Taking calpol without permission

[Icantfindausername]

Help. My daughter is 12 and previously I suspected she had taken calpol without my knowledge as the bottle was full and a few months later when I went to use it it was empty. I've explained to her how dangerous etc and she said she understood and she hasn't taken it. As I couldn't be certain I left it there. Today I've been cleaning her room and I've found a calopol 'melt' wrapper under her bed. I went to the medicine cupboard and the pack of 12 definitely had 10 left and now only 2 so she's taken 8 without my knowledge or permission. I am furious so I've gone mad, cancelled our plans for tomorrow (which was was looking forward to) and I don't know what to do from here - please help. I don't have a lockable cabinet and not sure I need one with a 12 year old. The medicines are kept about my bed so she's actually going out of her way to get the medicine!!!

Is it the flavour she's going for? Would having tablets instead prevent her? No idea about the sneaking around thou.

Why is she taking them? Is she telling you she's in pain? Could she be getting period pains and she's too embarrassed to tell you?

"I don't have a lockable cabinet and not sure I need one with a 12 year old."

The same 12 year old who is taking the medication at LEAST twice AND lied about it?

Yes, you need a lockable cabinet.

It sounds like you do need one with your 12 year old. Is she in pain?

Is she the only person in the house with access?
Does she maybe have period pain and is embarrassed to ask?
I think rather than going mad you need to have a good talk to her. And then get a lockable medicine cabinet for future use.

Sorry I worded that badly I mean not sure I should be going to buy one now with a 12 year old!! She should surely know better. I am furious with her.

She's not in pain she's just got a really sweet tooth, always has had and can never control it. She's got precious for stealing sweets and me finding wrappers hidden and so I stopped buying them and so she must have moved onto medicine.

We have a good relationship, talk about periods boys etc so I am pretty confident she would tell me if it was period pains (she's not started yet)

Does she understand that it's harmful in high doses?
Can't you just throw it away & only have other types of paracetomol... like fizzy tablets (you can work out the right dose for 12yo).

You need to lock it away or bin it all. She could take too much.

I spoke to her the first time and explained the importance and seriousness of it. She said she totally got it.
My son is in the house but he's younger and not left so I know it's not him.
I buy them for her brother more than her, she can have paracetamol now.
No one tells you kids cause so much stress and worry!

Ultimately just not buying sweets is probably why she is on the calpol because it is delicious. I think you need to have a conversation with her about sweet stuff and buy her some things she can have as just not giving her something at all is not going to help the problem at all. As soon as she goes out to the shops with her friends or moves out she will eat them all the time.

Do you have younger children that you actually need calpol for? If not I'd bin the calpol and move to bog standard paracetamol

Used to bloody love the taste of Calpol when I was a kid. Just stop buying calpol and go for one of those horrid honey concoctions or switch to normal tablets, I'm sure that would put a stop to it.

Yes I have a younger son.
She gets spends and spends that all on sweets which I have said is silly and she could save up for something nice but she doesn't seem interested in anything but sweets and junk. I've not idea why she is so obsessed with them! It's ridiculous and I'm sure I'm alone with this issue. No one else's child seems to be like her.

Get nurofen instead - my kids never liked the taste!

Just stop buying calpol?

If you need to have it to hand for you get kids, keep a bottle in your car or hidden in somewhere she wouldn't look

I once drunk three quarters of a bottle of calpol when I was about ten just because I love the taste.

My Mum never noticed. Not sure what she would have done if she did.

Get some paralink suppositories. She won't seem so keen.

Or maybe just keep some sachets in your handbag?

Is it worth getting an appointment with your GP? A) they might be able to help with nutrition/get to the bottom of a sweet tooth that is such that a child will drink dangerous medicine and B) give her a bloody big shock by explaining what happens to the body when you overdose on paracetamol

Is it the strawberry one or the orange? I love the strawberry one. I just eat the pink sweet from a box of roses though. I'm pretty sure its just calpol in the centre!

Because of this thread, I've just told DD 10 she must never take any medication without asking me or DH first. Thanks for bringing this to my attention OP.

@PerfectlySymmetricalButtocks no problem, hopefully your child will listen more than mine! Grrrr x

@Anotherdayanotherdollar yes the strawberry one
@Bumdishcloths yes I was thinking of taking her to the doctors you know!

Honestly Icantfind, I don't think it would occur to her, she really doesn't like real Calpol and kind of tolerates the Sainsbury's version. I bought her a bottle of junior ibuprofen for period pains, but I think she'd need to be doubled up before she took any.

Apparently calcium and magnesium deficiencies can be responsible for sweet cravings. There could also by hypoglycaemia issues maybe? Definitely worth investigating I think

@Bumdishcloths really? Oh that's good to know. I will definitely look into that then! Honestly she is so bad I think it can't be normal! x