Acetaminophen

     Acetaminophen is a drug frequently taken by adults and children. The most recognized brand names in this country are Tylenol, Panadol and Tempra.  Acetaminophen is used to lower fever and relieve pain. However, it can be dangerous if overdosed. Overdose of acetaminophen can cause fatal liver damage, especially in young children. It can occur from a single large dose or from too many smaller doses given too frequently.

     It is easy to overdose acetaminophen because of two reasons: Children’s preparations of acetaminophen come in multiple dosage forms that are confusing. The infant acetaminophen drops have a different concentration than the liquid given to toddlers. Chewable tablets have a different concentration than tablets designed for swallowing. Parents need to know how much acetaminophen is appropriate for their child’s weight and age and to know how much acetaminophen is in the dose they give to their child. They also need to know how often they can repeat the dosage. This seems like a lot, but dosage information is on the bottle of the acetaminophen and your pharmacist can help you. The information can also be obtained on-line or through your caregiver’s office.

      The other reason acetaminophen can be easily overdosed is that it is commonly added as an ingredient in cold and cough medications. Parents might give acetaminophen for the child’s fever, but then also give a cold medicine without realizing that it also contains acetaminophen. We need to take the time to read the labels of any medications we give our children to be sure we aren’t “double-dosing”.

     If there is the possibility that your child may have had too much acetaminophen, contact the child’s caregiver immediately. In the first hours after an overdose the child may have no symptoms or may only have decreased appetite, fatigue or nausea (flu-like symptoms which might prompt the parent to give more acetaminophen). After a day or two, a child who has taken an overdose may develop abdominal pain, vomiting and dehydration. After 3 to 5 days liver failure and death can occur. If the overdose is caught within 2 hours, a medicine can be given to keep the acetaminophen from being absorbed into the child’s system. 4 hours after ingestion, a laboratory test can be done to determine whether an overdose of acetaminophen was ingested and a treatment can be started which could be life-saving.

    When our children are sick, we, as parents, feel the need to do something to help them.  But fever, cough and congestion are all symptoms that the body develops to help fight off a viral infection and don’t need to be treated. Giving a little acetaminophen to help relieve a child’s discomfort is O.K., but time and love are the best cures for most of the illnesses of childhood.