Paracetamol overdose 2 year old

[Mrspike888]

Please help! I have accidentally mixed up my kids doses of paracetamol and gave my 2 year old 500mg of paracetamol in stead of my 4 year old. I have made her throw up as best I can to try and get it out of her system a few minutes after giving it to her and realising my mistake but I'm panicking! Please can anyone help? Will she be OK if I don't give her anything else for the rest of the day? We are isolating due to Covid so I couldn't leave the house to get calpol so I gave her crushed paracetamol in a spoonful of jam but gave her too much! HELP!

@LIZS

500mg, as in 100 spoons? A and E if so.

You're thinking of ml as in the volume on a spoon. It doesn't even come in that volume in the full bottle Tablets contain 500mg of paracetamol.

@RebeccaCloud9

When I last had a medical emergency, I called 111. We were on the phone for 12 minutes and still hadn't got through to a single person. Lots of Covid regulations and holding music, and 'your call is important'. I put the phone down and called 999. If a 2 year old has had a paracetamol overdose, now is NOT the time for waiting that long on the phone. 999 will tell you what to do.

My point exactly.

@krazykatzlady

BNF for children says paracetamol dose for ages 2-3 years 180mg every 4-6 hours, maximum 4 doses in 24 hours.

call 111 for advice, but this is not a 999 situation.

Exactly this. A single post op dose of paracetamol for paeds is 20-30mg per kg also. 111 will advice the OP based on her child's weight in kg. Try not to stress OP. People asking about tablets have no idea that some people may not be able to afford OTC oral suspensions and, they may not know about the care of the chemist scheme

Ring 111, they’ll do the calculations based on weight and give an an actual medical answer as to the risks. Paracetamol overdose is reversible with a special medication if required so you really have no justification to sit on this and wait. Call 111 and deal with it properly.

Surely a whole tablet is too much for a four year old too?

Sounds like you've been regularly overdosing your four year old with no affects so hopefully the two year old will be fine.

@tara66

Stomach pump at children's hospital.

We haven't 'pumped Stomachs' for years. Take them to a&e for level checks. And you can get calpol from amazon/deliveroo/uber delivered to your door within hours.

I hope that you sought medical advice and that your children are OK.

Of course this isn’t a 999 emergency.

OP can ring 111 and if they deem it to be an emergency they have the capacity to dispatch an ambulance. Alternatively the OP could go to a&e.

As for people reprimanding the OP for using tablets instead of liquid, given the price difference between tablet and liquid it’s not hard to see why someone who might have to budget for every penny might resort to tablets.

And for people saying to the OP to ring 999, 999 doesn’t guarantee you an ambulance, they will still ask numerous questions and will only dispatch an ambulance if they deem it necessary. They might still tell the OP to go to a&e. Best speak to 111 than waste the time of an emergency dispatcher which could be better taken up dealing with an immediate life threatening emergency.

Children can be given a free prescription for cal poly from a GP . If parents can't afford it they should ring their practice for a prescription. In fact I think the kids can be registered at the local pharmacy for free calpol and other medicines.
The adult dose for paracetamol is 2 tablets , but as little as 8 tablets can seriously damage their liver or even kill them . That is only 4 times the recommended dose. So if baby has had 4 times her recommended dose I would be taking her to A/E .

@HeartsAndClubs

And for people saying to the OP to ring 999, 999 doesn’t guarantee you an ambulance, they will still ask numerous questions and will only dispatch an ambulance if they deem it necessary. They might still tell the OP to go to a&e. Best speak to 111 than waste the time of an emergency dispatcher which could be better taken up dealing with an immediate life threatening emergency.

If you think someone has had an overdose is it ok to dial 999. We have no idea how long these children have been having too much paracetamol. 1 day? 3 days? A week?

Fair enough if someone has grazed a knee but the NHS state dial 999 if you suspect overdose (which has been linked on this thread).

I've just checked online . The parent has to register their child / children at a pharmacy which is part of the scheme . Instead of taking the child to the doctor with a cold , earache etc the child can be seen by the pharmacist who can then give appropriate medication eg calpol , nappy rash cream etc.
it also applies to over 60s and other people entitled to free prescriptions and of course the list of available medication is quite short .

Straight to a&e. Take snacks she will need the antidote and it will take a few hours xx.

Hope you are OK.

Hope everything is ok @Mrspike888

DH and I once both gave DS a full (age appropriate) dose of Calpol at the same time (he gave it while I was running the bath, I gave it while putting DS to bed). I called 999 in panic and they were very kind and very reassuring, saying that it was the amount taken over 24 hours that was the main cause for care/concern (obviously not if your child has drunk a bottle full of calpol). However, I would call and get their advise - mainly because if you're giving them a paracetamol in jam, the dosage for a child could be very wrong anyway.

NB they didn't give me any shit for calling 999 either - they said it was entirely the appropriate action for a parent concerned about an accidental overdose.

How is your 2year old now @Mrspike888? Hope all is ok xx

@Dizzywizz

How is your 2year old now *@Mrspike888*? Hope all is ok xx

Everything is fine. First and only time I've ever given paracetamol before other than the correct calpol dosage and never will again. I followed some bad advice from someone who had been a parent a lot longer than I have and I messed it up, suffice it to say I learned my lesson and will never do it again. Thank you for being one of the only people on here that wasn't judgemental. I made a mistake it won't happen again.

Glad to hear she's ok @Mrspike888

Ah that’s good @Mrspike888, glad to hear it

Hi mums, Im currently at an airport outside UK but there are no pharmacies inside or outside and we have already checked in waiting to board. My youngest 22mnths seems to have a temp at the moment. I usually always have paracetamol on me but I end up rushing my way this time. My mother is also with my to help with the kids to travel and she holds adult paracetamol 500mg on her. My question: am I allowed to give my toddler 1/4 of a tablet mixed with water according to her weight?

Much appreciate any help possible!