星空体育

Introduction

Pain can be a common symptom of childhood illness and injuries. Pain relief medication helps reduce or control pain and sometimes lower fever.

Over the counter pain relief are medicines that can be bought from a pharmacy without seeing your doctor for a prescription first. Two common over the counter pain relief medicines for children are:

• Ibuprofen- reduces pain, swelling and fever by blocking chemicals in the body that causing inflammation
• Paracetamol- helps relieve pain and fever by affecting the brain鈥檚 pain signals. 

Ibuprofen and paracetamol come in different forms, including: 

• tablets
• capsules
• syrups
• soluble- dissolved in water
• chewable tablets
• suppository- inserted into the bottom. 

The form you use will depend on your child, their age and how well they can take medication.

Over the counter pain relief help reduce discomfort in your child but do not treat the cause of their pain. 

Over the counter pain relief may help your child manage mild to moderate pain when they are injured or unwell.

Signs children may benefit from over the counter pain relief include:

• crying or screaming
• difficulty eating or sleeping
• making painful faces
• becoming withdrawn

Symptoms in children that may benefit from over the counter pain-relief include:

• headaches
• earaches
• sore muscles
• sore gums or teething pain
• mild fever
• discomfort from minor injuries, like bumps or bruises.

Older children can usually tell you when they are in pain, where the pain is and how severe it is.

If your child has a fever and is feeling upset or uncomfortable, you can give pain relief to help them feel better. If your child has a fever but is otherwise feeling happy and well, you don鈥檛 need to treat the fever. A fever is a normal immune response to help overcome infection.

See your local doctor as soon as possible if you are concerned, or your child has: 

• moderate to severe pain
• pain lasting more than a few hours.

If your child is uncomfortable before a doctor鈥檚 visit, you can give your child pain relief. Pain relief will not mask any signs of serious illness. 

Always follow the instructions on the medication packaging. Read the instructions on the package closely for information about:

• how much to give, based on your child鈥檚 weight
• how often to give the medication
• the maximum amount you can give in 24 hours.

If you don鈥檛 know your child鈥檚 weight, follow the age recommendations on the package. If your child is a lot smaller than most children their age, give the dose recommended for the age bracket below. 

Speak to your local doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions about specific medications for your child.

Over the counter pain medication helps with symptoms but does not treat the cause of pain. Do not give over the counter pain relief medication for more than 48 hours. See a doctor if: 

• your child鈥檚 pain lasts longer than 48 hours
• they seem very unwell
• their level of pain is moderate to severe and does not improve with pain medication. 

Call Triple Zero (000) or go to the nearest hospital if your child has:

• trouble breathing
• loss of consciousness
• chest pain

Paracetamol is one of the most common medicines children accidentally overdose on. This can happen if the wrong dose is given, such as measuring errors or frequent dosing, or if young children find and swallow the medication because it wasn鈥檛 stored safely.