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.

‘It can be more distressing for kids - especially youngsters - to be in pain tho because they don't understand the reasoning behind it.’

This ^

I agree. I prefer to let my children have a temperature and get no end of tuts and surprised looks from relatives.
A temperature is your body's way of fighting the infection. Obviously if it's really high, the the Calpol comes out. Both my kids seem ok (ish!) with temps up to around 39.

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????

it might make the child liver pack up...

if a child is so poorly that it needs medicines once a week you should see the gp/a paediatrician to find the cause.

I can't read this thread as it is pathetic!!!!
If you have a fever your head aches, your body aches and if you are anything like my child you have clonic tonic seizures..... Reducing the fever will reduce the risk of seizure...I know I've done it many many times before!!!
When your child's having a seizure then you'll be wishing you'd administered that Calpol!!!!
When you child is in pain ...do you just leave it!!!! Sorry love I'd have a paracetamol but I'm not going to give you anything !!!!!!
Absolutely ridiculous....
I don't give my children paracetamol willy nilly but I do if they are in pain or very uncomfortable.....

I'd love to see that Dr watch his child turn blue from seizure then not consider giving paracetamol!!!

But then I poison my child with epilepsy drugs, buccal midazolam, Clobazam and many many other controlled drugs....

Again, NICE states “antipyretic agents do not prevent febrile convulsions and should not be used specifically for this purpose”

"It can be more distressing for kids - especially youngsters - to be in pain tho because they don't understand the reasoning behind it."

Yes they don't know why they are in pain, they don't know when it will go away and they don't know if their parent knows how they feel. Our 13 year old is non verbal so we still have to do guess work about whether behaviour is due to pain and we give paracetamol when we think there is a reasonable chance it is.

Keepitwonky
Its far more complicated than that. It wont prevent the first one, but may go on to prevent the child having a second one.

icebear this is referring to febrile convulsions, not epileptic seizures that may be triggered by a high temp. Obviously in a child with epilepsy or some other medical conditions the advice will be different and your consultant would advise you best

I'm quite quick to give my daughter calpol or similar because she has a heart condition that can be 'set off' by high temperatures. With my son I'll wait a little longer before giving calpol, if he's got a temperature but seems fine I'll leave him. I know when he's really unwell because he's quiet and still!

I work in a nursery and often parents will say they've given their child calpol before nursery, seemingly for no reason or 'just incase'.

Owletterocks
My ds didnt have epilepsy , he had complex febrile seizures + and the advice was the same.

KeepitwOnky..... I'm sorry but fever causes febriles so reducing fever will help with febriles.... What he's saying is bull shit!!!!

It is what NICE say as well.

Unsure why the nhs don't follow nice guidelines when it comes to vaccinations then.

We are SO lucky to have access to calpol in this country. It works, it tastes good and (most) kids don’t refuse it. Happy days

It doesn’t exist in my husband’s home country. It’s paracetamol anal suppositories for children. Long live the calpol

Bruffin - the speed at which the temperature goes up and down causes convulsions not the number on the thermometer.

IceBear - it’s not a he it’s the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the people that advise the nhs, I wouldn’t call them ‘bullshit’

Keepitwonky
I know that, , i been posting that on MN for the last 10 years. We having a family history of febrile convulsions + that go back at least a hundred years, i dont think i need strangers on the internet patronising me on the subject.

Bruffin, sorry my mystic meg powers aren’t working too well today, how do you expect me to know how long you’ve been posting something or your family’s medical history?! Your case is obviously not the norm. I don’t need strangers on the internet being unnecessarily rude.. and there was no patronising intended.

I don't understand the anti Calpol brigade. Sil almost never gives neice any, even when she is clearly suffering with teething.

What I found with both dc is that they had it more often when they were younger. I took the approach that if they were upset over a few Hours, and seemed out of sorts, they may have some.pain or discomfort.from teething or a fever etc. As they have got older I am more likely to have a better idea of the real problem. That's not to say they got Calpol a lot, but certainly it wasn't uncommon. Ds now, aged 8, probably has some about once every 6 months. Even when he fractured his wrist he only had Calpol and Nurofen for the first day. After that he had it in the evening if he asked and by day 3 I think he was off it completely.

I would.rather my children not suffer, especially when they are small and can't talk yo me about underlying problems.

I think people are misreading this thread as ‘you should never give your chid calpol’ the general consensus from that programme was treat the child, not the number and they makes complete sense to me. There will be the odd child who requires different treatment or advice but nice look at so many randomised control trials and carry out systematic reviews that my googling can’t compete with so I am likely to listen to them.

Febrile convulsions are seizures associated with a high temperature in an otherwise healthy child. Epilepsy is a neurological dissorder, they are totally different but can look the same at the time

Epilepsy is 2 or more seizures without fever.
Some people with epilepsy are affected by fever
And children who have a history of febrile convulsions are more likely to go on to have epilepsy.
Ds has had several eeg but no brain activity associated with epilepsy and like the others in my family seem to grow out of FS at puberty. Dd also had 4 FS in the space of a year when she was 3/4 but no more.

When my 3 year old is slightly under the weather and cranky as hell I give him calpol. The difference in him is like night and day. I guess by your standards OP I am a shit mother.

And the overiding point is that DC that the DC are ill when they have a FS with ear infections, flu , tonsillistis and in ds last one was caused by pneumonia

This thread never, ever works. It's quite heartening though because the default response is to defend recommended use of paracetamol which confirms the majority of MNers are using it sensibly. Obviously interspersed with some wilful misunderstanding.

It's like weaning threads. Round and round and round and round. A GP told me, my DC has x condition, my friends said y, are you calling me a shit mother, !!!!!!, you're all pathetic and on and on and on...

Plus ca change.

I don’t know if it is overused although I am alway careful due to the liver effects.

Call it what it is: sweet paracetamol
Calpol have a successful marketing campaign to make calpol somehow special.