to wonder why people give so much medicine to their kids?

[RagamuffinAndFidget]

I am totally open to being told IABU here, am just looking for opinions really.

DS3 (7mo) has a cough and a cold. I posted a 'go the fuck to sleep' type status on Facebook earlier and had lots of comments from friends telling me to give Calpol/Nurofen. For a cold? Really? Also some comments suggesting Vicks on his feet, which seems more sensible..

Do people really give Calpol every time their child has the sniffles? Is there actually a point to it, or is it just the done thing to dose a child up every time they cry now? Don't get me wrong, I do give my children medicine if they have a very high temperature or are in pain, but I try not to give it often, and I wouldn't give it for a cough/lack of sleep.

Is it just me?

singing, surely the reason you don't take paracetamol 'all the time', is because you are not in pain am the time

And the people who di take them 'all the time' (all suffer side effects) take them because they have chronic pain

You seem to be suggesting that people take paracetamol when they don't need it, as you say you only take it wen you need it

I've never come across this. There are no enjoyable see effects with paracetamol. If I was going to take painkillers for shits and giggles, I would choose codeine and get high.

I wonder if side effects from long term paracetamol use, is partly attributable to co-codamol?

Singing I did not say any of that. I said most people take them when they have a headache. That's what they're for. Nothing to do with all the time.

Oh no singing, a&é nurses never see patients with chronic conditions

Side effects are side effects. They're long term or short terms. If they were common we'd all know someone who'd Had one. Everyone has taken paracetemol.

And yes as Albert says people with chronic conditions frequently present at A&e

surely the reason you don't take paracetamol 'all the time', is because you are not in pain am the time

On the contrary, I am in pain all of the time - from my IBD and my arthritis. People with chronic pain are at much greater risk of becoming tolerant to pain killers, hence why so many people like that end up on really strong pain killers like morphine (as so many people with IBD do). I take pain killers only when I absolutely cannot stand the pain any more.

And yes, the whole point of this thread was that there seem to be a number of parents that give calpol to their kids for very minor things, like a cold (that's not presenting with a headache, sore throat, high temp etc). Paracetamol is a pain killer - it doesn't relieve things like blocked noses and chesty/dry coughs. Giving it in those instances is completely useless! Half the time that people can't get to sleep properly when they have a cold is because they are so bunged up they are struggling to breathe comfortably. Giving calpol in that case isn't going to make a blind bit of difference. Of course if there is a high temp/sore throat/headache then it probably would help.

Singing why put up with pain when there are safe treatments. I have chronic pain and I take everything going!

Because there are only so many pain killers I can take because of my IBD - can't take NSAIDs - and it's a slippery slope when your body starts to build up a tolerance to pain killers and you have to rely on stronger and stronger ones. Many of the the ones I can take either make me sick or make me woozy too, neither of which is a good thing when living rurally (so having to drive to places) and looking after young children. Paracetamol doesn't work for my IBD pain so I only take it for really bad headaches (usually sinus related).

Anyway, my point was that I was agreeing with the OP that Calpol does seem to be chucked down children's throats at the slightest opportunity these days when in a lot of cases it won't actually do anything to help.
In the case of a 7 mo baby that wasn't going to sleep then I might actually be inclined to give some Calpol because in his case it might be head/sinus/throat pain that's causing his lack of sleep but he obviously can't articulate that.