Acetaminophen is one of the most common medicine given to children. It is also known as paracetamol and N -acetyl-p-aminophenol (APAP). The medicine is commonly given to cure fever and pain. Yet, for parents, it can be one of the most challenging medicine to provide a dosage correctly. This is because it is easily available in many forms. It has become a staple resident of home medicine cabinets in one form or the other. Due to its easy availability, it is considered to be the medicine that causes most deaths due to overdose. Overdoses occur because parents are unaware of Acetaminophen's toxicity. Symptoms of acetaminophen intoxication include nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, and liver failure.
There are few things that parents should remember before giving Acetaminophen to their children.
• Never provide Acetaminophen to a child under the age of 3 months without consulting your doctor.
• The amount of Acetaminophen given to a child depends on his weight and not on his age.
• Read the medications label carefully as it is easy to be confused by the different forms and concentration of acetaminophen that is available at the medical store
• Remember to use the measuring device that came with the medication to ensure correct amount of dosage.
• Check whether you are giving an adult dosage or a child's dosage before giving the medicine. Even within the children's version there are many variations depending on age group. For example, an infant modify formulation is three times as concentrated as the syrup given to toddlers.
• Overdose of acetaminophen can cause liver damage.
internal medicine curriculum,
Medicine Residency Programs
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment