5th dose Calpol in 24hrs?

[lochmaree]

Sorry posting for traffic. 2yo suspected chicken pox but also keeps holding his ears, had Calpol today 4am, 8am, 12/1pm and 6pm. He's just been up screaming for half an hour (very unlike him). 111 put me on a list for a call within 6 hrs. Can't give ibuprofen because suspect CP. Does anyone know if a 5th dose of calpol is ok? He's gone back into a restless sleep for now so I would hold off as long as poss.

Thanks everyone for replies last night. I held out till 4am and then we got a decent sleep for 3hrs until we had to get up for school run! Went to see the nurse earlier and she said it's a staph infection so I can also use ibuprofen now.

Hope he's feeling better soon.

Is it not based on the need though? My brothers used to run such high temperatures they'd fit and need ambulances called out. That's why Dr allowed higher dose.

They give higher doses to children in hospital as well, so clearly it is something they do when the risk of not giving it is higher

The mg/kg dose calculated in hospital is usually higher than what is on the bottle but still shouldn't be given more than 4 times in 24 hours. It can damage the liver. Incredibly dangerous advice to be given.

In hospital they can monitor and run frequent LFTs and probably support a higher dosage regime with methionine.

I've been a paediatric nurse for 20 years and have never known this done. We follow BNF doses and do not exceed the limit.

That's actually reassuring after seeing some of the posts above.

Paracetamol also shouldn't be used to try and prevent fits. It doesn't work in this way.

Still not actually sure what he's got, nurse we saw yesterday said staph infection. Receptionist I showed pics to tonight when picking up 3rd antibiotic to try (!) said looks like Scarlett fever or hand, foot & mouth. (Showed receptionist as was asking if there was anyone clinical still in who I could show them to)

He has a kind of pinprick rash over his arms and legs. Blisters in his mouth and on lips. Spots which have turned into sores on the back of one hand and on his legs (in among the pinprick rash). A few smaller spots on his back and belly. He now has red marks appearing on his feet which just appear to be a red patch rather than a rash or spots.

He has amoxicillin now, which he's just had a first dose of. Already tried flucloxacillin clithermycin (sp) and I can't get them down him in anywhere near the required quantity.

Because of the blisters in the mouth I'd maybe say hand, foot and mouth. My eldest had it a few years ago now but I recall her having mouth blisters and some on the feet, like your little one seems to have the start of.

Hope he feels better soon. Its so hard when they're ill.

My dd got over the hfam within a few days, I, on the other hand, caught it and felt awful for ages. I had a rash a few days after the worst of mine - a raised bumpy one. Is your son's rash bumpy? If it fails the glass test I'd be taking it a lot more seriously obviously.

Hope he (and you) get some rest tonight, although it's pretty impossible with the worry.

Thank you, it does seem very like HFAM. Maybe he also has some bacterial infection in addition. As the open sore type bits don't seem like HFAM, more like impetigo/staph infection? But the blisters look exactly like HFAM. the bit on his foot doesn't look like a spot or blister, it is like a red patch and got me worried about cellulitis or something. If no significant improvement by the morning I think i will take him back for a f2f check.

Saw a different nurse today and she also said bacterial infection. Maybe it started out as HFAM and got infected. Either way he seems a bit better today

I'm glad he got seen again and seems a bit better. It's such a worry not even knowing what they are even poorly with!