According to a study in the Irish Medical Journal, nearly 33% of Irish parents questioned use the likes of Calpol, Nurofen, Paralink and Dozol to medicate their children in situations that are not recommended such as when a child is misbehaving, won’t sleep or needs calming on a car journey.
Others incorrectly give these medicines to vomiting children and suppositories to children with diarrhoea.
Analgesics such as paracetamol and ibuprofen should only be used for pain relief, to reduce a high temperature and for inflammatory musculoskeletal/joint conditions.
The researchers behind the study say that greater restrictions need to be attached to the sale of these medicines, similar to the restrictions recently attached to the sale of codeine.
The study by Dr Aisling Garvey, from CUH’s paediatrics department, also found that a fifth of parents routinely give these medicines to their children before immunisation. However research shows that analgesic use before immunisation reduces the efficacy of the jab.
Some 90% of such medicines are sold from pharmacies but the study showed that only a quarter of parents consult a pharmacist about usage and14% of parents admitted that they do not consult the label prior to usage.
Over-the-counter pain relief accounts for one fifth of Irish pharmacy sales but up to this study, little was known of its use in Ireland, especially in children.
Source: Claire O'Sullivan, Irish Examiner, 09/05/13
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