If in doubt, give panadol? [Archive] - Bub Hub Pregnancy & Parenting Forum

Boobycino

10-09-2009, 15:54

I don't know if this was the 'right' choice, I generally don't like drugging my child, but after a day of grizzles and nothing obviously wrong, and him then absolutely refusing to sleep (though he only had 1hr this morning and he normally had 1.5-2hrs)

He wasn't screaming, but just 'not himself' IYKWIM? Snuffly, maybe he's sick? White gums, maybe he's teething? No poo today, maybe he's constipated? Or its windy today, so he could just be having a mental day from the weather?

I decided to give him a dose of panadol, which I normally dont do, I normally reserve panadol for obvious teething (like skin actually breaking) and temps over 37.5 - that come with symptoms, because he's an active boy, he does get hot sometimes, but I wouldn't be checking his temp if he didn't have symptoms, so it goes without saying I suppose.

He's gone to sleep straight away :smiliedance:

Does panadol make bubs drowsy? Or do you think maybe he does have some pain and the panadol alleviated it so he could sleep?

Hmmm... I'm not worried, just curious to see what other mums think?

HelenHasTwins

10-09-2009, 15:57

I think it does make them drowzy at bit, but I think it must have helped...

I have done the same thing with one of my twins, tried everything to settle him, is he hungry-no, changed his nappie, does he have wind-no etc, and was not sure what was wrong, in the end we gave him panadol and the same thing he settled after about 10 mins.

lou333

10-09-2009, 15:58

It sounds like a reasonable thing to do to me. It can be hard to know what's wrong sometimes can't it? Panadol doesn't make bubs drowsy and as long as you're only doing it occasionally when you think he might be in pain, I think it's fine.

LittleBug'sMum

10-09-2009, 16:03

Panadol doesn't make adults drowsy at all, so I don't imagine it should make bubs drowsy. But sometimes when I give it to DS it does make him go to sleep :confused:
Who knows. Could be just that whatever pain is there is taken away and they are tired, so they sleep.
Don't you wish they could tell you what the problem was?
I don't think it hurts to give the odd dose if you think there could be some type of pain, as long as it isn't all the time:).

elleandsam

10-09-2009, 16:55

I remember having terrible growing pains when I was growing up, babies do a lot of growing so maybe they get growing pains too?

MilkOnTap

10-09-2009, 17:00

I decided to give him a dose of panadol, which I normally dont do, I normally reserve panadol for obvious teething

Personally, I wouldn't be ":smiliedance:" about a baby passing out after being given drugs.

I reserve panadol for when there are OBVIOUS painful issues. It seems that you normally do as well, but for some reason you doubted yourself this time?

"If in doubt, give Panadol?"
In one word - No. Drugs shouldn't be given in a stale-mate situation.

em1984

10-09-2009, 17:20

Noah had his first lot of panadol a couple of weeks ago when he was really ill with temps over 39. It too made him drowsy. Panadol makes me drowsy too, always has. Same with my mum. I take 2 and i'm out like a light within the hour, which is why I rarely take it, or only take 1 if need be. I don't see a problem with a dose of panadol here and there. As you say, as long as it doesnt become regular then really, there are worse things for them!

SnowBunny

10-09-2009, 17:25

It is so hard when they are so young and can't tell you what is wrong. I've had the same thing with DD, checking everything else and if you can't get anything to work give a dose of baby panadol and it settled her down.

Teething caused DD pain even before they broke the skin - enough at least that when it was all quiet at night and there was nothing to distract her from the pain, she couldn't get to sleep because of it, so a dose of panadol helped her get to sleep.

If when bub is "obviously teething" and you are giving him panadol every 4 hours he isn't crashing to sleep after each dose, then I wouldn't think that you would be "drugging" him to sleep as such, more helping him with the pain that he can't tell you about yet, so he can get to sleep, which from the sounds of your day, he really needed some sleep.

Something we do for DD is to tell her each time we gave her something what we were giving her and what it was for - bongela, panadol, teething relief, vitamins and she has made the connection with what each does and can now ask for it if she needs it. Has been able to do that since about 18 months or so when she was able to answer yes or no to the question "do you want.......?"

Hope he is happier and feeling better after his sleep.

sharonnscotty

10-09-2009, 17:27

panadol should not make bubby drowsy but then who knows LOL. Its perfectly fine to give them the odd dose. If he fell asleep afterwards, he was probably in pain and needed the rest. Teething can make their ears sore too and we all know earache is an aweful thing. So not a problem in my book!

MooMum

10-09-2009, 17:33

Personally, I wouldn't be ":smiliedance:" about a baby passing out after being given drugs.

I reserve panadol for when there are OBVIOUS painful issues. It seems that you normally do as well, but for some reason you doubted yourself this time?

