Additives in medicines

[Liza80]

A little while ago, I decided to google all the E numbers in my Calpol bottle, what I found shocked me to the very core!
I urge you all to do the same with any childrens medicines you have.
It's so upsetting to think that I gave this stuff to my beautiful baby girl, while being so careful to avoid anything nasty in her diet.
I have contacted various people about this, including my GP, J&J (who make Calpol), the MHRA, and the HACSG, who have documented links to behavioural problems.
Basically everybody is pointing the finger at someone else, so it's up to us parents to kick up a fuss about this.....

This is the bane of my life!

My very rational, scientific husband once had an "allergic" reaction to some food that might or might not have contained some e numbers (back in the early 80's) and was desperately ill according to MIL who is a massive food neurotic.

DH is completely crazed about avoiding giving dcs food or meds with artificial colours to the point where we trek round shops and pharmacies looking for colour free paracetamol etc.

Drives me bloody mad. No evidence at all that the dc are allergic to anything (or dh for that matter). Gah.

Now

"The dose makes the poison"

Appologies for that not sure what happened.
I do think a bit of perspective is needed.
My ds has anaphylatic allergies to sesame seeds and treenuts. He also has a genetic condition so he has had an abnormal history of febrile convulsions so fevers are a problem.
I am not going to get upset about a couple of days of calpol when there is no evidence that the quantities used are a problem in the short term.Not even sure the studies said the behavioural problems were caused by theses additives rather than they exacrrbated problems in already existing conditions

I think you would be v surprised how difficult and expensive changibg a formulation is. And i have done some formulation research, as in proper scientific research in a lab so i do have an idea what i am talking about

"I dont have a pharmacuetical background. I am a parent!!!"

I am astounded that someone would waste their time campaigning about stuff like this. It's not like all children's medicines have additives, so actually, everyone has a choice if they don't want their "beautiful baby girls or boys" to have additives.

I remember years ago that there was talk of banning carmoisine (E122). It doesn't serve any purpose other than making it pink iirc

You could always use soluble disprol dissolved in a bit of juice as an alternative.

Yes, Candy! Being a parent is reason enough to care about something like this. I have spoken to parents who had absolutely no idea, and were very glad of the information. Even if we are unable to bring about any change, raising awareness IS a positive thing to do. Many parents reach for the Calpol a lot quicker than they would if they were aware of this.
GP's are very quick to reccomend it for the slightest thing, even in young children.
I'm sorry that so many people here have somehow taken offence to this post. None was meant. As I said, I posted this with only the best intentions.
I personally am really glad to have been educated on this subject as it means I can make informed decisions about what and when I choose to use.
I didn't realise that people would be so upset at being informed. I hoped to find some like minded parents.
If this didnt interest you, why not just not comment?

There used to be another paracetamol mixture that was flavoured and coloured with natural substances. IIRC the colouring was a vitamin B derivative.

It was eventually discontinued as most people bought Calpol as children liked it better. Agree with Sidge that this is such small amounts for such a short time that I have never worried

Liza in France you can buy additive free paracetamol for children, however, it comes as an incredible bitter powder formula. I have never ever yet managed to get a full dose into DD as she spits it back at me.
That before you get involved in that it is dispensed totally differently by body weight rather than age.

What do you mean just don't comment if people don't agree? The truth is that people are allowed to have and express their opinions freely. If you post something on a public forum which I blatantly disagree with then yes I will comment on it. Especially if what you are saying is ill informed, hysterical and potentially dangerous. I care about people too. I don't want people to be frightened by half baked theories pedalled by scaremongers on the internet. Before you go around preaching at people you should do your research and get your facts straight. To do anything else is hugely irresponsible.

I think you have too much time on your hands OP. Wait until she starts going to parties and eating all sorts of shite. I am just grateful that we live in a country where these medicines are freely available and we have the luxury of questioning their non-organic, unnatural status.

You havent been educated on it. You have read scaremongering websites and got half the story.

I am sure chemist in the UK will make up a solution as well. You can also get suppositories, but they are ridiculously expensive and i had to beg the pediatrician for a prescription for them because of the cost.

