Paracetamol Dose Calculator, paracetamol poisoning and safety in children.

*Paracetamol is used for relief of pain and fever symptoms.

*paracetamol can be used for children and babies over 3 months old. Babies less than 3 months must see a pediatrician before taking paracetamol.

*Paracetamol has various brand names in Nigeria - panda, Panadol, M&B paracetamol, Emzor paracetamol etc. They are all the same but with different concentrations.

*A lot of cold medicines have paracetamol in them, so please be careful when giving medicines to children and always check what you are giving.
If you have any doubts do not give. Check with your pharmacist.

*The correct dose for your child is based on weight, not age.
If you don't know how much your child weighs and he's too young to stand on a scale, weigh yourself while holding him and then weigh yourself alone. Subtract your weight from the combined weight to get your child's weight.

*The usual dose is 15 mg per kilogram of weight. In other words, if a baby weighs 10 kg he should have 10 x 15mg, which is 150 mg. This dose can be taken once every 4 to 6 hours, up to 4 times in 24 hours if need be.

*You should not exceed the recommended dose except on the advice of your doctor. No child should take a total of more than 60 mg per kilogram of their bodyweight in a day.

*Most children are given paracetamol in syrup form and it is vital to check the strength(concentration) of the brand used, because they vary. Paracetamol is also available in different strengths for different age groups. It is good to check the dosage instructions on the bottle.

*The common strengths of paracetamol syrup are;
100mg in 1ml
120mg in 5ml
125mg in 5ml

240mg in 5ml
250mg in 5ml

*Problems can arise because of confusion between the way things are measured. Remember that ‘mg’ is a measure of weight and ‘ml’ is a measure of fluid volume.

*For example, if the strength of a bottle of paracetamol syrup is 100 mg/ml, (have in mind that the standard dose is 15mg per kg body weight), a 10 kg baby needs 150 mg which is only 1.5 ml of syrup.

*Make sure that you use the measuring device that comes with the medicine to ensure you are giving the correct dose.

*For children without underlying medical conditions, or with underlying medical conditions that are not inflammatory in nature, beginning treatment with oral paracetamol is preferred because of its long track record of safety.

DO NOT USE BOTH PARACETAMOL AND IBUPROFEN COMBINATIONS without consulting a health care practitioner.

What is Fever?

Fever is not an illness but evidence that body is fighting the infection.

Fever does not mean the child has serious bacterial illness.

Most fevers are self limiting (provided cause known and fluid replaced)

PARACETAMOL POISONING
Paracetamol poisoning is common and dangerous to life. If you suspect your child has had too much paracetamol please visit a hospital or community pharmacy near you.

WHEN CAN A CHILD TAKE TABLET PARACETAMOL?

A child should switch from syrup to tablet paracetamol once he can swallow  tablet with ease using water.

Paracetamol tablet comes as a 500mg scored tablet. It will usually have a line at its centre. This line allows you break it into 2 equal halves of 250mg each.

The dose of paracetamol tablet for a child of 17kg is 250mg(half tablet).