"If in doubt, give Panadol?"
In one word - No. Drugs shouldn't be given in a stale-mate situation.

This Mum knows her child best, she is after support not criticism. She had assessed the situation and ruled out most things. Panadol is NOT going to hurt the child when given as rarely as this Mum clearly gives it. If our children cannot tell us what the problem is and there is clearly something bothering them, I personally don't think what the OP has done is a bad thing. ESPECIALLY as her child went straight to sleep. Panadol does not cause drowsiness, perhaps he WAS actually in PAIN? It is not always obvious.

And I don't think the OP was literally :smiliedance: at her child "passing out after being given drugs" I think she was relieved that he had settled and was no longer as distressed as he had clearly been.

OP you did what you thought was best. I personally don't think giving a dose of Panadol when you feel it necessary is something you should be criticized for. It's not something that should be used as a first resort but I think you assessed the situation well and your son clearly needed something if he went straight to sleep.

Sheer Bliss

10-09-2009, 17:35

It shouldn't make bubs drowsy, so maybe there was an issue that was making bub be in pain.

MOT - ouch!! I didn't think the OP was over the top in :smiliedance:. I also rarely use panadol, the last lot i had got thrown away because it was out of date. But sometimes your baby might be in pain and unable to tell you. Some things a b/f and cuddle can't fix, and i know i'd hate to be in pain from a headache, unable to sleep and unable to let someone know. Sometimes, the odd dose off panadol after screaming for hours is the lessor demon (as we all know the dangers of a baby crying for too long).

Areca

10-09-2009, 17:50

Personally, I wouldn't be ":smiliedance:" about a baby passing out after being given drugs.

I reserve panadol for when there are OBVIOUS painful issues. It seems that you normally do as well, but for some reason you doubted yourself this time?

"If in doubt, give Panadol?"
In one word - No. Drugs shouldn't be given in a stale-mate situation.

:no: Talk about harsh. She gave him panadol and he went to sleep - he was hardly passed out from the effects of drugs.

I don't give panadol normally no. It's something I generally reserve for night time so they can get a decent night sleep when they are sick and/or in obvious pain but I have given it extremely occassionally on the off chance that it could help when one of my kids hasn't been old enough to communicate what was wrong and they were acting extremely out of character.

At the end of the day, if they are in pain then I'm not going to go beating myself up over one dose of panadol and if my baby had been upset and unable to sleep and nothing was working and then they went to sleep after panadol well I'd be :smiliedance: that I was able to help ease their pain so they could be comfortable enough to sleep.

TripleTime

10-09-2009, 17:52

My DD2 has panadole every 4 hours like clock work due to being in constant pain, we have now gotten to the point where panadole isnt enough.

The odd dose of panadole does not hurt, it sound like he was in pain & the panadole fixed his problem that mum couldnt find.

kar

10-09-2009, 19:32

I have done exactly the same thing on occasion with the same result - an unaccountabily distressed baby calmed and able to sleep.

And I have been relieved and happy about it.

I do not consider this drugging my child to sleep.

Chel, obviously most people think this was a completely reasonable thing to do. So maybe not "when in doubt" but rather when you can't think of anything else and knowing your baby as well as you do you know something is not right.

ICanDream

10-09-2009, 19:53

As a last resort I think what you did was perfectly fine and a sensible next step. If you have tried all the routine steps and it is obvious that they are in distress then why not try the pain relief, there was obviously something not right and if this alleviated some sort of issue for your little one then I don't see a problem.

We have done this on occasion and I can't help but wonder if Bubs was just as relieved as I was that he got some relief from whatever was upsetting him.

I don't see it as drugging your child at all.

sahm

10-09-2009, 20:18

Panadol has no sedative in it, it would not make him go to sleep.

If he went to sleep after a dose, it obviously relieved some discomfort enough for him to relax.

You didn't "drug" your boy to make life easier for yourself, you did it because you knew he wasn't himself... That's exactly what I would've done.

Mrs Potts

10-09-2009, 20:22

I would have done the same thing, and in fact, I'm sure I have on rare occasions.

I agree that paracetamol isn't a sedative. It often helps bub sleep because their sleep has been disrupted prior to the dose, so once the pain has gone they drop off easily.

Deserama

10-09-2009, 20:29

Well I do it. If the kid's a grizzle guts and there's obviously something wrong, then you will usually find that a dose of panadol does work...and it works because they were in pain, otherwise it wouldn't. They're too young for the placebo effect.

So yes, if in doubt.....

