Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

to think that the label on the new dosage Calpol is very subtle?

30 replies

MonaLotte · 08/10/2011 18:42

Just bought a new bottle of sugar free Calpol as DS2 is teething and couldn't remember the dosage for a 1 year old. I looked on the label and noticed that all the dosages have changed.

I know that you are supposed to check the label each time but they could have made it a bit more obvious. It is a tiny yellow corner at the top that says "New Dosage".

The amount of paracetamol in each 5mg is the same as the old Calpol that I have.

AIBU to think they could have made it stand out a bit more?

OP posts:

purplewednesday · 08/10/2011 18:45

I think the amount of mls you give per age is changing.

For 1 - 6 it is currently 5 - 10 mls but its changing to be 5 mls for younger ones, then 7.5, then 10mls for older ones.

purplewednesday · 08/10/2011 18:45

But you are right, they should make it very obvious that there is a change!

blackeyedsusan · 08/10/2011 18:53

the pharmacist/assistant should have flagged it up to you.

Original poster

MonaLotte · 08/10/2011 18:56

I just bought it off the shelf at the supermarket (small bottle). You only need to get it from the pharmacist if it is the bigger bottle.
I am in Scotland so maybe it is different elsewhere in the UK?

OP posts:

Trills · 08/10/2011 18:57

The same amount of paracetamol in 5 mg?

Wow, super-powered Calpol, that sounds dangerous! :o

Trills · 08/10/2011 19:00

The BBC says that instructions are changing slowly over the whole of this year. The stuff itself has not changed so really I think YABU to be terribly bothered.

If it previously said all children should have between X and Y spoonfuls then presumably you were already giving your small child an amount near the bottom end of that range. Your behaviour (if you were already interpreting the instructions in a sensible manner) is unlikely to change.

Original poster

MonaLotte · 08/10/2011 19:09

Oops! I meant 5ml! It's my first AIBU

I am not really annoyed or fuming or anything but just think it should be a bit more obvious is all but if I am BU then fair enough :o

OP posts:

Trills · 08/10/2011 19:23

YANBU to think it's subtle, but since the instructions are "basically do what you were doing before, but we've made it clearer and more precise in case you're not sure" I don't think it needs to be anything other than subtle.

(tell me if I'm wrong but the dose range hasn't changed, it's just been broken down more by age, right?)

oldraver · 08/10/2011 19:30

I think the dosages before are a bit ambiguous. I've given DS Piriton for the first time he is nearly six and and the dosage range is 1-6 and 6-12. I think there is an awful lot of difference between a one year old and 6 year old and I think there is scope to overdo at the younger end of the range.

With Paracetemol I always go by DS's weight as he is small for age

myBOYSareBONKERS · 08/10/2011 19:50

They always under dose on medicines. I am a nurse so I work out what is needed by weight and dose accordingly

A1980 · 08/10/2011 20:01

AIBU to think they could have made it stand out a bit more?

Yes YABU. There is a yellow stripe right down the front of the box, with text on it, telling you that there is a new dosing schedule. If that is not enough to make you read the bottle and the dosing information before giving it to a young child then i don't know waht to say.

PenguinArmy · 08/10/2011 20:04

I don't understand why it still given by age rather than weight up to a certain age anyway. That's how most of them were labelled in the US when we were there which makes much more sense.

CardyMow · 08/10/2011 20:23

My GP advised me with DS1 (very tall, and a healthy weight for his height) to dose by his weight, rather than his age - as the dose for his age (9yo) is roughly half what they would give for someone his SIZE (the size of the average 12yo, both height and weight). GP told me to give DS1 the same dose of medicine as you'd give a 12yo - i.e. one adult paracetamol tablet. This was why the pain releif he was taking before wasn't working - it wasn't enough for his body size.

Surely it's obvious to people that if the dosage says : Age 1-6yo, 5ml - 10ml, you'd give a 1yo 5ml and a 6yo 10ml??

hayleysd · 08/10/2011 20:25

The new packs have a pink line down the side of the box saying new dosage in big letters, I bought an old bottle and the pharmacist told me the new dose.

