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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is urging consumers todouble check the label on liquid acetaminophen products marketed toinfants and children before giving it to them. The popular painreliever is marketed under various brands, including Tylenol,PediaCare, Triaminic and Little Fevers. There are also storeversions and generic brands. Giving children the wrong dose of acetaminophen can "cause themedication to be ineffective if too little is given or causeserious side effects and, possibly, death if too much is given,"said the FDA in a Consumer Update released just before Christmas. The FDA say there is a possibility that consumers will get confusedand give children the wrong dose because a new, less concentratedform of the popular pain reliever is hitting the shelves in the US. Until now, liquid acetaminophen for infants has only been availablein the stronger concentration that does not require giving infantsas much liquid in each dose. With the arrival of the new, less concentrated version, it ispossible to see how confusion, and wrong dosing may arise. Forinstance, parents and care givers may buy the newer lessconcentrated form, follow the dose for that, then when it runs out,buy the more concentrated one and give the incorrect dose, thinkingit is the same strength as the previous one. The less concentrated versions have come in because the moreconcentrated ones have been blamed for past overdoses. The FDA sayssome manufacturers will soon only be offering the less concentratedversion for all children. Carol Holquist, director of FDA's Division of Medical ErrorPrevention and Analysis, urges parents and care givers to "be verycareful when you're giving your infant acetaminophen". The FDA wants consumers buying acetaminophen products for infantsand children to: Read the Drug Facts package label "very carefully to identify theconcentration of the liquid acetaminophen, the correct dosage, andthe directions for use". Don't take any notice of banners that proclaim a product is "new".Some medicines with the old (stronger) concentration could also becarrying this marketing headline. To make sure you get the dosage correct, use only the dosing devicethat comes with the product when you buy it. Talk to your pediatrician before you give the drug to your child:and double check you are both talking about the same concentration. The FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) reportedin April 2011 that confusion over the different concentrations ofliquid acetaminophen for infants and children was behind a seriesof overdoses that made babies and children seriously ill. Some ofthem died of liver failure as a result. This is why some manufacturers have voluntarily changed to a lessconcentrated liquid acetaminophen marketed for infants. This hasnew dosing directions and may come with a new dosing device, suchas a an oral syringe. The older, more concentrated versions of liquid acetaminophen forinfants come in a concentration of 80 mg per 0.8 mL or 80 mg per 1mL. The new version for infants has the same concentration as liquidacetaminophen for children: 160 mg per 5 mL. In the Consumer Update, the FDA gives an example of how an overdosecould occur: If a doctor says the child should receive a 5 mL dose of the lessconcentrated version, but the parent inadvertently gives them a 5mL dose of the more concentrated one, the child could potentiallyreceive a fatal overdose during the course of treatment. And similarly, if the doctor prescribes a dose based on the moreconcentrated version, and the parent gives the less concentratedone, the child might not get enough medication to fight a fever . For more information, read the FDA's Drug Safety Communication about how to avoid confusion and potential dosing errors with thedifferent concentrations of liquid acetaminophen. Written by Catharine Paddock PhD Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today Additional References Citations. I am an expert from gsm-gprs-modem.com, while we provides the quality product, such as GSM Fixed Wireless Terminal , CDMA Wireless Modem Manufacturer, Wavecom GSM Modem,and more.
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