I am more on the side of the OP, and I am not particularly organic or careful mother: I think everything in moderation, but prefer choice.

The easiest stuff to get hold of is the colourful, sugar free calpol. I would say on balance a sugar based colour free one would probably be better as the 'norm', but it doesn't seem to exist - you can either have sugar and colour or sugar free/colour free. My local chemists (tree different ones) seem to favour sugar free stocks (with and without colour).

Piriton equiv also seems to be sugar free with a few E numbers. I was prescribed this to try and reduce the itching of eczema in my LO, she scratches herself raw . It does help, but I am wary of if I am fixing one problem but causing another one.

I think it would be helpful for where E numbers are present, to say what it's for in brackets - like some toiletries do e.g. E111 (preservative) E222 (colour) E333 (flavour, naturally derived) E444 (flavour, known to cause hyperactivity in 1 in 5000 people). That way it would be a lot easier to make an informed choice.

I also think OP is getting a very hard time tonight!

Op I understand where you are coming from.

I don't want my PFB to ingest any unnecessary E numbers. I googled what the calpol E numbers were & was also shocked. I even got the paracetamol suspension prescribed by my GP.

It has fewer things in it, but still what I classify as rubbish. But then it must have to stay in suspension & be preserved. (Still other enumbers that I don't know why they are in it though)

But then OTOH if the calpol E numbers aren't allowed to be sold in other countries, WHY is it ok for the uk?

I give calpol when my baby needs it. I have to give her pain relief, but I hate thinking I'm filling her with rubbish.

I would buy a non coloured, sugar full paracetamol suspension. But can't find any for sale in the uk.

It's crap tbh.

Everyone who is jumping on the op- i think are being a bit harsh.
I'm pretty sure there have been many product formulations that have been changed through pester power by non pharmaceutically trained people.

Nowt wrong with being informed.
Or challenging the status quo.

I would rather we didn't have these additives in any meds, too.

But I have to take issue with some of the statements on that Foodcomm article; if you look up the e-numbers you find them in a huge number of foods commonly consumed by kids under 36 months. There is no law against this consumption.

Consumed without apparent ill effect.

If OP wants to write a calm open letter to encourage the relevant companies to manufacture with fewer such additives I'll sign it, but I can't get too bothered.

Ouch - OP has had a rough time! Nothing wrong with being a bit gutted about taking a lot of care to feed your kids well & then discovering the calpol contains some undesirables!

Would also like to be able to buy paracetamol for kids without the nasties... Doesn't one of the E numbers in Calpol potentially worsen eczema...? Not certain though.

I've never found a chemist willing to put a different formulation together though I've only asked 1 chemist for suitable alternatives.

What do parents of hyperactive children give for pain relief then??

The problem here is the dose. There are lots of things that are dangerous in large quantities, but fine in tiny amounts. Paracetamol itself is a case in point.

There's only anecdotal evidence that additives trigger bad behaviour.

Anybody can get fizzy paracetomol tablets and if careful about dosing, use them for pain relief if child will drink (probably will). It's too much faff for me, too.

You can use soluble paracetamol from a few months old. Dissolve it in water and then add a bit of juice. What's wrong with that as an alternative?

Doesn't one of the E numbers in Calpol potentially worsen eczema

But the key word there is potentially, and even if it does it won't be the same for everyone. I had awful eczema as a child but was never aggravated by calpol.

My son is allergic to 2 different drugs, that doesn't mean something needs changing in those drugs it just means he needs to avoid them. You can't possibly remove everything from drugs which could possibly be a cause of sensitivity/allergy for people.

Do you have to figure out the dosing for yourself, Bumbley, or does it come with age/weight-dependent dosing information? Scope to get that wrong is scary.

"You can use soluble paracetamol from a few months old. Dissolve it in water and then add a bit of juice. What's wrong with that as an alternative?"

How on earth do you get the dosage right?

Please don't do that- paracetamol really is dangerous if you have too much.

The best wsy of dosing is actaully by weight. My ds was a big boy and on adult paracetamol from the age of 10. There are on line calculators and and were given the correct dose in a&e.But its not easy to get it right by disolving because it doesnt evenly distibute and its not that easy to cut up a tablet that accurately for smaller children.