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Original poster

HATE baby paracetamol in the UK

91 replies

grey12 · 12/07/2021 09:47

DC3 was born in the UK and, let me tell you: Paracetamol here is terrible!!!!!

She has been unwell these days and I can't give her any paracetamol at all!! Spend 30 min giving her the medicine with her crying and screaming only for her to throw up everything afterwards EnvySad

We used to live in the middle east and DC1 and 2 used to have a more concentrated paracetamol in a dropper. It was soooooo much better!!!

I have spoken to Calpol and they just gave me some BS about giving the wrong dosage Hmm so... Calpol, what dosage of paracetamol did my baby get last night??!!! Should I give her another 5ml?! Or less?? What dosage is correct after they throw up? Should I spend another 30 min of crying and screaming?! Angry

I'm obviously pissed!! My baby is unwell and I can't do anything about it!!! Angry

OP posts:
onlyreadingneverposting8 · 12/07/2021 13:27

@grey12 I'm a Mum of 9 (youngest 8months) I totally agree with you!! I've not heard of your more concentrated stuff but my god I wish they sold it here!! I've had children literally have to and choose to endure high temperatures because I couldn't get anything down them! You're totally right the amount of calpol is ridiculous and I always choose ibuprofen (which is totally safe if administered correctly and at the right dosage) because it's a smaller amount and has a longer lasting effect!

WhyTheEffNot · 12/07/2021 13:29

@grey12 my baby hated calpol, wouldn’t take it. Switched to a supermarket brand and he happily gobbled it up from the syringe. That’s just how kids are, try a couple of different ones and see how you get on.

ODFOx · 12/07/2021 13:35

Balderdash.
Ibuprofen is not a significant liver toxicant. Like all Medicines it isn't suitable for everyone or for all ailments, but your sweeping statement is just nonsense.

ODFOx · 12/07/2021 13:38

Oops, missed the quote: that was for the sad faced PP who said 'please don't give nurofen to your baby '

BingIsAMassiveTwat · 12/07/2021 13:38

Totally agree! My 3 year old will not have any medicine in any form and has always been that way. Suppositories from the GP are the way forward.

Viviennemary · 12/07/2021 13:39

Speak to a doctor. I'd say concentrated paracetamol for babies is a very bad idea. Too easy to give the wrong dose. Which is probably why it isn't available here.

supersonicginandtonic · 12/07/2021 13:43

Put the calpol in a bottle teat and let her suck it. If she won't have it that way (never failed for my 4), mix it up in a fromage frais. You are being very dramatic.

FlowerArranger · 12/07/2021 13:53

prepare the medicine in the syringe. Lie the baby on your lap with their head by your knees and legs round your tummy. Stick the syringe into the side of their cheek. Squirt in the calpol. Straight away close their mouth and stroke under their chin with a finger and sit them up. This makes them swallow

THIS. Works with cats too! Wink

BertieBotts · 12/07/2021 14:02

It's not illegal to mail medication as long as it isn't something you can't buy off the shelf in the recipient country.

My eldest didn't love calpol so I did give him the 6+ version with the dose obviously adjusted for his age. It's twice as concentrated so you can give them half of the normal dose. If you're not confident working out the conversion, then obviously don't do this.

I also found it helped for the baby strength stuff to put it in squash and give it in a bottle. Yeah squash is horrible for babies but they're not having it all of the time.

Reallyreallyborednow · 12/07/2021 14:05

not really you just literally half the dose

Calpol under 6 is 120mg/5ml

Over 6 is 250 mg/5ml

So is isn’t literally halving the dose- you’d be giving 125mg- 5mg over the recommended dose every time.

Kotatsu · 12/07/2021 14:07

Put the calpol in a bottle teat and let her suck it. If she won't have it that way (never failed for my 4), mix it up in a fromage frais. You are being very dramatic.

Ha - 2 bottle refusers, and whilst the second might have eaten fromage frais, and talk about dramatic - you wanna see the first if anything vaguely like yoghurt got near his mouth - you'd think I was trying to poison him.

The second I literally treated like a cat - wrapped in a towel, did the cheek thing, still only got about 50% down him.

Mind you, I just checked, and the Tylenol I used to buy has bumped up to the calpol volumes.

BertieBotts · 12/07/2021 14:14

@Reallyreallyborednow

not really you just literally half the dose

Calpol under 6 is 120mg/5ml

Over 6 is 250 mg/5ml

So is isn’t literally halving the dose- you’d be giving 125mg- 5mg over the recommended dose every time.

