URGENT! DH accidentally gave 1 tbsp of tylenol to DS instead of 1 TSP - Page 3

[Drummer's Wife]

I'm glad your little one is okay. I totally understand being worried, especially since you didn't know if it would be a toxic amount of tylenol or not.

I do think that posters are responding about you being upset at your DH because of how you wrote about him/the situation in your posts. If you had just said, "help! my baby was given too much medication and I'm concerned", or similar, and left the emotions out about blaming your DH, then obviously you would have a bit more sympathy and no one offering marital advice.

Many of us have BTDT regarding being unnecessarily angry at our DP's for parenting issues - even health related ones - and so it's hard to sit back and not say, hey, give the guy a break. He's only human, and he is just as much of a parent as you are. yk?

[AprilM]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

I'm glad your little one is okay. I totally understand being worried, especially since you didn't know if it would be a toxic amount of tylenol or not.

I do think that posters are responding about you being upset at your DH because of how you wrote about him/the situation in your posts. If you had just said, "help! my baby was given too much medication and I'm concerned", or similar, and left the emotions out about blaming your DH, then obviously you would have a bit more sympathy and no one offering marital advice.

Many of us have BTDT regarding being unnecessarily angry at our DP's for parenting issues - even health related ones - and so it's hard to sit back and not say, hey, give the guy a break. He's only human, and he is just as much of a parent as you are. yk?

Understood. My bad for expressing my anger about DH. For everyone who thinks I am being irrational, I am NOT still angry at my husband. My husband and I are fine. In fact, we just made plans to have a date night.

The main topic of this thread is an overmedication issue. Apologies if I brought personal feelings into it about how I *was* feeling.

Please can we stop debating about this and just talk medication?

[starling&diesel]

Just going to chime in here with my paramedic hat on ... when we go to overdose calls like this, we always suggest that COUPLES SHOULD DESIGNATE ONLY ONE PARENT TO EVER GIVE MEDICATION because I can tell you that far more often than the OP situation is when one parent gives a dose (say, after bathtime) then the kid toddles off for story and snuggle with the other parent, who gives a dose then, not even five minutes after the first.
If that parent is not home, then obviously, exceptions are made.

[catballou24]

I am so sorry you had to experience this. It is never a good feeling when our children's health is at stake. I am also very happy that you and your DH worked through it, sounds like you two did a good job communicating about it!

I would like to ask that everyone remember that this thread's topic is really about dosage issues rather than the OP's relationship with her DH. It is very understandable that we all get irritated with our partners from time to time and when something like this happens our feelings for our DC will over-ride most other feelings. I know I've vented about my DH many times and he is absolutely wonderful as a partner and a father . I'm sure he's vented about me too! It sounds like the OP and her DH are just fine, so let's stay on topic with the medication issue. Thanks for everyone's input!!

[Super~Single~Mama]

Originally Posted by starling&diesel

Just going to chime in here with my paramedic hat on ... when we go to overdose calls like this, we always suggest that COUPLES SHOULD DESIGNATE ONLY ONE PARENT TO EVER GIVE MEDICATION because I can tell you that far more often than the OP situation is when one parent gives a dose (say, after bathtime) then the kid toddles off for story and snuggle with the other parent, who gives a dose then, not even five minutes after the first.
If that parent is not home, then obviously, exceptions are made.

Thats a great idea! I'm a single mom, but if I'm ever paired again this will be our rule - or maybe a little sheet next to the meds with a marker so we can write down who gave what when?

[Super~Single~Mama]

Originally Posted by AprilM

Yes people need to make mistakes to learn, but sorry Thyra, not a mistake like that. That's the kind of thing you need to learn WITHOUT making the mistakes first.

Umm...it wasn't a deadly mistake. I've od'd on tylenol MYSELF - not for my son, for ME - and I didn't die. I think if my ex accidentally od'd our son I would call PC just to make sure - since I think its pretty common sense that it's not going to kill him (or even harm him since the doses are WAY lower than what could possibly cause harm - I thought everyone knew that? Or is it just b/c I have a chem minor that I know that?)

[TanyaS]

I od'd on tylenol as a toddler. As in I nearly died. But I ate an ENTIRE bottle of those baby tylenol chewables that were used in the 70s. My stomach was pumped twice.

My point is that 3 times the normal dose isn't anywhere near the entire bottle. Poison Control knows what they are talking about, so trust their answer.

[texaspeach]

Originally Posted by elmh23

OP, go to the pharmacy and ask for a children's med syringe. They make giving the meds so much easier (I still use it when my 5 year old needs meds.) And they only hold 5mls (which I recall as being 1tsp, but don't take my word for it on that) so there is a less likely chance of over dosing.

and they're usually free the next time you're somewhere with a pharmacy, ask for one.

