Children's Panadol

Medications with antipyretic effects are certainly present in the first-aid kit of families with young children, because an increased body temperature can be called one of the most frequent symptoms of childhood diseases.

In the fight against fever in babies often use drugs on the basis of paracetamol, because they are called one of the safest in childhood. A representative of such drugs is Children's Panadol. When it is prescribed to children, in what dosages it is prescribed, is it used in infants, and what analogs are replaced if necessary?

Children's Panadol, which is also called Panadol Baby, is presented in two forms:

1. Suspension. Such a Panadol is a sweet-tasting syrup-like liquid (due to its viscous consistency, this medicine is often called syrup) with a strawberry flavor and a pink tinge. The solution is poured into glass bottles and is sold in two volumes - 100 ml and 300 ml. A plastic syringe is attached to the bottle to help accurately measure milliliters of suspension.
2. Rectal candles. They are sold in a box of 5 to 20 pieces packed in tapes of 5-10 suppositories. Such candles have a uniform structure, a cone shape and a white color. Normally, a candle-free candle should not have physical defects or any impurities.

The main ingredient in both forms of Panadol Baby is paracetamol. In the suspension it is contained in a dose of 120 mg / 5 ml, and in one candle in the amount of 125 mg or 250 mg.

The only additional component of suppositories is solid fat, and in liquid Panadol there are many excipients, including maltitol, flavoring, sorbitol, malic acid, azorubine and other compounds. but sugar or alcohol in suspension are missing.

Paracetamol in the composition of the Pediatric Panadol is able to affect cyclooxygenase. This enzyme, which is located in the cells of the central nervous system, is responsible for the formation of prostaglandins. Its oppression prevents the synthesis of such substances, with the result that the drug affects the centers of pain and thermoregulation. This leads to a gradual decrease in temperature and the disappearance of pain.

Compared with other nonsteroidal drugs with the same effects, Panadol has almost no anti-inflammatory effect. This medicine does not affect the synthesis of prostaglandins, which occurs in peripheral tissues. This causes no harmful effects of drugs on the digestive tract.

Paracetamol from the suspension is absorbed faster than from the candles. The effect of an ingested liquid preparation begins after about 15–20 minutes, and after the suppository is injected, the effect develops within 1.5–2 hours. The duration of action of both forms is about 4 hours.

The most common cause of the use of Children's Panadol is increased body temperature. Medication give:

• with flu;
• at rubella;
• with scarlet fever;
• with ARVI;
• for measles;
• with chickenpox;
• with intestinal infection;
• with parotitis and other childhood infections;
• when a temperature reaction to the vaccine.

Suspension is recommended to reduce the temperature or reduce pain in children older than three months. This form of Panadol is used from 3 months of age to 12 years.

It is usually not prescribed for babies up to 3 months, but it is acceptable to give the drug 1-3 months to reduce the temperature caused by vaccination. However, this technique should be a one-time and only under the supervision of a physician. If after one dose the medicament has not brought down the temperature, it is impossible to give the syrup again.

Suspension is strictly contraindicated in babies of the first month of life.. The question of the use of suspensions in children older than 3 months who were born prematurely is decided by the doctor.

Adolescents over 12 years old are also not prescribed the liquid form, since Panadol in tablets of 500 mg is more convenient in adolescence.

Panadol suppositories do not apply until six months of age. In this case, candles, which contain 125 mg of the active ingredient, are prescribed to children from 6 months to 2 and a half years, and the drug with a higher dose of paracetamol (250 mg in the candle) is used in patients from 3 to 6 years.

There are weight restrictions for the use of candles - a drug with 125 mg is prescribed for body weight from 8 to 12.5 mg, and suppositories for 250 mg are given to children who weigh from 13 to 20 kg.

Panadol Baby can not take children:

• with intolerance to paracetamol or another component of the drug;
• with impaired kidney function;
• due to the genetically absence of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase in the body;
• with severe liver disease;
• with anemia and other blood disorders.

Adults when carrying a child or breastfeeding to take Panadol not prohibited.

Manufacturers warn of the following possible side effects:

• In the treatment of Panadol Baby, allergic reactions may occur. In some children, they manifest as a rash, in others - itching or redness of the skin, but in rare cases it may develop angioedema, urticaria or anaphylactic shock.
• The use of the drug may affect the number of blood cells. A decrease in their number sometimes occurs with prolonged use of Panadol.
• If a child has an increased sensitivity to drugs of the NSAID group, then taking Panadol can cause bronchospasm.
• Very rarely, the drug disrupts the liver or causes negative symptoms of the gastrointestinal tract.

