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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

582 replies

RagamuffinAndFidget · 19/01/2016 22:47

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?

OP posts:
Adeleslostbeehive · 20/01/2016 08:41

Honey and lemon doesn't actually do anything though?

TheCatsMeow · 20/01/2016 08:42

I make honey and lemon and take paracetamol. The drink soothes and the paracetamol helps with pain

RJnomore1 · 20/01/2016 08:44

Yanbu calpol is hugely overused. My oldest is 16 and I was 😮 when she was little at the amount of people who actually dosed their child with it to get them to sleep. We obviously used it for fever etc but there's risks around paracetamol use in early childhood that are still being investigated and are not widely publicised I imagine partly because calpol makes a decking fortune.

BeautifulLiar · 20/01/2016 08:47

I didn't know meds relieve the symptoms of a cold! just thought it was a sales ploy. I'm actually not being sarcastic. Ooh. Will have to wait until I'm not pregnant then try ibuprofen next time I'm ill :)

TheCatsMeow · 20/01/2016 08:48

but there's risks around paracetamol use in early childhood

Like what

bumbleymummy · 20/01/2016 08:48

Soothes your throat, keeps you hydrated Adel. So yes, it does something.

bumbleymummy · 20/01/2016 08:50

Cats - one article here

I'll have more time to look for others later...

CoteDAzur · 20/01/2016 08:50

I would also like to know what "risks" you think are associated with paracetamol use in small children. I think our paediatrician would be interested to hear of your learned opinion.

CoteDAzur · 20/01/2016 08:54

"friends telling me to give Calpol/Nurofen. For a cold? Really?"

Yes, really. Paracetamol helps when I have a cold and my head is splitting. Why on earth would I deny the same relief to the DC?

Now that they are old enough, they can say how awful they feel and ask for medicine. They can't do that when they are tiny but surely anyone who has been ill a day in their lives knows what it's like. Why deny them relief because of some half-baked paranoia in the lines of "That's chemicals - not for my baby!" or whatever?

TheCatsMeow · 20/01/2016 08:56

Just says there's mild side effects from medication and that it can mean they won't fight off the cold as easily...hardly massive risks

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 20/01/2016 08:57

Paracetamol has very little anti-inflammatory effect. It is not one of the NSAID (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), whereas ibuprofen is. So is aspirin but you can't give that to children under 12. Paracetamol does relieve pain and fever, but it isn't used for inflammation because it's not particularly effective for that purpose - for anti-inflammatory purposes, use ibuprofen instead.

HPsauciness · 20/01/2016 08:59

Honey is known for anti-bacterial properties, and has been trialled for treating wounds that don't heal, so it's not entirely crazy to have a honey and lemon!

No-one runs trials on cheap not patentable products, doesn't mean they don't work.

My winters have been transformed by proper medication when I get a cold. I now get a painkiller, Otrivine or some proper nasal spray decongestant (not just a tablet), honey and lemon drinks/throat pastilles. I do the same for the children, though they need fewer painkillers as they are older and can say if they are aching which seems to be not as much as me. I have to work, they have to go to school (unless really ill)- better to do that on a decent night's sleep and with relief of symptoms, given most colds last a week and going to bed for a week is just not an option.

I thought paracetemol has shown a sleep promoting effect in a couple of recent studies (perhaps just through pain relief, not sure).

SoupDragon · 20/01/2016 09:00

I would also like to know what "risks" you think are associated with paracetamol use in small children

If you google it, it seems there are several studies looking into potential risks.

When I was a child it was considered perfectly safe to give aspirin to small children. Things change.

Jw35 · 20/01/2016 09:03

It's annoying me that people think parent give calpol to get their babies to sleep! I give calpol to relieve pain and discomfort not to sedate my dd! That does include a cold if it's particularly bad and she's unable to sleep due to discomfort. If I wanted to sedate her I'd go for whisky Grin joke obviously!

bumbleymummy · 20/01/2016 09:08

Hot whisky is great when you have a cold (for adults obviously!)

