To think calpol is over used?

[crunchymint]

Calpol is used frequently by many parents. But it is basically paracetamol and should only be used for pain relief. NICE say it should not be used only to reduce fever. That is because unless very high, a certain amount of fever in ill children is a healthy response. But many staff will wrongly advise parents to give calpol when it is unnecessary.

Calpol is the suggested go to after jabs if small ones are uncomfortable or get a high temp. Our GPs are in a lot of trouble!

It works in our house. You feel like crap with even a low fever and it makes DD feel better, as does paracetamol for me when I have a cold. Unless you are taking it like sweets, is see this as a non issue. DD gets a cold maybe two or three times per year and takes
it then. I'm happy to carry on doing this.

Yes I was told by GP to give calpol to bring child's fever down to prevent seizures. That advice was apparently wrong.

That the thing though betty calpol want to sell their product so they are not going to advertise not giving it!

expat i'm with you. If you're doping your kid up for the sake of it nothing's gunna work. However i do think that scaremongering parents into witholding pain relief is bloody ridiculous. DD had a virus for 3 weeks that wiped her out, literally. She slept for most of that time but the discomfort she was clearly in when she woke up was horrible. Damn right she got pain relief as & when, which in her case also appeared to steady her temp. No way would i have let her suffer

The BBC documentary wasn't saying not to treat a fever. It said that if the child is well, acting normally in themselves and has a fever then don't treat it, it is the body doing it's thing. But obviously if the child is unwell, i.e. sleepy, in pain, lethargic and has a fever then to administer medication. The programme was an eye-opener into how the makers of Calpol play on parents' emotions over anything else.

Nobody is saying not to give pain relief to a child.

adc.bmj.com/content/88/7/641
''CLINICAL BOTTOM LINE
There is no evidence that antipyretics reduce the risk of subsequent febrile convulsions in at risk children.

Prescription of paracetamol following febrile seizures may provide comfort and symptomatic relief, but should not be recommended to prevent further febrile convulsions.''

Worth a read.

Hmmm I'm torn.
I did feel like I used calpol a lot when mine were tiny but that's partly because they were always getting ill, as kids do when they're tiny. Now they're 7 and 4 I hardly ever even think of it because they've passed through that stage. I think they needed it - it's horrid feeling ill.

We give ds more capol than most because he struggles to cope with feeling unwell and becomes very distressed. Whenever he has had a high temperature he has been in obvious discomfort.

Paracetamol has an excellent safety profile in the paediatric population when dosed according to the instructions. It is indicated for use to reduce the discomfort from fever and to relieve pain.

If your child is suffering through pain or fever then it seems very unkind to deny them treatment in case you "over-use" - whatever that means??. Paracetamol is not like antibiotics - you can't develop immunity to its effects. What do you think happens if you take Calpol once a week for a year???? Nothing! As long as you stick to the dosing guidance it is fine to give your kid calpol if you feel they need it.

I think that Calpol (and equivalents) are probably overused and given too easily, but I hope that this doesn't mean people go the other way and don't give such medicines to little ones who do need them.

Currently my DD has an infection being treated with antibiotics and without calpol every 4-6 hours her temp shoots up to 39.5-40.5. I am giving calpol every time it rises, with the intention of bringing the temperature back down. Although NICE state not to use antipyretic medications with the sole aim of reducing body temperature - my aim is to reduce her temperature so she doesn't feel absolutely awful. You can see the difference in her the minute it kicks in.

On the other hand when she's coming down with a cold and has a borderline temp around 37.5 then I don't usually give it.

I think it's about common sense - using when child is clearly sick and needs invention, but holding off when not.

I use it when my little boy has a temp but he has febrile convulsions with high temp so I would obviously rather avoid that. We where advised to use to bring temp down at the hospital. I also think loads of adults take Lemsip ECT when loaded with cold and you can actually feel really rubbish with a heavy Cold so If my little boy seemed to be suffering I would give it not just if he was a bit shorty but fine.

Well, no - you don’t need to give it for fever alone, but how many times does fever happen alone? A fever is a symptom of some form of infection so there is rarely fever without some kind of pain or discomfort or feeling generally crap, which calpol can alleviate.

@bobstersmum absolutely give the calpol - your child will be in pain and discomfort and the calpol will help with those. It’s not just about a fever.

We had one professional once say that we were overusing it because he didn't believe ds was in severe discomfort. Our GP said that professional was talking bollocks.

This is the video from the programme mentioned above. A good discussion with the doctors about the fever. www.facebook.com/BBCLifestyleHealth/videos/587043968328429/?hc_ref=ARTMFuTnEctlM0uHgRmpSFze89SFVQxZhZmmrJcT1FbcrsSefPcE61k7OHWkUW-jPEM

I’ve never known a kid to have a fever while running around happily and eating and drinking normally. Why would you take their temperature if that was the case in a normal healthy child?

Our nursery insists on giving calpol if temp is even slightly raised even if child is otherwise happy, pain free and no sign of illness. I asked GP and she looked at me like I was mad and said unless it was over 38 OR child was otherwise showing signs of being in pain/out of sorts calpol shouldn't be needed.

So I think this is probably more about scenarios such as our nursery rather than saying not to give calpol where there are sign of pain.

We were once told that it is not the height of the fever that causes the seizures, but a fast rise in temperature. So Calpol is a bad idea as when it wears off the temperature fluctuates back up quickly to what it would have been without medication.

@Eddierussett why are they taking kids temperatures that appear happy, pain free and not unwell? It’s not needed! I’m a nurse and only break the thermometer out if they appear very unwell.

Steeley exactly! But our nursery will take temperature in situations where it would never occur to me to do so and detect a tiny elevation that would have passed me by. I am all for that type of administration of calpol being cut back on as it is unnecessary.

Steeley exactly, surely there is a reason a parent takes a temp in the first place? There is a difference giving calpol for a temp of 37.5 & a temp of 38.5 - and a temp of 38.5 in some kids makes them miserable as sin cos they feel rough

I know parents who give it for a fever and nothing else. Lots of kids get a bit of a fever when all they have is a runny nose.