To think the hospital should have prescribed calpol for my baby?

[PleaseLeaveVictor]

Ds3 is 9 months old and was admitted to hospital for the 2nd time on Monday in the last few weeks. He has a nasty chest infection, oral thrush, ear infection, tonsillitis and a viral wheeze. He was admitted via our walk in centre as his sats were very low.

Fortunately after nebulisers and inhalers he was ok and we were able to being him home with a prescription for thrush medicine and inhalers. We were told to give him dioralyte as he has diarreah and was a bit dehydrated and paracetamol for pain relief.

I had used the last of our calpol just before we had for to the doctors so I asked if we could have a prescription to get some more. I had spent over £10 on a taxi to the hospital as there were no transfers available and needed to spend the same amount to get back and I didn't have any spare money with me nor in the bank as I am broke until Friday.

I was told they wouldn't prescribe paracetamol or dioralyte as they were available to buy in boots (over £3 each) I did explain that I didn't have enough money and just got a shrug and a sigh. They eventually wrote a prescription for one sachet if dioralyte but not the paracetamol.

I could have used the taxi money to buy some but didn't want to take a sick baby on 4 buses in the dark, he was only wearing shorts and t shirt as we hasn't expected to be sent to hospital.

I called my mum and asked her to get me some medicine for him and luckily she could.

Should the doctor have prescribed pain reliefs and dioralyte?

Nice to see compassion is alive and well on MN. I don't think.

yanbu
I still get it on prescription(not calpol but liquid paracetemal sp)and dd is 17
hope your baby feels better soon

'Kal not only is what you're doing extremely dangerous and could kill a child, or an adult for that matter, it is also illegal. It is illegal to change/modify any medicine by crushing/liquidizing/diluting/chopping in half/anything else.'

Best report my GP then. And dd's paediatrician. Cos they told me to do this as dd has meds by tube. They are all crushed and diluted. We sit and work out the frigging dose! In fact, the whole children's hospital cos they gave us the tablet crusher and all the nurses use the damn things.

ICanTuckMyBoobsInMyPockets Wed 28-Mar-12 10:46:26
Kal not only is what you're doing extremely dangerous and could kill a child, or an adult for that matter, it is also illegal. It is illegal to change/modify any medicine by crushing/liquidizing/diluting/chopping in half/anything else.
I think you should report your post before you give anyone else this ridiculous idea.

can I just point out you are wrong.
dd has been on tablets that have to be cut into 4/ the half as dose increased.
the nurses at her school did it.
so you are wrong
(not with the para though)

Does your area operate a 'pharamcy first' minor ailment scheme?

Basically you can get certain over the counter medications free for certain conditions if you are eligible for free prescriptions eg a child. You get a form from the gp.

They don't give branded drugs but I know my friend used to get generic paracetamol for kids on it.

A 500 g tablet in 5mls of water when a cild needs 100 mg's = giving them 1 ml of the solution. Clearly the consultant paediatrician is wrong though.

Its very different in a hospital kal where people are trained to work out proper dosage, and where crushing or altering medication form is prescribed. And if there is an alternative form for medication to be administered it should be used instead of altering it, ie solution instead of crushing tablets.

This is current best practice. Do not do this at home

Yes you'd better had.
This is why they sell liquid paracetemol in the first place, and not tell you to just crush it up and put it in the baby's bottle of Ribena.

Horrified (like everyone else) at the idiotic suggestion of crushing adult paracetamol. The stupidly of some people is breathtaking.

OP. FWIW, I'm a doctor & we get told not to prescribe paracetamol & generally I don't but I have done & I would have done for you. It's about having the common sense as a prescriber to look at the whole situation.

Hope DS is feeling better.

Bit the OP's child is 9 months old therefore on 60 - 120mg quartering a paracetamol tablet would not give you an accurate does.

but you have to sometimes.
how do you suggest I give dd her meds then?
get a nurse to come to the home everytime.

I wouldn't have done it for a baby as the dosage is so hard to get right but my doctor advised a quarter of a paracetamol wrapped in an opal fruit for my Dd1 when she was a toddler(medicine phobic with a high temperature is not good) .making sure the dose is correct is the important thing, not the form of the medicine.

Btw the line down the middle of a paracetamol is specifically designed for you to be able to take a half dose.

I stand corrected. I worked in a pharmaceutical company for a while and was told this. Perhaps it refers to the layperson doing it, rather than a professional or someone that has received proper training.
Still stupid advice from Kal though.

Kal - obviously if it's done under medical supervision that's fine (why on earth are you saying better REPORT your paed ?)

BUT FGS DON'T ADVISE THIS ON A GENERAL INTERNET FORUM WITHOUT ANY DISCLAIMER OR CONTEXT WHATSOEVER!

2 shoes, are the tablets your dd is on scored?

Of course you should be able to get children's paracetamol on prescription.

In Scotland no one pays for prescriptions.
Chemists also have a minor ailments scheme so you can get, paracetamol,eyedrops, creams, nit lotion etc for free.

Hardly my fault if people are so crap at maths is it. We dont have any medical people in the house when we do this daily ffs.

MadameMessy yes

If your child (or anyone who doesn't pay for prescriptions) is ill then they can get certain over the counter meds for free from the chemist anyway so ask at the counter. For instance if a child is teething or has a virus or something they can get calpol, teething gel etc or as an adult if you have thrush or something you can get the creams for free without having to go to the GP for a prescription.

and no, a disclaimer didnt cross my mind as a consultant does it. I shall ring him immediately and tell him mumsnet says he is wrong.

What do you mean, it's not your fault that people are crap at Maths???

Kal, its terrible advice to give. Some people are bad at maths yes. Some people are stupid enough to take advice from someone online.
But you were terribly mis guided to have posted such dangerous advice, and you didn't qualify it with any kind of disclaimer about measuring etc.
Still don't know why you would rather crush a tablet than just administer a solution?

sigh. if the dose for a child is 100 mg and the tablet is 500 mg you dissolve the crushed powder in 5 mls of water. 1 ml would be the correct dose. Not all tabelts are scored with easy halves or quarters.
This is how we were told to do it by the NHS. But my disclaimer. Everyone else go and buy liquid paracetemol.

DH is a GP and tries not to prescribe OTC medicines and usually patients are fairly accepting however if anyone says they are unable to afford it he will write a script.

OP - you should have been given some on discharge. I'm glad you managed to sort it hold you baby feels better soon