MissMetal

10-09-2009, 20:53

i would have done the exact same thing :yes:

ETA - if panadol was that bad it would NOT be sold over the counter, it would be prescription only... its hardly a strong drug in comparison :rolleyes:

becster05

10-09-2009, 21:33

This Mum knows her child best, she is after support not criticism. She had assessed the situation and ruled out most things. Panadol is NOT going to hurt the child when given as rarely as this Mum clearly gives it. If our children cannot tell us what the problem is and there is clearly something bothering them, I personally don't think what the OP has done is a bad thing. ESPECIALLY as her child went straight to sleep. Panadol does not cause drowsiness, perhaps he WAS actually in PAIN? It is not always obvious.

And I don't think the OP was literally :smiliedance: at her child "passing out after being given drugs" I think she was relieved that he had settled and was no longer as distressed as he had clearly been.

OP you did what you thought was best. I personally don't think giving a dose of Panadol when you feel it necessary is something you should be criticized for. It's not something that should be used as a first resort but I think you assessed the situation well and your son clearly needed something if he went straight to sleep.

Well said MooMum!! I could not have said that better myself... posts like the one you are referring to irritate the c**p out of me!!!

NonnyMouse

10-09-2009, 21:46

To answer the OP, who was asking what other people's opinions were on giving panadol in that instance...

I wouldn't have, but that's just me. I don't even give it for a mild temp. Unless there's obvious pain or a dangerously high temp I stay away from medicating babies and children. I don't take it myself unless the pain is stopping me from going about my day.

Boobycino

11-09-2009, 06:31

Well...

Firstly, thank you so so so much for all the replies, its a wonderful validation! I dont normally give him panadol unless I know something is wrong, its not my preference personally, but it just felt right.

He didn't pass out immediately, he'd been refusing a feed and then 10 minutes after the pandol came looking for boob, fed and fell asleep feeding. Which is always well deserving of a :smiliedance: when they fall asleep in your arms :yes: though I hadn't explained that properly.

My heart did flutter a bit at that post, but I feel really loved by everyones defense. I love the community spirit of bubhub :bee:

ANYWAY The update...

.... I had had a good look in bubs mouth but he was protesting, but I'm pretty sure I just saw white gums and then when I put him to bed at 7 I had a feel inside his mouth and he had 2 new teeth :eek:

Poor bum! he's been a super teether! He's had 4 teeth in a fortnight... and only 2 doses of panadol including the one last night... so he's a very brave boy, but 2 at once must have hurt lots!!!!!

I gave him lots of cuddles. It explains why he was miserable since the night before.

Good to know it wasn't something more sinister, I was worried he was sick because he'd felt warm off and on, but not temperature, and he had a snuffly block nose (oh, but when DONT they have a snuffly blocked nose this time of year?!) so I'm please its over.

Unless he's planning to pop some more teeth any time soon!!!! Hopefully his teeth will give him a rest!!!

MilkOnTap

11-09-2009, 06:54

[text removed]

Poor wee lad - 4 teeth so close together must be so painful! My wisdom tooth has been playing up lately and thats only 1 tooth, I cant imagine how painful 4 of them altogether must be.

Glad he is okay now.

Blueberry Crumble

11-09-2009, 07:12

It is just Panadol, not coccaine. As long as it is every so often then it isnt going to kill them!

Boobycino

11-09-2009, 07:25

Poor wee lad - 4 teeth so close together must be so painful! My wisdom tooth has been playing up lately and thats only 1 tooth, I cant imagine how painful 4 of them altogether must be.

Glad he is okay now.

I only got my wisdom teeth a couple of years ago, so I remember very well the torture of teething... I have all kinds of sympathy for bubs! :(

Its such a design flaw that babies aren't born with teeth already! The poor poppets shouldn't have to go through teething :(:no:

Lil07

11-09-2009, 07:57

My hubby's uncle is one of Australia's leading paediatric cancer specialist based in Perth. He's extremely versed in drugs and pain relief for babies and children. We've asked him about giving baby panadol and baby nurofen. His advice is that panadol and nurofen are mild over the counter pain relievers and if used occasionally, not going to have any effects on bub.

Apparently the baby panadol is exactly like the adults panadol but no where near as strong, so it's not going to knock your bub out.

If a dose of panadol every once and a while is going to help bub sleep while he/she is experiencing pain, I'd go for it. It's when it's used for days on end that it could become a problem (just as it says on the package) as there is obviously an underlying issue that it could be masking (ear infection etc etc).

Hope your little fella is over his teethy pain. My little girl suffers for days before a tooth cuts through. It's a nightmare!

...and people/experts say that teething doesn't hurt them...Ppppfftttt! Their gums are cutting open to push hard little teeth through. Poor little bubbas.

~Temet Nosce~

11-09-2009, 08:07

Paracetamol does not cause drowsiness and if it does it's an individual reaction related to the person, not the drug I would think.

