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 ?

Yes things like oxygen and vitamin C are evil.

I think they are a necessary evil, if you want your child to swallow medicine you may need a bit of sugar and flavour.

The colour is meant to be a safety thing, so that you know you are giving the right one to the youngest children, especially important for those with language or literacy difficulties. Or anyone that might have the stronger stuff in for older children and are perhaps exhausted from caring for a poorly child, giving medicine in the middle of the night etc, lessens the risk of an overdose.

I second the Disprol it seems more pure and didnt have what DD reacted to. She likes the taste.
I tend to use nurofen as it works faster and lasts longers. She was an awful teether

"I seriously wish there was an alternative."

There are loads of alternatives. Calpol is a brand name. Just ask for children's paracetamol and tell the chemist he doesn't like the tase of Calpol.

There are lots of alternative liquid paracetamols. Same as there are lots of alternative nurofen, which is just ibuprofen. You're paying for them name, it's all the same stuff.

My current Calpol is white as opposed to the normal pink.

When DS was a young baby Calpol would make him so irritable and he'd cry for hours on end, he went manic! DS is 8 months old now and we thankfully don't have that problem anymore.

Orientcalf - gp would not tell me dosage for using normal ie adult paracetamol, according to him only calpol paracetamol suspension ok. What do you mean by non-brand paracetamol?

Skylark - not sure what you mean. The only time I've found pharmacy own brand children's paracetamol suspension it was... Pink and sticky. A lot like calpol.

Seriously, if you have some helpful advice then more detail would be appreciated.

And it's not me who revived the zombiefied thread by the way. (Plus it looks like this is still an issue for plenty of people so I'm not sure why that's so offensive anyway...)

Paracetamol suppositories. No chemicals, no E numbers. Just ask your pharmacist to order them for you.

Those that are saying they but own brand calpol, less nasties in. They are pretty much the same formulation, maybe slightly differing quantities of each ingredient but all have pretty much the same in them.

I mean you don't have to buy 'calpol' you could buy the shop's own version like Medinol or something, it's all the same stuff. Like Nurofen is just ibuprofen. I think I misunderstood what your GP meant initially.

Ps, Medinol is like an off white colour.

Orientcalf, the dose of paracetamol is 15mg/kg, a 20month old wold weigh about 12 kg so the dose would be 180mg. A paracetamol tablet is 500mg so there's no way you could break a tablet into the right size. You could probably do it with the dissolvable tablets if you knew exactly how much water you were dissolving it in then worked out how much of that to give to get the correct dose but it's so easy to make mistakes and paracetamol overdoses can be fatal so it is much much safer to use a pre made suspension and give the prescribed amount

I totally agree. Have managed to avoid Calpol or any other painkiller so far with my DCs (3 years so far... Molars were awful but otherwise we've not needed any). I didn't know the pharmacist could mix up a colouring / sweetener free version. Will ask

As a paediatric nurse I'm fully aware of the dose of paracetamol for a child.
I'm not talking about paracetamol tablets, I'm talking about other liquid forms of paracetamol, Calpol is a brand name.

I tried lots of own brand (i think morrisons didnt affect DD but the others did)
We would get lots of crying, maybe it caused her reflux.
I guess it depends what the issue is - parent not wanting the e-numbers or an allergy /reaction

I also think its an issue giving it below the 6m before you even wean.

DD first foods were infacol and calpol
It wouldnt be such an issue but with so many things in there how would you identify the allergen to buy a different brand.

Orientcalf - I'm confused. Are you saying there is an infant paracetamol suspension with no sugar/sweetener/nasties? Cos like I say I've not managed to find one in almost 3 years...

I don't think it's right that the only safe paracetamol available for this age group is full of crap.

Alternatively...

I am very grateful the manufacturers ensure that the disgusting taste of paracetamol is effectively disguised in a manner that ensures my kid will take the dosage required to be happier and healthier. A spoonful of sugar won't kill them... a high temperature might!

Noone has complained about actual sugar just sugar free (laxative) and e-nos /colour
I think its odd that kids wont eat stuff unless its sweet. But maybe its hiding the horrible taste.
The minimum is the label should say e-no x is banned for young children and may cause .... Side effects.

If it was that big of a deal we would have a nation FULL of hyperactive little sods. We don't. The 'risk' is negligible, unless you spoon feed your child it everyday as if it was part of their stable diet.

It's the sweeteners in them that make DS hyper. He used to be fine when they sold it with sugar in. But they have to be 'healthy' and sugar free now, although the alternative isn't healthy at all. I'd prefer him to just have the sugar

To be honest if they're ill enough that they need it I'm not too concerned about a few E numbers to help it go down better.

I've no idea, I've read on here there is. It might be worth asking in an independent chemist. There are all sorts of alternatives to actual 'calpol'. We don't use the calpol brand in hospital.

Paracetamol suppositories are both safe and available. Talk to your pharmacist.