Addicted to Calpol??

mozattack

Hi there all,

I am just a little concerned at the moment, my boy is 7mths old and up until he was 4mths i never gave him anything but then he started teething bably at 4mths and i was advised to give him something so asked the chemist and they said Calpol. i have been using it most nights now for about 2mths - just because he has been teething (has 3 teeth already and another on the way). my concern is that i am afraid that he has or will become addicted to the stuff and will not sleep without it. I give him 2.5ml just before bed. he gets nothing else during the day.
can someone advise if this is ok or if i should stop immediately?i just don't want him to be in pain in the night as during the day he would chew the leg of the table.

thanks so much

CK2010

sounds like a stupid question but does he actually need it every night? or do you just give it out of habit? like have you tried him without it, and if so, was he much worse?

mozattack

not stupid at all, i guess i was giving it out of habit at a point and i did try on a few nights to not give it and see what happened but on all of those nights he woke up screaming in the early hours - which he would never do. for example on sunday night just gone i said i wasn't giving him anything going to bed - and he screamed the house down 4 times that night before i eventually gave him a spoon of calpol and he slept till the morning then.

i am concern and don't know whether this is a good thing to be giving him or not. my gut tells me that i should stop but when i try he screams in the night - like how do i know before he goes to bed whether he will have teething trouble in the night or not?

CK2010

yeh i get what you mean, by any chance do you know if its screaming in pain or just screaming for something, maybe he knows if he screams he'll get his sugary treat?! it may have become like a comforter for him more so that a pain reliever?? they're smart like that!

have you tried the cream stuff on his gums? nelsons do a good one. although my girl didnt have a bother with any of her teeth (you may curse me for that but i've suffered in other ways i promise! ) so it was only needed a few times.

Nevyn

Haveyou spoken to your chemist about this, they would know if there are any risks.

inigo

Firstly I am not a doctor or pharmacist and don't want you to be alarmed but I would stop immediately and consult a doctor and/or phamacist.

I was though a bit alarmed myself when I read you have been giving Calpol to your baby "most nights now for about 2mths". At the risk of sounding pedantic or a smartass, Calpol is a drug. The active ingredient is paracetamol. The concentration varies depending on the product, being a lot lower than the standard 500mg you find in the adult version. However, you are giving it to a much smaller person. I don't think it would be wise for anyone to take a paracetamol tablet most nights, baby or adult. It usually says in the information leaflet not to take a particular drug for more than a few days and to consult a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms persist, because it could mask the symptoms of something else the baby may have. After some Googleing I am reading that if you go by the correct dose you can administer Calpol as long as you like, which seems to be corroborated by some GPs :eek:. Our GP certainly never did tell us that, but to avoid drugs as much as possible!!

I don't mean to sound rude at all but taking a medicine regularly without a doctor's advice is very dangerous (and sometimes with it too, but that would be a topic for another time and place). We have a 16 month old baby boy and have given him Calpol on a handful of occasions but never more than 2 days in a row (luckily he has always been fine after a couple of days).

There are also other additives in Calpol to be taken into account, such as sweeteners and colorants. I think not even the pharma companies know exactly what they to to the body if taken regularly (or maybe they do...).

Again, I am no expert and may be wrong too, but I would go with common sense and see a doctor. Sorry for the rant, it's only concern...

Cat Melodeon

Again, you should consult your doctor regarding your baby's particular needs. My personal experience is very different to inigo's. My boy started teething in earnest at about 6 months. We use a combination of Calpol, Nurofen for babies, teetha gel and granules, bonjela, teething rings etc. I generally try not to give him anything during the day unless he is very bad, and if he's going through a bad patch, I give him Calpol one night, Nurofen the next. He doesn't get pain relief going to bed as standard, only when he's obviously in discomfort - biting down on everything, dribbling a lot, nappy rash etc. I do all this on the advice of my doctor. His line is that these drugs are designed for babies and young children and that as long as you do not exceed the dosage instructions and don't give them when they are not needed, there is no danger. You'll know yourself when your child needs help. My lad tends to cut more than one tooth at a time. We can have three weeks of hell followed by three weeks of calm. I would not deny him pain relief those nights that he needs it.

Like I said, consult your own doctor. It's good to be concerned, but there's no point in leaving a child in pain unnecessarily either.