[tri-med] Re: FYI - OTC aspirin ban likely to be extended to all under 16s

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michelle Waite"
> This is interesting. We had our dr tell us that aspirin is more "safe" for
> infants and children than the acedomedicins (Tylenol) that damage the
> liver.Said that in the medical journals he reads there are studies showing
> aspirin to be safer on organs than the other brands of pain
relievers--more
> reported instances of liver damage to children they episodes of Reyes
> Syndrome.

I also have been following the reports on paracetamol and liver problems -
in fact its been a fairly hot news topic here in Australia because we
already have active discouragement of asprin for children and have done for
many years. So paracetamol is the "drug of choice". Any adverse news rings
alarm bells with everyone, especially when most parents consider it safe and
harmless.

The studies show a number of "common" problems as being the cause of
physical problems from tylenol (paracetamol). In most cases its misuse but
often not intentionally.

I don't know about the US but here it comes in varying strengths - drops for
infants, regular strength, and then you can get liquid paracetamol thats
four times the strength for older children (so that they don't need to
swallow as much liquid). The main problem is that parents don't realise and
when a child is sick in the middle of the night they grab the bottle half
asleep and give the medicine without checking and double checking the dose.
They forget that the bought the extra strength...........

In other cases the problem arises from parents using a regular teaspoon to
measure the dose - not a good idea as a typical household teaspoon can vary
greatly.

Some parents also use tylenol (or paracetamol here) as a "sleeping tablet" -
so it gets used for extended periods - which shouldn't be done.

Accidental overdose is also a big cause of problems - one parent giving a
dose and then the other parent repeating the dose without realising. Or some
parents will give one dose to reduce a fever and then give a second dose
inside the four hours because it didn't come down far enough or fast enough,
because they dont realise the dangers......

But by far the most common cause of problems was teens overdosing on
paracetamol in suicide attempts.

While the studies do show that tylenol (etc) can cause liver damage, if used
in accordance with directions those problems are rare. But misuse is easy
because even a double dose is potentially harmful.

Personally I don't think that these problems are in isolation to
paracetamol - when asprin was common you had similar problems........

I have rarely given my children asprin because of the dangers - I have
worked with children who have Reyes syndrome and wouldnt wish that on my
kids. I am also old enough to remember when asprin was commonly used with
children and remember the problems that overdosing with asprin caused then -
one that stands out in my mind is tinnitus and hearing loss from asprin
which can be permanent...... (a double dose of asprin is enough to cause
this). Children with bleeding disorders caused or exacerbated by asprin or
having ulcers from long term use of asprin (heck I am an adult with an
ulcer - probably made worse because I am a long time asprin user for
migraines)

When my children were older I did start to use asprin again - but stopped
when it caused problems for my eldest. She had had glandular fever and had
seemingly been recovered for a couple of months. Then she got a temperature
and not having any paracetamol in the house I gave her some asprin for a few
days. No big deal except that she then got a paper cut - which would not
stop bleeding no matter what I did. I am not joking that paper cut bled
continuously and profusely for 24 hours........ Turns out that it was one of
those "one in a million" coincidences. Glandular fever can cause clotting
problems because it damages the liver (not so that you would see, but its
there for months afterwards) and combined with the asprin (which also thins
the blood) it created a dangerous situation. As the doctor said - if they
hadn't made the connection she could have died from a paper cut............

The bottom line for me in the debate is that all drugs are dangerous and
should be used strictly as directed. There is no such thing as a "safe"
drug - everything has side effects, and I mean everything. Paracetamol has
side effects and so does asprin. Both if used correctly are a safe drug -
but the problem with asprin (for me) is that I can't always tell if my
children have a fever from a virus or another cause. My understanding is
that the risk of Reye's Syndrome is greatly increased by giving asprin when
there is a virus present, especially chicken pox.

All parents should be educated on the correct way to give a medicine and
know the risks, even, and maybe especially of OTC drugs (manufactured and
herbal). And finally never leave anything to chance. When my girls were
little I used to have a blackboard on the pantry door. We would write all
medications given on the blackboard so that there would be no foretting and
also no overdosing. Even though there is just Alex and I these days I still
do that because old age is making me forgetful at times and if I dont write
it down I can forget that I have given him his medicines........

And just for the record I rarely give Alex paracetamol either. The medical
profession still do not really know how it works - except that it acts on
the central nervous system - and therein lies the problem for this
household. Alex, like many of our triers actually has a paradoxical reaction
to paracetamol - it causes his temperature to increase immediately not
decrease. Great if I need to increase his temperature, but not if I want to
decrease it in a hurry. (it will eventually drop his temperature but not for
some time) It also appears, though we have not definitively proven it at
this stage, that effects other aspects of his central nervous system such as
blood pressure and heart rate.

Thankfully (????) Alex has an extremely high tolerance of pain (and I mean
extremely high!!!) so rarely needs anything for pain. He also rarely gets a
fever, even when ill. If he does I am a believer in the philosophy that
fevers are good - so he usually gets to keep the high temperature unless it
reaches "seizure" thresholds (over 39C) and that, thankgoodness has only
ever happened once.

As for their being no money in asprin - it costs the same here for asprin or
for paracetamol..........

A rich child often sits in a poor mother's lap.
  -- Danish Proverb

Keep Looking for Rainbows!!!
Karen, Mum to Alex (8, T-18 mosaic)
Sydney, Australia
http://members.optushome.com.au/karens
http://www.trisomyonline.org

                  Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
                       www.trisomyonline.org
                  Families Helping Families On-line

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