to want to complain about Calpol?

[LeMousquetaireAnonyme]

I want my sick child to stay sick and rest!
Is it too much to ask? She needs it!
Past 38.5 last night I gave some Calpol to my almost 2 yo. She became bonkers and ran all over the place for 2 h and finally went to bed 2 hours later than usual. It is not the 1st time and it did happen again after her nap today.

Most of the recovery is resting and sleeping especially in a small child.

DH calls it children's cocaine, may he is right. Can I have something which will hep the fever and the pain without sending them in another dimension? please!

PS; nurofen is no better except it is not bright pink, but has to be taken on a full stomach . Why on hearth does calpol need to be fluorescent anyway?

Thanks nohun for that article! interesting! Wait and see is what I did last night in the end. DD2's behaviour was certainly not normal after the medicine.

I checked the ingredients and panadol "only" have malic acid, E122, xantham malitol sorbitol, nipasept, and citric acid.
I would guess she is reacting to the E122.

I tried to get "real sugar" medicines before as DD1 eczema is triggered by sweeteners, but IME pharmacists and GPs won't give it.

Anyway, DD1 use to go very high in temperature very quickly and would have 40 easily even for a small cold.
DD2 seem much better with fever so I will try to sponge her now on.
< I have to berate myself daily: "they are 2 completely different human beings", in that case "no need to panic if DD2 has a fever">

Lyssa that what DD2 seem to have had. From the article link by nohun:

Why would you need the gp to get a sugar calpol? Pick one up off the shelf in asda!

Not in the Uk anymore, so I can't get medicines without going to a pharmacist but when I was in the UK with DD1, old fashion sugared medicines weren't on the shelves.
I don't like to self medicate my children anyway, and often drop some of the doc. suggestions, if I feel they are not absolutely necessary.

YADNBU. They do colour free calpol in the UK now but it costs more. No advice I am afraid... I am still trying my way through different brands to find something that makes mine better not worse!

YANBU to question the use of particular medicines in your DC - though fortunately DS doesn't react to nurofen or calpol, and we use them rarely (though when he was in hospital with croup and a nasty bacterial throat infection, we used them as lot. For a good 10 days).

A poster above suggested sponging - this is NOT recommended for children and can in fact be quite risky:

RCN Guidance on caring for a child with fever

Seriously, you go to the GP to lower a fever?

And if you don't like to medicate, for that sort of fever you can easily just get DD in bed and let her rest.

DS reacts like this to Calpol too. We now use the Galpharm version (usually found in the poundshop) if we have to give him any. They have proven now though that a temp does them no harm and can actually help them get well quicker, so if they're not in pain, leave them to it

I used to give mine soluble paracetamol once they reached six. Much easier to drink it.

Mine goes loopy too.

Lueji of course I don't go to the GP to lower a fever Do you want me to detail all my life and my children's on the internet?

I am seeing her doc in an hour, so will ask her to give me something else.

Imno I do like you. She did needed it (fever and pain) and will probably will again if she gets CP so better have something which doesn't make her crazy. Will check the Galphram version.

Almo I have some powder for DD1 but DD2 is too small to take it.

imnotaslimjim - ignoring a temperature is not necessarily a good thing for some children. DS2 has very sudden temperature spikes, and I can see visually that he has a temperature before I even touch him as he is actually shaking but floppy/lethargic - thank god not convulsing though as some children do. Temp will usually be over 40. I often have to double dose with both Calpol and Ibuprofen in order to get his temperature down enough to stop panicking. Still only gets it down to about 38.5 after an hour. I then have to wait the alloted time to give more of Calpol, and if not down to normal, more of Ibuprofen after a bit more time.

I think I'd go crazy if DS2 reacted badly to either of them. So sorry you have to go through that Op!

CCIC I am use to do that with DD1 even with calpol and nurofen, her temp is often around 38 when she is ill. I guess DD2 is very different, and I have to find what works for her.

Lueji - I once got called to nursery as ds was running a fever of 40.5 and was semi conscious. Three hours earlier he had been running around normally with no sign of any illness. He ended up in A&E but the fever dropped after stripping him down to his nappy and giving him some of the loopy juice calpol.

I was so glad I had witnesses to how he was earlier in the day, as I didn't think anyone would believe me.

Everyone's body is slightly different. People react in different ways to different illnesses. Sometimes you need to treat a fever, especially in very little kids because it can be too much for them. I don't bother if I am running a temperature so much, as I don't have the huge spikes that ds has - and which I do treat. Until I had ds I had never seen anything like it.

you can also get paracetamol suppositories. they work faster than oral solution and contain less additives as the active ingredient is captured in the fat that holds it together. you can get it without prescription but the chemist might have to order it as some don't stock it.

Calpol certanly used to list on the side effects possible hyperactiveness. So complaining won't do anything except them say "another parent who doesn't properly read the bottle".

Dd2 used to get hyperactive on it but I had a half hour window in which it initially made her drowzy. So I'd give it just as she fell asleep.

Yes I had this problem too with DD. Health visitor next door said that was why she always advised against calpol in favour of own brand paracetemol.

We find any other brand works ok (although none send her to sleep).

Ds was always very 'perky' after Calpol too! Iirc I used to buy Boot's own brans and it was a little more calming.

do what i do get your doctor to prescribe your lo pain relief and then the pharmacist will sort it out for you free of charge

calpol normally makes my children go to sleep! Have you tried the sugar free one?

Thanks galli it is sugar free. My children can take sugar anyway I have never experience that before. I'd rather have sugar than sweeteners.

The doc. said to stop any paracetamol product, just in case it is not due to an additive. I still think that the E122 is the culprit though.
And of course no ibuprofen since she is entering the "might have chicken pox period". If she riches 40 I have to see the doc again or take her to hospital (depending on the timing), otherwise leave her unmedicated even at 39. The doc. decided to not give me anything, so I will have to get to her just to get a fever down next time, devon.

On the plus side her fever is down now and she is not in pain. FX she hasn't caught chicken pox or if she has she will react better than me or DD1.

If it was the sugar free one it could have been a mixture of the sweetners and colourings, ds goes nuts if he has Aspartame. We don't buy anything with sweetners in, full sugar everything here and ds is alot calmer for it!

I heart calpol. Its just lush.

I too never had any problems

My dgs reacts badly to Calpol, we now give himm colourless pain relief just ask pharmacist.

I love Calpol. I always try a little bit first to make sure it's safe for my DC.

Can't be too careful you know, it might have gone off since I took my last swig