I'd say he was just so tired from the pain and the relief made him want to sleep. They want to recuperate while they can.

[text removed]

Fuchsia!

11-09-2009, 08:10

I wouldn't of, thats me though.

I have read some things on panadol and i would be reluctant to use it for even pain let alone no pain.

Babies panadol is more harsher then adult, I know of a couple of people took a dose of baby panadol and it made them high and feel very out to it.

Not sure why but it must be a different mix up. Im not a fan of panadol at all.

~Temet Nosce~

11-09-2009, 08:20

I have also heard it stains cloth nappies which is a bit concerning. I tend to use brauers or dymadon.

Pixilocks

11-09-2009, 08:31

I'm not having a go at you OP, as I would have done the EXACT same thing.

Just thought I'd write an update as my daughter has been sick for nearly 2 months we were discussing the use of panadol/nurofen in conjunction with each other, what the differences were etc with the Doctor.

Apparently in the last 12 months there has been a cause to believe that Panadol could possibly contribute to childhood asthma (I'm not sure in what doses or frequencies) particularly if the child already has a predisposition to getting asthma, as mine does, due to bronchiolitis.

They obviously aren't going to be running any case studies on this, but the Doctor I saw (who is incredibly efficient and thorough) said that most recent studies show that Nurofen is actually more beneficial to a child for relieving pain and fever. Especially whilst teething as it contains an anti inflammatory component.

Also, I asked my doctor about using panadol and nurofen doses together (as one is paracetamol and one is ibuprofen this can be done without overdosing) but he said that it makes little difference and probably isn't worth it.

Not sure if anyone else had heard this information but I found it to be something I had no idea of previously and something I will definitely be keeping in mind, and just wanted to share.

Boobycino

11-09-2009, 08:55

...and people/experts say that teething doesn't hurt them...Ppppfftttt! Their gums are cutting open to push hard little teeth through. Poor little bubbas.

and these 'people/experts' CLEARLY aren't mothers of young babies :rolleyes:

How does is stain nappies if its clear? Does it make them sticky? Or is it the pink one that stains? because baby panadol is colourless. I can totally understand if the pink on stains!

And PeacePixie, thats interesting because I do worry about asthma with bub, because I was a very bad asthmatic as a young child and still rely on constant asthma medication to surivive, so he's already got a genetic predisposition :( i just wouldn't want him to have to carry around puffers with him everywhere he goes for the rest of his life, its a pain in the bum sometimes!

Whats Dymadon Kiakia?

~Temet Nosce~

11-09-2009, 08:57

I think it stains them grey..

Dymadon is just another version of panadol, it's a bit cheaper and dd likes the taste better. It's paracetamol also.

Pixilocks

11-09-2009, 09:05

Chel,

Yeah I have very mild triggered asthma, but DP had asthma as a kid, and now that she's had the bronchiolitis.... I'm a bit concerned as well.

I just thought you might find the information usueful, or garbage :)

Just thought I'd post it so people can do with it what they will!

Usually though, if I know its specifically teething and she's just grumbly and no temp, I just give Brauers Teething Relief, she loves it!

Fuchsia!

11-09-2009, 09:06

Areca

11-09-2009, 11:37

[text removed]

Chel - I use hylands teething tablets for teething and they work great. Poor DD2 teeths for a month at a time and is a complete misery guts so I feel far more comfortable giving her some homeopathic teething tablets than panadol. You can just get them from your local chemist.

BabelFish

11-09-2009, 11:59

Personally, I wouldn't be ":smiliedance:" about a baby passing out after being given drugs.
What a horrible thing to say. And how rude. I hardly think she was dancing around because she drugged her child and it worked. Being on a forum for a long time and being `used to lashings' (clearly not unwarranted ones) doesn't give someone the right to forget all about their manners.

Chel - obviously you did the right thing because Panadol doesn't contain sedatives and if he went to sleep once it had set in then he must have had some pain or discomfort.

Just because they're babies, it doesn't mean that they should just have to put up with pain.

As a last resort, when everything else has been attended to (i.e. nappy, hunger, warmth/cold etc) then the next logical step is pain.

As a good and attentive mother, you followed all the right steps and did the right thing for you child. Well done.

pinkishbunny

11-09-2009, 12:23

It is just Panadol, not coccaine. As long as it is every so often then it isnt going to kill them!

I Agree, If my kids are sick or don't seem to be well, I give them Whatever it is they need for that pain, Whether its Nurofen, Dimetapp or Panadol, Chemist's sell these for a reason... Just the same if we are in pain we take something for it, I'd rather my child have Medicine to feel better, Then have them Miserable and not having any Medicine, But hey each to their own.!