In thinking the E numbers in Calpol are bad and should be removed ?

[loumum3]

Hi

Having googled the E numbers that are in Calpol I am disgusted to see that some are not recommended for babies/children and some are actually banned in other countries. I can't understand why this junk is allowed on the shelves, surely our children deserve better ?

Loumum, i discovered them when DS1 was much younger and ill. I gave him calpol and he became so so hyper it was unbelievable. DS2 is 2 now and never has it because i remember what DS1 was like after having it.

yanbu its the same with some antibiotics my ds was quite ill and Dr refused to give him any as he had some fight left in him and wasn't going to make him more hyperactive.

Honestly, I was just about to say 'fuss about nothing..nothing proven about E numbers and behaviour'....
and then I googled the research done by the FSA....

Why are they in Calpol? Flavour/colour.

YANBU

They put flavourings and colouring in because otherwise it would look and taste disgusting.

Which E numbers are you talking about? Because some just refer to ordinary flavourings that anyone could use in cooking or food prep at home - they aren't all artificial evil chemicals.

You could well be right about these specific ones, though. The medicine I have to take every day has come off licence and the pharmacist insisted on dispensing the generic substitute (quite wrong of him in this case but that's another story). I checked the label and the generic version has a common food allergen that isn't there in the original. Madness.

Antibiotics make DS 14 hyper and it is nothing to do with e numbers.I always noticed that he was hyper after having them when he was little.

Then last year when he was 13 he had pneumonia and was prescribed claramycyn (sp) in tablet form and again he was bouncing all over the place. Hypomania (sp) is actually listed as a side effect.
Calpol does not have that effect on him.

I had a fit about it, too, when I discovered it. I know they don't have it very often, but my DS especially is a nightmare if he has it. I just don't use Calpol anymore...and I did write them a letter about it, which of course turned into a whole bunch of departments passing the buck, and I never got to speak to the right person...surprise, surprise!

Which E numbers are they? I wonder if the chemist own brand paracetamol has them?

As Riven says I wouldn't think for an average kid it makes that much difference? We only give calpol as a last resort so about every 6 months or so (maybe longer)?

I wouldn't mind more preservative, at least that way I wouldn't constantly throwing out boxes/bottles of the stuff.

quite scary, isn't it. I just googled it as well and, while I know the Ecologist isn't to be taken as the ultimate source, their article on it is quite interesting.

I don't use calpol, I use nurofen childrens syrup. Calpol is vile stuff.

I lived in Germany until quite recently and the paracetamol suspension available there is free from colouring and flavours.

Problem is, I had to pin the DC down to get it into their mouths and then they would spit most of it out. After trying a spoonful, I could see why. It was disgusting.

I bought Calpol when visiting my parents and the DC are actually keen to take the 'yummy pink medicine'.

Considering that my DC only take Calpol about twice a year, I find the trade off acceptable.

If they could make a medicine that was both delicious and did not contain the E-numbers then I would buy that. Until they do I will stick with Calpol, or Nurofen.

Calpol has E numbers in it as otherwise it would taste grim and be near impossible to get a child to take it.

As a parent of a child who suffered febrile convulsions due to high temps I would much prefer that calpol was as palatable as possible, thus giving me the opportunity to avoid hospital admission for my DS.

If you use calpol as it should be used i.e. occassionally and when the situation warrants it, the harm outweighs the good.

my son had so many illnesses he was always on it, we didn't have childrens nurofen then thankfully he's been quite well since about 8 except when he was seriously ill 18 months ago.

Riven did your boy's get growing pains? DS has them every now and again before a growth spurt (and I mean a spurt he can pack on an inch or two in a week's time). He gets them just above the knees and I swear to god you can SEE the legs are longer the next day.

Sometimes at night they bother him so much he cries. It is pretty rare but we give him calpol for those - got anything hippyish?

Calpol used to bring my ds out in a rash - although it took me a while to work out WHY he came out in spots every time he ran a temperature!

I switched to Nurofen once I realised, which is ofree f the offending nasty, whichever one it may be. Now aged 10, I can barely remember the last time he was actually ill.

However, I do braodly agree with the others who said that provided they don't need it too often, a palatable version is prefereable to the alternative.

If you really do not want to give your DC Calpol, you can get paracetamol suppositories. Not particularly pleasant for the DC but no E numbers. It is what most German mums use for small babies. They are expensive in UK but some docs will prescribe them.

Did they have measles? That's quite scary Riven.

I was thinking of trying the old placebo affect for the growing pains thing. Because the calpol seems to work immediately and I wonder if that is because I say "Here honey, take this medicine it will make you feel better", then give him a drink and a cuddle and tuck him back in, so he associates the calpol with the other nice stuff and reassurance rather than the drug actually doing anything IYSWIM?

Might give it a go with just some honey or something, I suppose if it doesn't work can always just give him the calpol.

Morloth
Try some homeopathic remedies. Some people believe they work, others think it is placebo effect.

I don't know why when you ask for calpol the assistant is really quick to give you sugar free. (so even more horrible cr@p in)

I was glad when ds who is now 8 could swallow half a paracetaol tablet and we could wave goodbye to the bright pink gloop.

The colours in children's medicines bother me, since I go to so much effort to give my kids a diet free from them, since DS1 in particular is so sensitive to them. Calpol still tastes vile, even with the flavourings, but they bother me less. What I do hate is the artificial sweeteners. Yes, they're mandatory to help prevent tooth decay, but instead DS1 often ends up either more hyperactive or irritable then ever, or with horrible squits because indigestible sugars have been used.