Original poster

MonaLotte · 08/10/2011 20:26

A1980 as I said before on my bottle it is just one triangle at the top left corner of the box. No stripe.

I do agree with you, if mine had the stripe that would be noticeable, but mine does not. (The box is different shape to the old style too, it had concave edges, rather than a normal rectangle shape).

So maybe I have a different box to you? I just bought it yesterday.

OP posts:

A1980 · 08/10/2011 20:38

No it sounds like the same. But as the packaging had changed, I noticed immedaitely. I don't know how anyone could miss it?

AchtungBaby · 08/10/2011 20:49

We had to take DS to A+E recently, and a paediatrician there calculated the dose of Calpol and Neurofen that he should be given based on his weight rather than his age - it was quite scary, as we'd been under-dosing him on Calpol, and over-dosing him on Neurofen. I'm not sure why the companies use age rather than weight .

oldraver · 08/10/2011 21:05

Hunty Surely it's obvious to people that if the dosage says : Age 1-6yo, 5ml - 10ml, you'd give a 1yo 5ml and a 6yo 10ml??. I would agree, and thats how I think (though preferring myself to go by weight). But I can see how there may be people who would think it ok to give 'up to' the age range

Pseudo341 · 08/10/2011 21:52

"Hunty Surely it's obvious to people that if the dosage says : Age 1-6yo, 5ml - 10ml, you'd give a 1yo 5ml and a 6yo 10ml??. I would agree, and thats how I think (though preferring myself to go by weight). But I can see how there may be people who would think it ok to give 'up to' the age range"

Not only do I think that it's okay but I've done it (not often since it's not often necessary). The problem is that dosage is meant to be calculated by weight not age, 5ml per stone according to both my GP and pharmacist. I gave DD more than 5ml on occasion before she was one (doctor told me to, not suggesting anyone else do the same), because she's huge. I think the only reason they do it by age on the bottle is that if they did it by weight there's too much potential for people to get it wrong and overdose their kids. I think they should give details of both so that you can make an informed decision, if you've got a tiny baby you probably don't want to give them the full 10ml the second they turn one but for really big babies 5ml isn't going to be effective enough a lot of the time.

rushofbloodtothefeet · 08/10/2011 21:57

I don't understand why we do it by age either.

Was recently in France, and after a late night visit to A&E (thank you DS ) had cause to buy both paracetamol and ibuprofen locally. Both bottles came with a long syringe type thing that measured the dosage based on weight (you drew the plunger up marks on the side until it matched the child's weight). You had to use the specific syringe for the specific medicine, but they were both clearly marked and were in very different colours that matched the bottle.

If the French can manage it, why can't we - are we thick?

Pseudo341 · 08/10/2011 22:02

I think they assume we are, though being realistic I expect a some people would get it wrong if left to work out 5ml per stone. That French syringe sounds brilliant, they should definitely bring it it out over here.

LittleMissFlustered · 08/10/2011 22:02

I love the syringe idea! Sound superb. Mind you, I wouldn't be able to tell you what either of my kids weigh as we don't have any scales in the house unless you count my baking ones!

Pseudo341 · 08/10/2011 22:05

I'm picturing harrassed sleep deprived parents trying to balance a screaming baby on the kitchen scales at 3am. Might be a good idea to still print low dose guidelines on age just in case.

CardyMow · 08/10/2011 22:06

But if it is 5ml per stone - does that mean that my 21lb2oz 8mo DS3 should be having 7.5ml?? Because I wouldn't feel 'safe' giving him that large a dose. As he is under 1yo, I have been giving him 2.5ml.

rushofbloodtothefeet · 08/10/2011 22:07

Maybe it's because we are not wholly metric like the continentals are, the syringes were gradated by kilograms. Fortunately I work in Kg so didn't need to worry about a conversion. The pharmacists asked about the weight of the child when dispensing, so we could have sorted out any problems then.

Of course a syringe could have more than one set of gradations - but that would be confusing wouldn't it

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread