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Original poster

any calpol experts out there please?

115 replies

DelGirl · 26/11/2007 18:34

ok, dd has been very very poorly for about a week. It has got to the stage where nurofen and calpol together barely keeps on top of the high temps (we have been to a & e twice)

I've been giving calpol 5ml every 3 hours. Is there any benefit doing this or am I better off or no worse off giving 10ml every 6 hours?

she's 2.7 bt. I just always felt that every 3 hours maybe better or am I kidding myself?

tia

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 26/11/2007 18:37

Did the hospital give you no idea what was wrong?

Calpol is 10ml every 4 hours though. The nurofen is 6 hourly IIRC.

LedodgyDickinson · 26/11/2007 18:41

I'd give paracetemol every 4 hours (10 mils) and ibruprofen every 6.

Original poster
DelGirl · 26/11/2007 18:41

thanks soup but you can only give 40 mil in a day. nurofen is every 8.

she has kidney reflux but its not a uti. They think just viral, poss gastric flu but they don't know. Fri was taken by ambulance as she had a terrible febrile convulsion. They didn't admit us and sent us home at 3am! hey ho, thats fine. Sat night I took her myself as she'd maxed out on meds and her temp was nearly 40 and she couldn't have any more for a couple of hours then she spent the night throwing up water and meds . Its just the damn temp we can't keep down. When it is down she's quite chirpy. must go

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LedodgyDickinson · 26/11/2007 18:43

There are some horrible viruses going round I've just come back from out of hours with dd who's temp was 40 an hour after having calpol, they had to give her profen which has brought it down to 38. I hope your dd feels better soon.

Original poster
DelGirl · 26/11/2007 18:43

thanks, if i give max dose at minimum intervals, there comes a point when she won't be able to have anything at all for a few hours dyswim

OP posts:
dramaqueen · 26/11/2007 18:43

I'm not a calpol expert but my dd has had the same as yours for the last 8 days. Calpol and Neurofen together was the only thing that got it down, but we probably overdosed her a bit along the way. She's on the mend now. I do feel for you, it's never ending.

LedodgyDickinson · 26/11/2007 18:47

Also I was told today that with a really high temp they need to have at least one glass of water every hour. I knew fluids were important but didn't realise they needed that much dd was ketotic when we got to out of hours as she was dehydrated.

becaroo · 26/11/2007 18:54

My ds has had a weird viral thing since tuesday last week and at one stage we were giving him calpol and calprofen alternately every three hours. (no more than 4 doses of each in 24 hours)

He is 4.5.

Hope you LO is better soon.

becaroo · 26/11/2007 18:56

Re; vomiting the meds back up....they are less likely to vomit if given chilled/very cold water.

(dont know why, but my ds paediatrician told me)

lou33 · 26/11/2007 18:57

sorry she isnt well dg

but omg she is 2.7?!!!!!

when did that happen?!!!

Pollyanna · 26/11/2007 19:04

my dd (aged 2.9) has febrile convulsions, we have been told that you can give calpol every 4 hours and ibuprofen every 4 hours (2 hours after the calpol). This does seem to keep the temp down, as long as we keep on top of it.

yurt1 · 26/11/2007 19:08

When ds3 was in hospital following a febrile convulsion they told me to give him (5ml) of the 6+ calpol (he wasn't even 2!) and when he was discharged they told me to continue with that, so I have and it does seem to be better. i'd ask medical opinion locally before doing that though.

Original poster
DelGirl · 26/11/2007 19:13

I know lou, I blinked and it went .

pollyanna, do you give dd 5 ml calpol every 4 and 2.5 nurofen every 4?

I'm giving 5 calpol every 2/3 and nurofen 5 every 8 hours.

wrt really chilled water, i'd started giving tepid water as she seems to find it easier to drink. I know I do.

I've been told you absolutely cannot exceed the recommended doses. I rang nhs direct as she threw up her nurofen and was told I couldn't give her any more.

on the plus side, she's just eaten quite a bit of pasta so she must feel a bit better but her temp is still 38.6 and no nurofen allowed until 9pm and no calpol for about 3 arrrggghhh, tearing my hair out! thanks

OP posts:
Original poster
DelGirl · 26/11/2007 19:14

oh thanks yurtgirl, I might ring the local pharmacy and or nhs direct. cheers

OP posts:
frumpygrumpy · 26/11/2007 19:15

delgirl, how is she? List me her symptoms........

I am very, very alert when I hear people say they can't control temp for over a week. Any cough? Any mouth ulcers? Any change to the colour of the tips of her fingers?

I'm not meaning to scare you, I just want to show why I am concerned. I had an ill DD1 two years ago at this very time and couldn't keep her temp down. I went back and forward to the docs for a week, made numerous phonecalls, she was checked over three times by 3 GPs who all said she was 'fine'. It got to the point where I couldn't wake her and she had a funny discolouration on her tummy/chest. Another phonecall and the GP told me it was "nothing sinister". I said arse to that and carried her into hospital where she was very, very ill for days. She ended up with Stevens Johnson Syndrome (I can't say for sure but I wondered if the continuous meds did it), a massive chest infection (which nobody found), very dehydrated (lost some hair and all nails as a result) and it took us 6 months to build her up again.

I don't believe a temp for more than a few days is fine.

lou33 · 26/11/2007 19:22

can you sponger he down if she gets too hot?
put a fan on her?

Original poster
DelGirl · 26/11/2007 19:25

she's always got something wrong, well it seems that way but told is just usual for for age, going to nursery etc.

She's seen by a paed every 6 months for the reflux and the last one I saw was very good. Her lips go blue and she gets short of breath, all explained away by the docs but i'm never 100% relieved when it happens. She has blue fingertips at times too but only when unwell. She had an ear infection about 3/4 weeks ago and shes on permanent antib's for the reflux which i think weakens her resistance to other things but she's better off having it I suppose as repeated uti's are not good either.

oh i don't know, its just very stressful. I may take her to the gp's tomorrow but i'm sure i'm down as an anxious mum and they can be a bit patronising. no disrepect to any gp's on here.

OP posts:
Original poster
DelGirl · 26/11/2007 19:26

the fans on all the time, i've got hypothermia.................

OP posts:
Original poster
DelGirl · 26/11/2007 19:27

meant to say, she has a cough/cold and I do think she may be getting her back teeth through as well, so all in all a bit crap for her

OP posts:
lucyellensmum · 26/11/2007 20:33

DDelgirl - the advice i was given by our local hours nurse works really well for our DD, even though it seems to fly in the face of common sense

We put dd in a bath that is quite hot (but safe obviously) get her hair wet and let her play for about 10 minutes, then take her out and let her air dry in a not too cold room. The warm water of the bath brings the blood to the surface as the body tries to cool itself, then when the water evaporates etc it cools the body. This is much more efficient than tepid water or cool towels as the body then works agaist the water and tries to heat itself.

I remember doing this three times in one night once. Our DD is about the same age as yours btw.

Definately only give the stated dose and better 10ml every four hours than 5 every three. Alternate with calprofen.

You sound like you are doing all the right things though - its shit when they are ill isnt it

Original poster
DelGirl · 26/11/2007 21:34

thanks for the advice lucy, will try that tomorrow perhaps. I've just put dd to bed. She had nurofen just over an hour ago and her temp is still just over 38

Just out of interest, what temp does your dc's go down too after max meds. At night, welll last night, it went down as low as 35.5+, then shot up again within a couple of hours. During the day, it only seems to go to 37.8 or so if we're lucky, usually its around 38. Her usual temp is 36.8. Do I seem fixated with temps. I do seem to take it alot when she's ill!

OP posts:
Original poster
DelGirl · 26/11/2007 21:39

btw, I am going to give 10 ml calpol from now on as I have so many bits of paper with times of doses and trying to work out the max dose for each 24 hour perid and not exceeding it, it's sending me doolally.

I know you can give it every 4 hours but only 4 times a day which could leave you with 8 hours when you can't give any.

OP posts:
LazyLinePainterJane · 26/11/2007 21:39

Tepid baths are not recommended any more I believe.

she sounds poorly I would be going back to the doctor.

NHS direct says that you can double dose paracetamol/ibuprofen every 6 hours.

chocolatespiders · 26/11/2007 21:40

i may be very very wrong but i thought you shouldnt try and cool down to much with fans etc, as they bodies natural reaction would be to then heat up = temperature-if you see what i mean

LedodgyDickinson · 26/11/2007 21:41

My gp told me to put a fan on in the corner of the room but not directly on her.

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