Too much calpol - anyone up

[cheeseandjam]

My 7 year old son had been poorly on and off for more than a month. Each time he has some pretty nasty things like kidney infection, scarlet fever and now chicken pox. Each episode he had needed paracetamol for around 4 or 5 dsys( I have tried to use sparingly so not the full 4 doses each day) but each time he has a week free before he has needed them again. Can this be damaging or would a week inbetween be enough to recover? Sorry I am very tired at the moment and suddenly looked our bottle of calpol and mentally working out how much he has needed recently.

If you are keeping below the recommendations on the bottle, I think you will be fine, but if you are worried you should check with your GP.

Hope he he is feeling better soon xxx

Very unlikely to cause problems in this situation unless your child has an illness which requires warfarin or has liver impairment from a medical condition.

As long as he hasn't exceeded the dose,you've left four hours between doses and not exceeded four doses per 24 hours, it's safe.

Paracetamol is very safe if you take it at or below the daily dose on the bottle. Plenty of people get huge boxes of paracetamol from the chemist and take them everyday for chronically painful conditions.

Paracetamol is very dangerous if you take too much at once, because you overload the livers normal way of coping with it. Only then does the liver try using another metabolic pathway which produces toxic products and damage.

If you ever think you have exceeded the single days dose you must seek medical advice ASAP.

But the correct daily dose, as your DS has had is absolutely fine.

Thanks all so much for your replies. No I have never given more than the correct dose and always write down the times. Just very tired from sleepless nights with poorly boy who is battling chickenpox with high fever at the moment so not being very rational!

Hugs to you, both chickenpox is horrible.