Sunday, July 10, 2011

Change in OTC liquid Acetaminophen (Tylenol)

It's been way too long since I last posted, but I've been busy with the new practice location and my now 3 month-old daughter.

Anyway, I thought my first post in a while would be about the "simplification" of over-the-counter liquid acetaminophen dosing. 

Starting this summer, parents will no longer be able to find new packages of "infant concentrated" acetaminophen.  Up until now, there have been 2 different OTC concentrations available: "Infant" 80mg per 0.8ml and "Children's" 160mg per 5ml (5ml = 1 teaspoon).  Unfortunately this substantial difference has led to confusion among parents leading to the accidental overdosing of some children.  Therefore, starting soon all liquid acetaminophen will be sold in the 160mg per 5ml concentration.

It is always best to base your child's dose on his/her current weight.  Soon, we will be updating the dosing recommendations on http://www.bluefishmd.com/ to include dosing by weight for young infants using the 160mg per 5ml.

Also, here is a pretty good summary of the reasons behind the changes from the abcnews website:   http://abcnews.go.com/Health/w_ParentingResource/infant-dose-counter-acetaminophen/story?id=13535850.

And finally, a good summary on when a parent should use fever reducers in the first place from the AAP's parent website: http://www.healthychildren.org/English/news/Pages/AAP-Issues-Advice-on-Managing-Fevers-in-Children.aspx.

I hope this helps clear up some of this confusion.
I plan to blog more often again so stay tuned.

-RAC

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