Paracetamol is used as an antipyretic and analgesic drug for children from 3 months of age. How to dose paracetamol to a child? What doses of paracetamol are safe for children?
Paracetamol for childrenis available in tablets, syrup or rectally in the form of suppositories - the form of giving it to a child depends on the age and he alth of the child. Paracetamol, properly dosed, is considered by doctors to be the safest preparation among all over-the-counter painkillers and antipyretics.
How to dose paracetamol to a child?
Paracetamol dosage according to body weight:
- orally - recommended in a single dose of 10-15 mg / kg of the child's body weight. Subsequent doses may be administered not earlier than every 4-6 hours. However, the daily dose must not exceed 60 mg / kg body weight.
- rectally (in suppositories) - it is recommended to administer in a single dose of 25 mg / kg of the child's body weight, every 6-8 hours, keeping the maximum daily dose of 60 mg / kg of body weight.
Average doses of paracetamol for children by age:
- From 3 months to 2 years of age, the dose of paracetamol for a child is 60-120 mg in tablets, and in syrup from 2.5 to 5 ml
- From the age of 1 to 5, the dose of paracetamol for a child is 120-250 mg
- in children over 6 years of age, a paracetamol dose of 250 to 500 mg is used
When not to give your child paracetamol?
The use of paracetamol in children is safer than in adults. Children are less sensitive to paracetamol overdose due to the proportionally greater weight of the liver and kidneys compared to adults.
Contraindication to the use of paracetamol in children is:
- allergy (hypersensitivity) to the drug
- diabetes
- bronchial asthma
- impaired liver function
- taking phenobarbital, carbamazepine, rifampicin
- congenital deficiency of the enzyme methaemoglobin reductase or glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase
If you are giving your child a combined preparation, read the composition of the tablet so that the same drug substance is not administered in different preparations.