DisappointedOne · 20/01/2016 09:08

There was a BBC programme about over the counter medicine which talked about honey and lemon - honey = anti-bac and soothing, lemon juice = decongestant. They showed it to be more helpful than most OTC remedies. I'll try and find it now.

TattyDevine · 20/01/2016 09:16

BeautifulLiar they do and they don't. Paracetamol or Nurofen won't do anything to dry up a runny nose for instance Nurofen might help slightly with a blocked nose not from the snot side of things but if there is inflammation in the tissues causing them to swell and block things further than snot alone, by reducing inflammation. Nurofen is particularly good for sore throats, because the cold virus causes inflammation which causes pain on swallowing (you know that pain in the back of the nose/throat/tonsil area, that's the pits!). Paracetamol also helps with this by blocking the pain receptors, but Nurofen in my opinion is a cut above as it reduces inflammation as well as giving pain relief. If you have a headache or throbbing head from sinus pain, once again it will help with this.

If you just have a runny nose and feel run down, there's probably no point.

Hope that helps! When I was younger (late teens/early twenties say) I used to think "what's the point" but I tried it one day and whilst I still had a bit of a sore throat, it really took the edge off which can make a real difference to how you sleep.

Bohemond · 20/01/2016 09:17

Although stupidly expensive we find the calpol plug in works a treat for sleeping with a cold. We only give calpol if visibly streaming.

BertrandRussell · 20/01/2016 09:23

I doN,t think carpool should be a first resort- but obviously if a child is in pain oR can't sleep because of a temperature iit's appropriate

I do have an issue with children asking for it, though. I know a lot that do.

PollyPerky · 20/01/2016 09:23

I've not read all the thread so apologies if I've missed anything, but....

there was a statement in the press not that long ago, saying people ought not to take paracetamol etc for colds etc as it did no good whatsoever- even reducing temperature was a bad move.

Nurofen (generic ibuprofen) is for inflammation and don't waste money on brands- ibuprofen is dirt cheap and the same.

CocktailQueen · 20/01/2016 09:24

No Calpol just for a cough., If he has a sore throat or it's sore to cough, or he has a tamp, then yes to Calpol.

For a cough, I prop up his pillows. put Vick on his feet and leave a chopped onion in his room. Works every time.

CocktailQueen · 20/01/2016 09:25

And yes - steam inhales, drinks of hot honey and lemon also work. I like natural remedies.

MrsFrisbyMouse · 20/01/2016 09:27

Calpol is only paracetamol - it will only help your child to sleep if they were experiencing discomfort in the first place (pain/high fever). Hence its 'sedative' effect.

There have been studies that show some possible link between use of paracetamol and increased chance of asthma - but that could also be that children who are prone to asthma will get more illness.

The biggest risks are overdose - children are small, they don't need that much over to stress their livers.

People need to be aware of the risks - and remember it is a drug that needs to be taken with care. But also not to leave a child in discomfort/pain because of some belief that giving paracetamol is 'bad'.

FeliciaJollygoodfellow · 20/01/2016 09:28

My husband is like this.

Child has a cold, no more under the weather than a snotty nose and a bit of a cough - give calpol.

When other child woke in the middle of the night crying with growing pains - no calpol.

Confused I don't get it. And I gave calpol in the second instance.

bakeoffcake · 20/01/2016 09:28

There was something on radio 4 this week that said Vicks on the feet does not work- it's an old wives tale.

OP I really think you don't actually know what a cold consists of.
If you have a cold it's very rare to just have a stuffed up nose- that would be an allergy. A cold usually consists of a stuffed up/runny nose, headache, sore throat, other aches and pains and sometimes a temp. So yes I would give calpol to a baby for a cold.

I usually take paracetamol during the day then Night Nurse at night.