[AprilM]

Originally Posted by thyra

Umm...it wasn't a deadly mistake. I've od'd on tylenol MYSELF - not for my son, for ME - and I didn't die. I think if my ex accidentally od'd our son I would call PC just to make sure - since I think its pretty common sense that it's not going to kill him (or even harm him since the doses are WAY lower than what could possibly cause harm - I thought everyone knew that? Or is it just b/c I have a chem minor that I know that?)

Nope. I didn't know that. Maybe it's because you have a chem minor that you are privileged with that knowledge. Sorry, but I wouldn't call it *common sense* at all that an adult dose of tylenol couldn't kill or harm a 2 year old.

And...it could have been a deadly mistake. So, no, those are not the kind of mistakes I would want to make to learn anything.

[AprilM]

Originally Posted by texaspeach

and they're usually free the next time you're somewhere with a pharmacy, ask for one.

Will do!

[AprilM]

Originally Posted by starling&diesel

Just going to chime in here with my paramedic hat on ... when we go to overdose calls like this, we always suggest that COUPLES SHOULD DESIGNATE ONLY ONE PARENT TO EVER GIVE MEDICATION because I can tell you that far more often than the OP situation is when one parent gives a dose (say, after bathtime) then the kid toddles off for story and snuggle with the other parent, who gives a dose then, not even five minutes after the first.
If that parent is not home, then obviously, exceptions are made.

This is EXCELLENT advice! Thank you. What a tragedy it would be to accidentally overdose your child because you didn't know your husband or wife had already medicated them. Communication is DEFINITELY key so irreversible mistakes are not made.

[lach]

Originally Posted by AprilM

This is EXCELLENT advice! Thank you. What a tragedy it would be to accidentally overdose your child because you didn't know your husband or wife had already medicated them. Communication is DEFINITELY key so irreversible mistakes are not made.

I know that you're upset about this situation, and I'm certainly not advocating doing anything but following the recommended dosage on the package, but I can't think of any medication designed for children that a double dose of would result in a "tragedy." Or, really, much of a difference whatsoever.

Gently, I think a little bit of perspective is really in order. It's really not that big a deal that this happened.

[GoBecGo]

OP we always (well, usually) half-dose too. My rule of thumb is if she is hot but under 38.6C and still able to play even if a bit subdued then she gets a half dose, and if she's unable to play due to feeling ill or hotter than 38.6 then i give her a full dose, and i rotate paracetamol and ibuprofen every 4 hours so she's getting 8 hours between each dose of each individual drug.

We recently had a trip to ER with a VERY sick little girl (my 4yo). She had some sort of virus and it gave her mesenteric lymphadenitis (inflamed lymph nodes in her tummy basically). She was in SO much pain, couldn't walk, was vomiting and utterly miserable and getting dehydrated. The ER doctor there told me to give her full doses of the drugs for the next 24-48hours IF her fever remained and to reduce to half dosing for 24hours after the fever had gone, to prevent the inflammation getting bad enough to cause that kind of pain again.

I hope you feel better now. My DD once sucked on a stain devil (stain remover). She was fine, but XP was SO SO mad with me. I was like "you wanna beat me up about this, get in line behind ME!" i felt like crap. Even now i feel guilty about that one, i had left it where she could reach it, naively believing for some reason she WOULDN'T.

[AprilM]

Originally Posted by GoBecGo

OP we always (well, usually) half-dose too. My rule of thumb is if she is hot but under 38.6C and still able to play even if a bit subdued then she gets a half dose, and if she's unable to play due to feeling ill or hotter than 38.6 then i give her a full dose, and i rotate paracetamol and ibuprofen every 4 hours so she's getting 8 hours between each dose of each individual drug.

We recently had a trip to ER with a VERY sick little girl (my 4yo). She had some sort of virus and it gave her mesenteric lymphadenitis (inflamed lymph nodes in her tummy basically). She was in SO much pain, couldn't walk, was vomiting and utterly miserable and getting dehydrated.

I hope you feel better now. My DD once sucked on a stain devil (stain remover). She was fine, but XP was SO SO mad with me. I was like "you wanna beat me up about this, get in line behind ME!" i felt like crap. Even now i feel guilty about that one, i had left it where she could reach it, naively believing for some reason she WOULDN'T.

Thank goodness she was ok! I can imagine how you must have felt. Probably similar to my husband after he gave DS the tylenol the other night. Mistakes happen so quickly and easily. We had a terrible tragic accident in my family when I was very young, my brother was run over in our driveway by another family member. It happened SO quick, and it changed our lives forever.

The ER doctor there told me to give her full doses of the drugs for the next 24-48hours IF her fever remained and to reduce to half dosing for 24hours after the fever had gone, to prevent the inflammation getting bad enough to cause that kind of pain again.

I knew I wasn't crazy about the half dosing issue. Thanks for sharing your story.

[2boyzmama]

I think you were very smart to call Poison Control, and smart to follow their advice. I have never EVER heard of them steering anyone wrong.

