Painkillers for 11yr old

[Brondie319]

Hi all,

Just after some advice please. My son is 11, very nearly 12 and every now and then (for whatever reason) he needs some ibuprofen. Usually it would be the childrens liquid form. Would this still be OK for him at this age? He's a big lad for his age so I'm wondering when to move to the next stage. I've tried to get him to have an ibuprofen tablet previously when he had a terrible headache but he couldn't physically swallow it.
Im worried now he's older that calpol and the likes aren't strong enough for him now.
Are there any liquid alternatives for our regular ibuprofen tablets, or any suggestions you could throw my way please?
Sorry for rambling, hope i make sense!

Ibuprofen in liquid for is fine, but you do tend to need a lot of it!

DS can't/won't swallow tablets so he chews them. He's late teens now though he really should be able to!

Calpol do melts for age 6+ that are paracetamol tablets you dissolve in the mouth. Dont know if you get the same for ibuprofen. Try the caplet form of tablet as they are often coated and are smoother than the round ones

I use the calpol meltlets, which are age 6+, DS is 11. They dissolve on his tongue so he prefers them o attempting to swallow tablets. I'd look at over 12, I think, for over the counter adult painkillers and maybe slimmer tablets or caplets to make them easier to swallow.

Nurofen do a chewy pill for over 6s, similar to the Calpol meltlets. Some big Tescos have them, or big Boots.

Ibuprofen melts and tablets tend to be for age 12+ but from googling they do exist

No reason you can't give liquid, we supply it in hospital for adults with swallowing difficulties.

You just need to convert the amounts correctly. Liquid Ibuprofen will say an amount per 5ml (say 100mg). Tablets are generally 200mg with a dose being 1-2 tablets so 2 x 5ml spoons is the same as 1 tablet.

You can buy Nurofen double strength liquid ibuprofen, where each 5ml spoon is 200mg, the equivalent of one standard ibuprofen tablet

OH is 51 and takes liquid painkillers.. so does 16 yr old DD.
Most brands have an 'older' version that'll be suitable

Liquid is fine as long as you calculate the dosage correctly. I have a massive bottle of children’s neurofen that a friend was given after an operation and didn’t end up using!

ds was a huge drama llama around swallowing tablets until he was in A+E with a broken elbow age 13. The nurse brought in some painkillers for him while he was waiting to be seen, he was too embarrassed to ask for liquid in the waiting room with everyone watching so just got on with it. No problems since, he even opted for capsules when offered liquid antibs (because the capsules were huge), for an infection in his arm.

If/when your ds wants to be able to take pills, try him on a branded (expensive ) paracetamol or ibuprofen until he gets the knack of it. anadin/nurofen tend to be better shaped/coated so they go down smoother without being able to taste them.

In the meantime liquid is ok, there are instructions for over 12s on most bottles.

Thank you all so much!
Very helpful 😊😊

Cut some gummy bears into tiny pieces to teach him how to swallow tablets because one day, he might need some medicine in pill form (AB, or whatever ) and once he know the skill it will be easier.

A 12 year old can have 300-400mg of ibuprofen which is 15-20mls of liquid ibuprofen. Its the exact same stuff you get for younger kids, you just need to give a higher dose. The cheap stuff works just as well as the branded stuff!

Why is he needing painkillers?

@eddiemairswife

Why is he needing painkillers?

At a guess (assuming he's like my tweenager).. headache, minor sports injuries, cricked neck, toothache, fever.. any of these really

Hi OP. Ask at the pharmacy counter. The chances are they do a generic liquid ibuprofen that will is much cheaper than Nurofen. You can also probably get it in a stronger dose so you only need to give 1-2 tsps rather than 3-4 of the children's medicine (for example - don't quote me on the dosing ).

10ml of calpol 6+ is 500mg or equivalent to 1 tablet.
15ml is 750mg 1.5 tablets.
20ml is 1g or two tablets.

10ml ibuprofen is 200mg / 1 tablet
20ml is 400mg or two tablets.

(I'm a paeds nurse)