“Hi what’s the strongest painkiller you can give an 11 and half year old girl. She has tonsillitis and is taking an antibiotic but she’s also very run down and her mouth and gums are covered in blisters. Calpol and nurofen are doing no good for the pain and she’s in agony and starving but not able to eat anything, can I give her half a dose of an adult painkiller maybe, she’s a good sturdy child, any advice would be appreciated”
My advice here is very strong and very short: Bring your child to the doctor.
Why?
1) Anytime your child is in “agony” is the time to take your child back to a doctor/ED. Every single time.
2) Anytime your child cannot take oral intake for reasons such as severe pain in their mouths, urgently take your child to an ED or out of hours doctor. Dehydration is a real risk and can happen quickly in children. In this case, especially, blisters in mouth and gums are not a normal with tonsillitis. She should be re-assessed by a doctor.
4). I cannot state this strongly enough: Do not share prescription pain killers with anyone, even family members. Do not give “half-doses” of adult medication to children. I have seen people given really ill-advised homemade cocktails of drugs. If you are in that much pain, you need a doctor. Do not give more than recommended dosage of ibuprofen/nurofen or Calpol/paracetamol. Questions about higher dosages based on weight? Only take advice from a doctor or pharmacist. Ring up your chemist.
5) There are ALWAYS options for stronger pain control. Your doctor can prescribe them, safely and appropriately, when needed. Don’t let your child suffer.
0 Comments