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.

Surely everyone knows it’s just paracetamol sweetened/flavoured to make it palatable to children? People aren’t stupid.

My understanding of convulsions and fever is that the convulsions could be triggered by a v quick change in body temperature. so by the time calpol comes out the risk has passed and possibly giving calpol could create a new risk ie dropping temperature quickly (not likely tho).
i try to avoid giving too much calpol if i can but yes that will be balanced by the need to keep my kids comfortable.

I had several friends who gave calpol as matter of course if child woke up at night or was difficult to settle, even if no vidence of pain & no fever. But co-sleeping or letting child come into your bed after nightmare was seen as lax parenting.

We watched the programme covering this on catch up last night - i'm guessing it was the same one, it also covered ADHD meds? That woman with a 23 month old most definitely overused paracetamol, she basically admitted that some days it was part of the ritual for getting her DD to bed. I didn't really take much else as overuse because most parents mentioned pain, discomfort or distress. Even the GP he spoke to after his daughter's vaccination said that treating fever or pain was one thing, but some parents were using it routinely to placate their children. Obviously there is a huge difference between using it for a 'medical' reason & using it simply because your kid wants it

cranky as hell when ill means that the dc is probably in pain. so giving a painkiller is totally appropriate.

If your kid has ever had a febrile convulsion i think your threshold for warning signs is lower. My DD has had fits at temperatures ranging from 38.9 - 39.2 so I watch more closely once she hits 38/38.5
Her behaviour changes at that point, her energy levels dip & she becomes clingy without wanting to be touched. The paracetamol comes out at that point & touch wood we manage to control her temperature.
If your kid has never had a convulsion i guess your red flags are different to mine; the danger temp drilled into us here was always 40, so anything below is okay, just keep DC comfortable & hydrated. For me, the knowledge that a convulsion can potentially cause other issues means that compared to some i 'overuse' paracetamol. But i am still using it within the recommended guidelines, backed up by info from people who treat my DD

I had a parent ask me for some Calpol for their DD to help her sleep as she was being ‘too noisy’. Not ill or in pain. Just noisy.

I’ve also had a number of parents get confused over Calprofen as they think it contains both paracetamol and ibuprofen.

Zzzz a febrile convulsion is linked directly with the body trying to regulate itself temperature wise. Epilepsy is more neurological from i gather, there is no obvious trigger point. I would most definitely say they are different & should be viewed as such. You don't end up on long term medication for a febrile convulsion like you can do with certain types of epilepsy

I am not saying don't give Calpol, but I disagree that cranky as hell always means a child is in pain. I get cranky when I feel really ill, but there is no pain. Calpol will not help if there is no pain.

What sort of illnesses do you have crunchymint? In the past 2 years I’ve had mastitis (which lead to sepsis), with plenty of paracetamol given by the hospital, a throat infection (very painful, so had paracetamol) and a heavy cold alongside an extremely sore throat (I took paracetamol for the sore throat). My illnesses tend to involve pain.
DD2 has recurrent ear infections (painful). DD1 had tonsillitis (also painful).

My dd2 has febrile convulsions with a temp of 38.5 or higher. Paracetamol is widely considered to be a fairly 'safe' drug when given following the instructions. Id sooner give a non verbal child a dose of calpol when they are ill to help ease the discomfort than leave them to suffer. I dint take OTC mecications very often myself, but I won't take any risks with my kids. Dd1 is almost 7 and I can count on one hand the amount of times shes had paracetamol in the last few years. It is different when they can talk.

Zzz it was something we were told after DDs first fit....i was a total OTT flap monster freaking out that she was fitting cos of epilepsy (we have some epileptics in the family). The doctor said that convulsions due to temperature are different to epileptic seizures. It doesn't mean febrile convulsions can't be dangerous tho, he mentioned that every seizure is potentially damaging to the brain regardless of the cause. Hence why i am so OTT with temperature. I definitely think attitudes towards temps change if your kid has had a febrile convulsion in the past

People on this thread have talked about bad colds. I have had viruses, chest infections. None of these involved pain. All made me feel cranky.

My bad colds always come alongside an extremely sore throat, so I take paracetemol for the pain.

zzzz I suspect that is the placebo effect. If you have no pain, it will do nothing

Except paracetamol is not appropriate medication for feeling cranky. It will do nothing physically.
When I was a kid an own brand lemsip made me feel better than paracetamol if I was in pain. At the time the own brand lemsip was literally lemon and paracetamol. It was a placebo effect.

Crunchy i'm confused...if the lemsip own brand was paracetamol & lemon, how is it a placebo affect? It will do the same as me taking a paracetamol pill just perhaps a little faster.

If my child is distressed and I think they might be in pain I give them pain relief. I have my child's distressed behaviour dismissed as crankiness or something children like him do when he was in fact in pain. I always follow my instinct now.

Unless you're talking about placebo affect with the crankiness? In which case surely if you're cranky due to headache etc then it's treating something if it 'cures' the crankiness because you feel better