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# For Pain | |
Medicines for mild pain and lowering fever include paracetamol (the | |
safest and best medicine to use for children), aspirin, and | |
ibuprofen. Aspirin and ibuprofen also reduce inflammation | |
(swelling). Reducing swelling will calm pain and help heal injuries | |
such as a twisted or sprained ankle. For children with fevers and | |
viral infections, give paracetamol and avoid aspirin. | |
Do not give more than the recommended dose of these medicines. Too | |
much aspirin or ibuprofen can cause stomach ulcers. Too much | |
paracetamol can be poisonous. For high fever or very strong pain, | |
avoid using too much of any one pain medicine by using both | |
paracetamol and ibuprofen in the correct doses and intervals. | |
# Paracetamol, acetaminophen | |
Paracetamol is a good, affordable medicine for fever and mild pain. | |
## Important! | |
Do not take more than the recommended amount. Too much is poisonous | |
to the liver and can kill. Keep this medicine out of the reach of | |
children, especially if you have it as a sweetened syrup. | |
Cold medicines often contain paracetamol, so do not give them if you | |
are also giving paracetamol or you may give too much. | |
## How to use | |
Pill | |
Give 10 to 15 mg per kg, every 4 to 6 hours. Do not give more than 5 | |
times in 24 hours. If you cannot weigh the person, dose by age: | |
* Under 1 year: give 62 mg (half of 1/4 of a 500 mg tablet), every | |
4 to 6 hours. | |
* 1 to 2 years: give 125 mg (1/4 of a 500 mg tablet), every 4 to 6 | |
hours. | |
* 3 to 7 years: give 250 mg (1/2 of a 500 mg tablet), every 4 to 6 | |
hours. | |
* 8 to 12 years: give 375 mg (3/4 of a 500 mg tablet), every 4 to 6 | |
hours. | |
* Over 12 years: give 500 mg to 1000 mg, every 4 to 6 hours, but do | |
not give more than 4000 mg in a day. | |
# Ibuprofen | |
Ibuprofen relieves muscle pain, joint pain, and headache, and lowers | |
fever. | |
## Side effects | |
Ibuprofen can cause a stomachache, but taking it with milk or food | |
lessens that problem. | |
## Important! | |
Do not take ibuprofen if you are allergic to aspirin. Some people | |
who are allergic to one are also allergic to the other. Do not give | |
ibuprofen for stomach pain or indigestion. Ibuprofen is acidic and | |
may make the problem worse. For the same reason, people with stomach | |
ulcers should never use ibuprofen. Do not give ibuprofen to babies | |
younger than 6 months, and do not give to pregnant women in their | |
last 3 months of pregnancy. | |
## How to use | |
Pill | |
Give 5 to 10 mg per kg, every 6 to 8 hours. If you cannot weigh the | |
person, dose by age: | |
* 6 months to 12 months: give 50 mg, every 6 to 8 hours. | |
* 1 to 2 years: give 75 mg, every 6 to 8 hours. | |
* 2 to 3 years: give 100 mg, every 6 to 8 hours. | |
* 4 to 5 years: give 150 mg, every 6 to 8 hours. | |
* 6 to 8 years: give 200 mg, every 6 to 8 hours. | |
* 9 to 10 years: give 250 mg, every 6 to 8 hours. | |
* 11 years: give 300 mg, every 6 to 8 hours. | |
* Over 12 years: give 200 to 400 mg, every 4 to 6 hours. | |
Do not give more than 40 mg per kg in a day. Do not give more than 4 | |
doses a day, and do not give for more than 10 consecutive days. | |
# Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) | |
Aspirin is a good, affordable medicine for fever and mild pain. | |
## Side effects | |
Aspirin can cause stomach pain or heartburn. To avoid this, take | |
aspirin with milk, a little bicarbonate of soda, or a lot of | |
water--or together with meals. | |
## Important! | |
* Do not give aspirin for stomach pain or indigestion. Aspirin is | |
acidic and may make the problem worse. For the same reason, people | |
with stomach ulcers should never use aspirin. | |
* Do not give more than 1 dose of aspirin to a dehydrated person | |