Only 2.5mg over if giving 2.5ml. Which is such a tiny amount it doesn't matter, and anyway you can always draw up slightly less than 2.5ml or 5ml in order to alleviate this worry.
Reallyreallyborednow · 12/07/2021 14:21

Only 2.5mg over if giving 2.5ml

How do you get that?

120mg in 5ml under 6.

250mg in 5ml over 6.

So half a dose of over 6 is 2.5 ml, which contains 125mg.

Correct dose is 120mg, if you give 2.5ml of over 6 you’re giving 125mg each dose.

Or am I going mad? Where does 122.5mg come from?

Couchbettato · 12/07/2021 14:25

I mix calpol in a fruit shoot when my son needs some. 🤷‍♀️

CandyLeBonBon · 12/07/2021 14:25

You can get medicine dummies. Why so much drama and anger? You're not the first mum to have a poorly child and ranting at random women on the internet because you don't like the medication is a bit weird!

BertieBotts · 12/07/2021 14:33

Yes sorry you're right. I thought you were basing this on 5mg per 5ml but I can see now it's more like 10mg per 5ml.

I can't remember. I did an online dose calculator by weight anyway, which normally came out as a higher dosage than doing it by age, so I never worried about tiny increments like that as I was sticking to the lower number anyway.

Original poster
grey12 · 12/07/2021 15:00

Regarding what some posters are suggesting:

  • all in one go will just be spit out or, like it has been happening A LOT, thrown up
  • do you think I like giving bit by bit?!!! Hmm it's the only way she'll have some of the stuff!! If the syringe goes ever so slightly close to the back of her tongue instead of the cheek, she throws up!!
  • given with a spoon? Hummm I'm not seeing it working either
  • no bottles of milk because she's BF and didn't really like having the bottle when it was needed
  • with food, she'll not eating a lot yet. And most of the food she just savours it and spits it out (yeah, I do self weaning, or whatever you like to call it)
  • someone suggested putting a teat, might try that. I'm sure it'll be a big mess, but then again I had to mop up vomit last night

Thanks for the replies Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
grey12 · 12/07/2021 15:02

Btw, she doesn't use a dummy either, but I'll try anything at this point!

OP posts:
WheresMySnackPack · 12/07/2021 15:07

You can't give an 8 month old 6+ medicine!!!!! Just put it on a spoon or put it in a little drink.

MockneyReject · 12/07/2021 15:15

I wouldn't have believed how hard it could be, either, OP - until I got me a medicine refuser! He just would not have it, not by any method, any trick. On the very rare occasion I got half a dose in, he (purposely) threw it up. There was no tricking him - he could taste it. If he so much as saw the bottle, he would become furious!

Suppositories, on the other hand, were easy. No sticky crap in his hair, on his clothes, down my cleavage, all over the sofa/bed etc. Yes, they're more expensive, but I wasted bottles of the stuff, before I discovered them. As he got older, he asked for 'bum medicine' if he felt really unwell. He never, ever took liquid meds. He just went on to half a tablet, now a full one.

Ignore posters whose babies/children like medicine/take bottles/eat yogurts, and just get some suppositories.
It's not worth the distress to you, or your LO.
Hope she feels better, soon.

NameChange30 · 12/07/2021 15:15

Several people have suggested suppositories but you haven't responded on that point? Will you try them?

Original poster
grey12 · 12/07/2021 15:36

@NameChange30

Several people have suggested suppositories but you haven't responded on that point? Will you try them?
I did mention it on one post ;)

Pharmacy says they're very expensive so I tried to call GP but the doctor wasn't helpful at all Envy

If she does get a fever and I'm still struggling then suppositories it is! DC2 gets very high fever!!

OP posts:
NameChange30 · 12/07/2021 16:05

It can be difficult to persuade a doctor to prescribe them but I really think you should try again now so you have them before she's running a fever and you're panicking because she won't keep liquid meds down. Tell the doctor you've tried everything and she just throws it all up.

LizzieSiddal · 12/07/2021 19:22

given with a spoon? Hummm I'm not seeing it working either

What? You do realise that syringes for children are a relatively recent thing, when my two were young (both now in their their 20s) you only got a spoon. You can just put the tip in their mouths and they usually start sucking at the medicine.

gigi556 · 12/07/2021 20:26

I can't believe I'm only just now finding out you can get paracetamol as a suppository!!! Wish I'd known this before. Makes way more sense.

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