To ask about calpol and nurofen

[elm26]

Hi everyone

First time Mum to 4 month old DD. She is inconsolable at the moment with teething,

She's been chewing away and dribbling for the past month but the last few days has really ramped up and no amount of teething gel, teething granules, teething toys in the freezer etc can seem to console her. The past 2 days I've given one dose of calpol in morning and a dose of nurofen when she goes down in her cot.

She has refused most of her feeds today and has only managed 15oz ☹️ I'm really worried she is going to be dehydrated, she won't take water either.

Today she's had a dose of calpol this morning then was so bad I gave her some nurofen 4 hours later. She is still bad now, can I give more calpol? I really don't want to harm her but I feel so sad for her, she's usually such a happy baby.

Yes, you can definitely give her more if that's all she's had today.

Bless you both - teething is no fun for baby or parents.

Yes of course. The doses are on the box.

Yes - read the box. Don’t leave her in pain.

Yes give her more. For teething we went by the approach that there will be times you have to use it as per the guidelines and they might end up having it for a few days and then there will be weeks/months where they don’t have any at all so don’t worry at all just get your little one through it and yourself!!!

Try and spread it 6 hourly rather than 4 or you run out of doses. No more than 4 in 24 hours. (Paediatric nurse)

She can still have the max dose of calpol over 24hrs, nurofen doesn’t interfere with that as they are different drugs.

Poor baby. Some children really suffer with teething. I remember some of the mums from my baby group used to just discover that teeth had appeared whereas all of my DC suffered badly when they got teeth. Definitely keep her topped up and do whatever you can to make her comfortable

You can give paracetamol 60 milligrams (2.5 millilitres of Calpol infant suspension) every 4-6 hours up to a maximum of 4 doses/day.

Ibuprofen 50 mg (2.5 mL of Nurofen for Children orange 3 months to 12 years) 3 times a day, as long as you don't exceed the maximum dose of 30 mg/kg/day.

If you stagger the doses you can get more consistent relief. See example schedule at https://www.esneft.nhs.uk/leaflet/pain-relief-at-home-child/.

Thank you all.

I've read the boxes but she seems so little still that I just worry about her having it. Silly I know but like some of you have said, I need to just get her through it. I feel so sorry for her.

I'm hoping that it means one is going to pop out soon as it's ramped up but no idea if that will be the case.

Tried to call drs to make an appt as it says you need a Dr to okay giving it for more than 3 days in a row but the next appointment they have to call me is on 2nd October so what do I do in the meantime? Carry on giving it?

I would see how she is. You have to be careful with ibuprofen as it can irritate the lining of the stomach with prolonged use. I think they say to see a dr just to check nothing else is going on.
Make sure she has milk before the ibuprofen. Teething is awful for them, my little boy suffered quite badly with his teeth and he got so many so fast!! Full set now at 21 months

Have you spoken to pharmacist I found them to be more knowledgeable on medications and easier to speak too

Hiya OP

Poor wee thing - that sounds so hard.

As you are worried about her getting dehydrated, and she is still very tiny, is it worth a call to 111 just to run through how she's doing with them?

Generally you can give nurofen every 8 hours and Calpol every 6 that will keep you covered throughout the 24 hour period.
The advice to use it for no more than 3 days is in case it is masking a serious illness, rather than the risk of the drug itself - it is safe if you stick to the stated dose.
I am surprised at a GP refusing to see a 4 month old that has been ill for 3 days. Have you explained to them that your baby isn't feeding? It isn't normal to refuse feeds due to teething although they may reduce the amount taken but yours sounds worse than that. Try GP again tomorrow and if they won't see you I would seek advice tomorrow from another health professional such as pharmacist or HV. It's a very young baby, they can deteriorate quickly, don't be afraid to request help

Sometimes OP it's how you frame it to the medical gatekeepers too.

'My child is teething can you see her' = likely to get a no

'My child has been inconsolable for days and isn't feeding, can you see her' = more likely to get some kind of engagement

Is she having wet and dirty nappies despite being down on her milk intake?

She's just had another 2oz so that brings her up to 7oz. Her nappies are more dry than normal. She's had a poo which looked normal for her. I will take the advice and call Drs again tomorrow and see if somebody can see her and if not I'll try and get an appt through 111.

She's also constantly got a blocked nose, has had since birth and they keep shrugging it off and she's laying there now asleep with her mouth wide open making snotty noises. It's so worrying being a Mum isn't it 😭

Ah teething is so rough. If you want to give her some more immediate relief, I've always got on pretty well with anbesol liquid rubbed on the gums. The granules and gels did less than fuck all for my DC.

@AngeloMysterioso they won’t sell the liquid for babies / children any more! Have to say it’s for yourself to get it!

My DD really liked a frozen cloth. I'd get a clean muslin or flannel, make it just slightly damp them freeze it. It was soft even when frozen so could get a really good chomp and the dampness meant she got some moisture.

When mine was a bit older we switched out the flannel for frozen peas and sweetcorn and just let her chomp on those, but your DD is a bit young yet.

But yes as PPs have said you can give calpol and neurofen more frequently than you are.

It’s SO hard/worrying being a mum. This sort of thing gets a wee bit easier once they can explain to you what’s wrong. You are doing brilliantly.

Thanks everyone, she took a 6oz dream feed at midnight and 4oz at 7am. I've frozen a couple of muslins to see if she enjoys gumming on them, thanks for the tip!

I looked at Anbesol liquid online but says for 5 months, not sure if I should wait for that one?

This makes me a little nervous, because whilst you think it’s teething, you don’t actually know because she can’t tell you.

The reason for needing to see a doc after 3 days of use is about spotting the babies who are unwell in other ways.

However, feed refusal linked to teething is well documented in breastfed babies, you might get some comfort from looking at articles about nursing strike to see that babies feeding less when teething is ok for a short time. But if she’s dehydrated that’s an entirely different story and as she’s young and not on solids you don’t have alternative ways to get liquid in, eg frozen fruit/ purée ice lollies. Maybe get her seen? Don’t mention teething to the receptionist as you don’t actually know that for sure.

Thanks @Peekingovertheparapet I'm waiting for 111 clinician to call me back.

I'm 99% sure it's teething, she's dribbling so much, soaking through bibs every few hours, chewing her fist/teethers/muslins/anything she can get her hands on or my shoulder when I'm holding her, rosy cheeks etc but I would rather get medical advice just in case like you said 😊