Parents Perplexed by New Dosing Information for Infants’ Acetaminophen

Following the introduction of a less-concentrated version of liquid acetaminophen for infants, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has suggested that parents and caregivers double-check the labels on all liquid acetaminophen products prior to administering any of the medicine to their child.

The main problem, according to the FDA, is that the low-concentration medications are appearing on store shelves alongside the remaining high-concentration versions. Also, as the newer, less-concentrated form of the pain reliever (160 milligram per 5 milliliter) continues to hit pharmacy shelves, many people still have the more concentrated, original version (80 milligram per 1 milliliter) at home in their medicine cabinets. This can be problematic given the fact it is often difficult to tell the difference between the products based on solely packaging alone.

According to a recent FDA report, the availability of these differing concentrations has unfortunately been the cause of several overdoses in infants, some of which have even resulted in the death of a child due to liver failure. As a result, parents are being asked by the FDA to take great care when administering liquid acetaminophen pain relievers to their children. Moreover, the FDA suggests that caregivers read the “active ingredient” section of the Drug Facts label for products marketed to infants or children.

It is important to note that there are no dosing instructions for children under the age of two. Parents of children younger than two must consult a physician prior to administering any medication.

(Source: The Washington Post – National News Online)

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