The drug is used in strict accordance with the instructions in the instructions:

• A single dose of Panadol in suppositories is 1 suppository, and the method of using this medication is rectal.
• Candles are introduced in the prone position (it is recommended that the child be on the left side with one leg pulled up to the stomach), gently pushing them into the anus with the index finger.
• Before using suppositories, it is worthwhile to wait for natural bowel movements or to take an enema so that the drug does not leave the intestine immediately after administration.
• For dosing suspensions, it is recommended to use a measuring syringe, which is sold together with a bottle. Before dialing the solution with a syringe, the bottle must be actively shaken so that all the ingredients are well mixed and distributed evenly.
• The dosage of liquid Panadol is determined on the basis of weight and age.It is possible to look at it for each particular child in the table, which is both on the box and inside the paper instruction attached to the bottle. There are marked and single doses of the drug, and daily allowance.

• In order not to be mistaken with the maximum permitted amount of syrup, it should be calculated by body weight. In children, do not give more than 15 mg of paracetamol per kilogram to receive, and a child can receive a maximum of 60 mg / kg per day.
• The frequency of use of both suspensions and suppositories is 3-4 times a day. The drug is given to swallow or injected into the rectum with an interval of 4-6 hours, but more than four times a day, it is forbidden to use Panadol.
• The duration of the reception of Panadol Baby depends on the reason for his appointment and is adjusted by the doctor. If a child has pain or fever, and it is not possible to show the baby to the doctor, it is allowed to use the medication without consultation for no longer than three days.
• If the medication is prescribed by a doctor for more than 7 days, control of the risk of side effects is required. In particular, with such a long-term use, the child needs to do blood tests and check the functional state of the liver.

If you accidentally exceed the dose of Panadol, then in the first day after that, the child will experience abdominal pain, sweating, nausea, pallor, loss of appetite or vomiting. 1-2 days after the overdose, symptoms of liver damage begin to appear.

If the dosage has been exceeded significantly, the drug can worsen carbohydrate metabolism and kidney function, as well as provoke encephalopathy, bleeding, brain swelling, pancreatitis, arrhythmia, and other dangerous conditions.

If overdose is detected within one hour, induce vomiting and give one of the sorbents. In the treatment of overdose use acetylcysteine, methionine and other medicines, and in case of a severe deterioration of the child’s condition they are hospitalized.

Panadol is not advised to combine with other antipyretic drugs, if such treatment is not prescribed by a doctor. It is not recommended to combine the use of such a drug with many other medicines, including phenytoin, zidovudine, butadione, carbamazemine, metoclopramide, and other medicines mentioned in the abstract.

Both Pancadol Suspension and Candles are sold in pharmacies without a prescription. The average price of a bottle with a capacity of 100 ml is 80-90 rubles, and 10 suppositories cost 50-60 rubles.

It is recommended to keep Panadol Baby at home at a temperature from 0 to +30 degrees, choosing a dry place inaccessible for the rays of the sun for storage. The medicine should also not be easily accessible to children.

Most of the reviews on the use of both forms of Panadol Baby in children with pain or fever are positive. The main advantages of the drug are its safety for kids and high efficiency.

Candles moms praise for the possibility of use in children, prone to gag reaction to drugs that need to swallow. Suspension, according to parents, is easy to dose and give the child is very simple, because she has a pleasant taste. The cost of the drug is called affordable.

As for the minuses, the candles consider the onset of late action to be a disadvantage, since the effect of this form of Panadol develops at least 1.5 hours. In addition, parents call the duration of action of both forms of the drug too short, which is why sometimes you have to resort to using other antipyretic drugs (for example, alternate Nurofen and Panadol).

Also, many mothers do not like the composition of the suspension, because it contains flavoring, coloring and other chemical compounds. In order not to give such substances to young patients, which is especially important for the treatment of infants or children with allergies, it is necessary to use candles.

Adverse reactions to Panadol, judging by the reviews, develop very rarely. Only some children have an allergy to auxiliary components of the syrup or paracetamol intolerance. In such cases, resort to peers who have the same therapeutic effect.

When, for some reason, it is impossible to give a child a Baby Panadol, other medicines can replace him, containing paracetamol.

If you need a liquid form, the suspension will do. Calpolsyrup or suspension Paracetamolsyrup Efferalgan. Such preparations are sweet to the taste, are produced in bottles of different sizes and have the same effect as Panadol in suspension. All of them are allowed to children from the age of three months.

If you need an analogue in the candles, you can buy Efferalgan, Cefecone D or Paracetamol. Such suppositories are produced with different dosages, which allows you to choose the most suitable option for both a baby at the age of 1 month (Cfefecon D or Paracetamol 50 mg is prescribed for such crumbs), and for a child 3-5 years old (Efeferalgan 300 mg or Paracetamol is used at this age 250 mg) or older.

Panadol liquid can be replaced by suspensions Ibuprofen or Nurofen, allowed from 3 months. Such drugs are produced in the candles prescribed for fever or pain, too, from 3 months of age.

For information on how to calculate the dose of antipyretic to a child, see the following video.