My son recently was caught drinking from a bottle of liquid children's motrin. It had a dosing funnel on top, so he wasn't getting much out of it, but I couldn't remember how much of it had been used. I called PC, we talked through the strength of the meds, how many ozs were left in the bottle, what he weighed, etc and they determined that he would be fine. It was very nerve wracking though!!

The rule of only one parent ever dosing meds is a smart rule, one we follow in our house. However that rule is exempt if that parent is not home. BUT...and this is important...neither of us ever dose meds without writing it on the large white board we have in our kitchen. We write down the time, the dose, and the reason (including what the fever was if that's the reason for dosing).

And although neither of us holds the trump card with decision making, my husband does tend to defer those decisions to me because I am the most familiar. He is actually the stay at home parent, but will often call to do a symptom check if he thinks a child is sick. Not all the time, I have come home before and seen on the board that he gave meds without telling me, which is fine, but most of the time he will consult with me. Mainly because he knows I have more suggestions for dealing with illness that he might not have thought of; and also because I often think more logically (for example, if it's 4pm, I will give Tylenol which lasts about 4 hours, then I"ll give Motrin right before bed which lasts up to 8 hours and will get them through the night better than Tylenol. If he had given Motrin at 4pm, then the fever would spike again in the middle of the night) Husband doesn't always think of things like that.

I'm glad your ds was okay!! I bet your husband will be ultra careful with meds from now on, unfortunate that a scare had to happen to make you both more aware of med safety, but that's life with kids!

[GuildJenn]

For the OD, poison control is the best - and yeah I think this can happen to anyone.

I actually think the best prevention is to give your DH MORE responsibility, not less, and to reinforce that he's a great dad for being on top of making his child comfortable and that everyone makes mistakes.

But as a practical tip, when our child is taking medication, we keep the bottle on top of a piece of paper or index card with the dose and log of times given, temperature or reason, etc, and we only use a dropper or the cup on the top. The advantage too is that if you have to go the hospital you can just scoop the whole thing up so they can see what you've been giving.

For the under-dosing we were advised not to do that - it's not effective, doesn't help the child in any way (like somehow it's better to have half - it's not) and can make later dosing difficult because two half-doses half the time apart is not going to work.

[KayTeeJay]

Originally Posted by lach

I know that you're upset about this situation, and I'm certainly not advocating doing anything but following the recommended dosage on the package, but I can't think of any medication designed for children that a double dose of would result in a "tragedy." Or, really, much of a difference whatsoever.

Gently, I think a little bit of perspective is really in order. It's really not that big a deal that this happened.

This. I have a 20 month old son and honestly OP, no snark intended, this would barely blip my radar of things to panic over. If he were an infant, say, under 6 months, I would be more concerned. But an adult dose of Tylenol? Hell, there are probably worse things in the beef from the tacos we had for dinner tonight, kwim? At any rate, I'm sorry you were so scared--hugs to you and your DS.

[lach]

Originally Posted by AprilM

hmmm...well, that's good for you and your household..... I suppose, but here, we worry about things like over medication. It's scary to think it wouldn't phase you if you accidentally gave your 20 month old son 3 times the amount of meds he was supposed to get, but like said before, to each their own...

Of course it's normal to be freaked out at first. But you did the right thing and called poison control and they said it was fine. I think what is a little confusing is why you were quite so angry at your DH, and why you continue to be so upset about this so many days later now that you know that it's fine.

I'm very glad everything is fine. As I said earlier, we did have a similar experience. And, yes, I was worried. But it's just a learning experience for all involved. I just think that you shouldn't be too hard on your DH. He made an honest mistake and it turned out to be no big deal.

[babydanielsmom]

the one thing that has helped me keep track of meds is make a chart of when / how much I gave them. And NO your Dh was not crazy to call you about the tylenol. I know that my Dh would call just to bounce the idea off me b/c I am the SAH parent and would know my Lo"s moods better Kwim. Glad everything is ok.

[AprilM]

Originally Posted by babydanielsmom

the one thing that has helped me keep track of meds is make a chart of when / how much I gave them. And NO your Dh was not crazy to call you about the tylenol. I know that my Dh would call just to bounce the idea off me b/c I am the SAH parent and would know my Lo"s moods better Kwim. Glad everything is ok.

Right on. I am the SAH parent in our household, so I just know more about my DS's moods as well. I can tell when he is not feeling right when no one else notices. It just happens that way because we spend so much time with our LO's. There is no inappropriate micromanagement of my DH going on here. Just plain ol' common sense.

We will be adopting a med chart soon, as well as picking up some med syringes at the pharmacy. Some of the posters have had excellent suggestions on this thread.

Depending on the nature of the following posts , I might need to take a break from this thread for awhile. I really don't want this thread to focus on anything other than mismedication issues, so hopefully we can all get past the fact that I initially got angry with DH and focus on useful information that will help others with this issue.