitation in giving a two year old medised if they were snotty and feverish.

YANBU :)

I do think it's bizarre when people think they know better than people who have studied the subject and come to an informed conclusion based on research.

I am amazed that people are happy to give q sedative medicine to a poorly baby. Surely a child that I'll should be under the care of a doctor anyway. And if they're not ill enough for the doctor, they they certainly not ill
enough to need sedatives!

Your best bet is to contact the pharmaceutical company that makes the drug. They will know it back to front, and will be able to tell you exactly why it was changed. I doubt they would have changed it for no reason, especially as it majorly decreased their potential market. they should have a helpline number either on the packet or on their website.

Me too, Seeker.

"We always gave it to our babies and they were fine".

Well, lucky you.

Obviously there is some cause for concern as otherwise the product would still be available for under 6yos.

Ive done traning for administrating medication, and basically, you need to follow what the GP says, so I would follow his/her advice

You don't need to go to the trouble of contacting the company: as 4ForkSake linked higher up this thread, the accurate information is readily available.

The potential for overdose also exists, but was not the reason for the ban (first implemented in Australia, about a year before the change here and worldwide).

I think based on what I've read and my doctors opinion I will continue to use medised. Also, it really does seem to work when DD has a bad cold. Similar to tixylix night cough was the only thing that stopped her coughing at night a few months back (after trying everything else!).

I would say that your GP is not up to date with his/her BNF - a responsible pharmacist would not sell this drug for a child under 6.

The thing is the GP says it's ok but how are you going to buy it if they can't prescribe it as pharmacies aren't legally allowed to sell you it? You'd have to lie about your DD age.