until he begins to urinate well. | |
* It is better not to give aspirin to children under 12 years and | |
especially not to babies (paracetamol is safer) or to someone with | |
asthma (this may bring on an attack). Do not give to children with | |
flu signs, as this can cause problems. | |
* Keep aspirin where children cannot reach it. Large amounts can | |
poison them. | |
* Do not give to pregnant women. | |
## How to use | |
Pill | |
* 1 to 2 years: give 75 mg, every 6 hours. | |
* 3 to 7 years: give 150 mg, every 6 hours. | |
* 8 to 12 years: give 300 mg, every 6 hours. | |
* Over 12 years: give 300 to 600 mg, every 4 to 6 hours. | |
Do not give more than 2400 mg a day. Do not give to children more | |
than 4 times a day. | |
For heart attack | |
Give 300 to 325 mg by mouth immediately. Chew it up and swallow it. | |
# Codeine (codeine sulfate) | |
Codeine is a medicine for pain in the opiate family. It is used to | |
treat severe pain. Only use codeine when milder pain medicines do | |
not work. | |
## Side effects | |
May cause constipation (difficulty passing stools) and temporary | |
inability to pass urine. May also cause nausea, vomiting, itching, | |
and headaches. | |
## Important! | |
* Codeine is a habit-forming (addictive) drug. Avoid long-term or | |
frequent use. | |
* Do not drink alcohol while using codeine as it can cause | |
dangerous side effects and even death. | |
* Codeine can affect your thinking and reactions while taking it. | |
Be careful when driving or doing other things that require you to | |
be alert. | |
* Reduce the dose over time to stop taking it. Stopping all at | |
once can cause uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. | |
* Do not use codeine if you have ever had an allergic reaction to | |
morphine. | |
* Do not use codeine if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. | |
## How to use | |
Pill | |
Give codeine along with food. | |
* 3 to 6 years: give 1/2 to 1 mg per kg by mouth, every 4 to 6 | |
hours. | |
* 7 to 12 years: give 15 to 30 mg by mouth, every 4 to 6 hours. | |
* Over 12 years: give 15 to 60 mg by mouth, every 4 to 6 hours. Do | |
not give more than 360 mg per day. | |
# Morphine (morphine sulfate, or morphine hydrochloride) | |
Morphine is medicine for pain in the opiate family, used to treat | |
moderate to severe pain. | |
## Important! | |
* Morphine is a habit-forming (addictive) drug. Avoid long-term or | |
frequent use. | |
* Do not drink alcohol while using morphine as it can cause | |
dangerous side effects and even death. | |
* Morphine can affect your thinking and reactions while taking it. | |
Be careful when driving or doing other things that require you to | |
be alert. | |
* Reduce the dose over time to stop taking it. Stopping all at | |
once can cause uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. | |
* Do not use morphine if you have ever had an allergic reaction to | |
codeine. | |
* Do not use morphine if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. | |
## How to use | |
Pill, Injection, Drop | |
For moderate to severe pain: | |
* Under 6 months: give 0.1 mg per kg by mouth, every 3 to 4 hours. | |
If you cannot weigh the baby, give 0.5 mg by mouth, every 3 to 4 | |
hours. | |
* Over 6 months: give 0.2 to 0.5 mg per kg by mouth, every 4 to 6 | |
hours as needed. | |
If you cannot weigh the person, dose by age: | |
* 6 months to 1 year: give 2 mg by mouth, every 4 to 6 hours. | |
* 1 to 5 years: give 3 mg by mouth, every 4 to 6 hours. | |
* 6 to 12 years: give 8 mg by mouth, every 4 to 6 hours. | |
* Over 12 years: give 10 to 30 mg by mouth, every 4 hours as needed. | |
For heart attack | |
Slowly inject 10 mg into the muscle over 5 minutes (2 mg per minute). | |
Inject another 5 to 10 mg if necessary. | |
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