That if you are giving your child medication you should know what is is?

[Anunusualfamily]

Calpol IS paracetamol

Calpol is just a brand name of liquid paracetamol.

Liquid paracetamol comes in different strengths under 6 is 120 or 125mg in every 5ml and over 6 is 240 or 250mg in 5ml. Tablets are 500mg each.

The dose you need is dependent on age (or weight if if in the hospital) and you can take that in liquid or tablet form and it does the exact same thing.

An adult could take 40mls of the under 6 4 times a day and it would (taste foul) have the same effect as taking 20mls of over 6 or taking 2 tablets.

A 6 year old could take half a scored 500mg tablet as it’s the same as 5ml of the over 6.

Multiple times I see people saying that calpol (liquid paracetamol) doesn’t work for adults or that their kid has only had calpol but not paracetamol

@WaddleAway sorry, I didn't mean anything by it. I generally wondered if I was being really mean forcing her to have it and not just buying a brand she liked.

Yep, me too; "oh, I give my DC to make them sleep..."...if it makes them sleep it's because they're no longer in pain, simple as that! It's mind boggling that people don't actually read labels of meds.

@Goingforplatinum and @Stressfordays it is possible that people genuinely feel better pain relief from a branded painkillers than the generic equivalent - it's a form of the placebo effect. There have been studies that have shown that people given a "branded placebo" will report better pain relief that people given a "generic placebo" when they were all identical sugar pills 😂I guess it's no more bizarre than the placebo effect still working even when people are told they are being given a placebo.

Or when you ask them if they suffer with high blood pressure and they reply 'no'. On their list of meds they take Ramipril, Atenolol etc and when you question it they just say 'well it used to be high but it isn't any more because I take the tablets' 🤦🏼‍♀️

Isn't it obvious? They've tried it in the past for said pain and it didn't work!!!. I don't take paracetamol for anything anymore because it doesn't do shit for me!

Can I just say I do know calpol is paracetamol 😂 My 6 year old doesn't like red calpol (the 6+) which I can give her less of (least expensive option) she prefers purple calpol (infants) which I need to give her more of (ends up more expensive and her 2 year old brother has to get). They taste different 😩. If I get the unbranded it's the same fight! She has screamed the place down if it's not purple bottle calpol 😂. It's hard for parents too! Don't get me started on ibuprofen 😂 they made it orange flavour!

@WaddleAway it could all be detailed in their notes, repeatedly, but they will still swear blind they haven’t been told any information.

My ex always said that with one eye on my locked box of prescription painkillers.

I found a cheap brand of paracetamol that had a two colour capsule design and after that, every time he'd dramatically clap his hand to his eye and let his knees buckle just far enough that he wouldn't be in any danger of bruising himself, I'd hand him one paracetamol with a 'don't forget, they're very strong', he'd whine that it wouldn't do anything unless he had 'a proper dose', so I'd sigh and say 'Oh, I suppose it won't hurt once, but you need to see the doctor if you're in this much pain all the time', hand him a second paracetamol and he'd scuttle off to 'have a little rest because these do make me a tiny bit sleepy', re-emerging after half an hour to declare that they were great and he couldn't understand why the GP wouldn't give them to him like mine did ignoring the fact I was prescribed my controlled medication on instruction of a consultant rheumatologist.

Once I tailed mine off, I wasn't keen on being in that situation again (even though I'd dumped the drugseeking twat by that point), so didn't take anything. Then one day, I had an incredibly painful headache with visual disturbances when I was about to do a really important work thing. A friend's wife had one single paracetamol in her bag, which I took with a coffee. And it worked. No headache at all, despite my never having taken less than two and often been on far stronger prescription meds on and off since I was 9.

Paracetamol works.

Placebo effect is definitely very much present in adults and can have a big impact. However when parents say an unbranded paracetamol doesn't reduce their child's temperature (which is an objective measure) but Calpol does, they're talking nonsense.

I do feel for parents who's children are fussy and only like the taste of one specific brand or strength, that's much harder to manage, especially when strong willed

When I was a student on placement I. A&E, I asked a father if the child had any health problems. He said no.
Does he take any medication? "Yes he takes aspirin"
What for? Oh he's got Kawasaki disease. 🙄🙄😬🤯

@moaninggiraffe the 6+ paracetamol Is much more bitter than the standard. If teenaged complain about it. I suggested they try taking tablets!

@nocoolnamesleft. Seriously is that really true. I thought it is a mixture of both.

Absolutely true. A group of us did try to write to the manufacturer, pointing out the confusion, but no reply. Check the ingredients on the box.

I was always really careful with paracetamol etc with my kids. It's great for bringing down a temperature, but I rarely used it for much else.

@nocoolnamesleft we had a child last week who'd had a tonsillectomy and wouldn't take ibuprofen, I almost suggested Calprofen as a way of getting it in to him easily. Thank god I didn't. And I'm a nurse!