Expired medicine *Update*

[Kleine Hexe]

I'm posting here to get some answers faster.

DS (3 yrs) fell and hurt his wrist. I don't think it's broken as there is no swelling or redness and he can move it if I ask him to. However, he is favoring that arm/hand. That is not normal for him. Usually, he gets over getting hurt quickly. He shakes it off and keeps on going. Not this time. He fell asleep shortly after the injury but he keeps waking up whining and crying. In his half sleep state he's rubbing his wrist and hand. I asked him a few times what was wrong and he said he has a hurt on his hand.

DH is out of town (of course) so I don't want to go to the urgent care when there is no swelling and it's not obviously broken. If he is still complaining about it tomorrow I'll take him to the pedi. In the mean time I was going to give him medicine to help him sleep. Now, here comes the sign that I almost never give my kids medicine. I have three containers of pain reliever for children and they are all expired....2005. Again, DH is out of town so to get more medicine I'd have to load both kids into the van and drive to the pharmacy.

Should I use the expired medicine or see if he can get by without it? Sigh, he's up again and crying.

[coldfeet]

Expired medicine isn't bad per se. It just won't work as well and loses it's potency. So you may as well not give him anything at all. Your poor little guy. I hope it's nothing too serious and that his pain subsides.

[Kleine Hexe]

He's sleeping in 10-15 minute increments. I wonder if I have some arnica somewhere....

[Dreaming]

If it were me, I'd give the medicine.
It's probably still fine.
I'm not a doctor nor do I play one on t.v. :

[Mama Dragon]

Just an fyi, my ds1 fell out of a shopping cart (skirted the seatbelt when I turned around to grab a can) and just seemed to favor his arm, there was no bruising, no swelling, just some tears and not wanting to move that arm, and he'd broken his collar bone (I ignored my dad's advice to ignore him and took him immediately to the ER)...just because you think he's ok, his bones might tell a different story - a hairline fracture or something. Definitely take him in ASAP.

[Elowyn]

It's not toxic (assuming you're talking acetaminophen or ibuprofen) and may not work quite as well, but it's worth a try. And I agree, take him in in the AM - kids have growth plate fractures at that spot pretty often, with no symptoms/signs other than favoring the arm.

[Kleine Hexe]

Yes, I will take him in the morning. This is not normal behavior for him. I've been considering that he may have a small fracture or it could just be a sprain. From what I've read in my two books about fractures it should be ok to wait until morning as there is no puncture wound, no swelling, or redness.

[famousmockngbrd]

I agree, give him the medicine... I hope he feels better soon!

[BurgundyElephant]

My DD broke her arm (both radius and ulna) about 1" up from the wrist at age 3. (Fell off the monkey bars.) Anyway, she didn't get swelling, bruising, anything. She just favored. I did call the ped right away, they told me to bring her in the next day if she still favored it, which she did. They did an XRay and it was broken. The cast was basically a splint which she layed her arm on and I wrapped with an ace bandage and covered with a cut-open sock to keep it all clean.

Keep in mind that you have to read the dosing very carefully - http://www.ismp.org/newsletters/acut...s/20020807.asp
And they are still potent if the sugar hasn't broken down in the liquid -
http://www.medicalletter.com/html/pr_110402a.htm

[Kleine Hexe]

Thanks for those links. I happen to have chewable children's advil (ibuprofen) so solid form which seems to hold potency longer. Off to bed now...

[merpk]

Originally Posted by Synthea™

Just an fyi, my ds1 fell out of a shopping cart (skirted the seatbelt when I turned around to grab a can) and just seemed to favor his arm, there was no bruising, no swelling, just some tears and not wanting to move that arm, and he'd broken his collar bone (I ignored my dad's advice to ignore him and took him immediately to the ER)...just because you think he's ok, his bones might tell a different story - a hairline fracture or something. Definitely take him in ASAP.

Yeah, that. Or something could have gotten dislocated (we've had a few dislocations here ... and they hurt somethin' awful. : )


Hope he feels better soon ...

[Emma's_Mommy]

give us an update when you can!


hope hes feeling better

[polyhymnia]

Originally Posted by Synthea™

Just an fyi, my ds1 fell out of a shopping cart (skirted the seatbelt when I turned around to grab a can) and just seemed to favor his arm, there was no bruising, no swelling, just some tears and not wanting to move that arm, and he'd broken his collar bone (I ignored my dad's advice to ignore him and took him immediately to the ER)...just because you think he's ok, his bones might tell a different story - a hairline fracture or something. Definitely take him in ASAP.

My boyfriend fell skiing and we thought it was a bad sprain (could move fingers, hand, arm, etc) but it turns out it was a break, just a hairline one but if he hadn't had it casted it could have healed incorrectly and he would have lost some range of motion in his wrist. I'd take him in for an x-ray, but probably would not wait in the ER for it - just go to a regular dr the next day.

Expired pain relievers - won't *harm* him (ie won't make him sick) but might not be effective.

MTA: Just saw that this was posted last night - I hope he's doing better today!

[prairiemommy]

I've been thinking about your little guy - how's he doing today?

Just wondering b/c we once had a broken bone here that did not look like one at all - DS1 could still flip the light switch, pick up food etc.... but just could not put any weight on it at all.

Thinking of you guys.

[Kleine Hexe]

Update

This is the first time I've gotten a chance to get online today. We've been in waiting rooms all day. Yes, he broke it. He broke both bones in his forearm right at the wrist. They called it a buckle break in each bone. It was a very long day. Started with a visit to our normal pedi, then to the diagnostic clinic for x-rays, and then to the ER to have his arm splinted. All that took from 9am to 5pm all day.

So we have it splinted and I have to try and get him to an orthopedic pediatrician. Hopefully, I'll get him in tomorrw. My pedi called three different orthopedics and none of them were available any time soon. :

On that note I do now have pain med for him that is not expired.

[angelcat]

Poor little guy. I'm glad you finally took him in.

[Arduinna]

I've been told by Drs that for most medicines it's fine and it's definately fine for regular pain relievers. I've taken expired medicine before, it's always worked, but it's not my first choice. I'd give it without worry.

[pinksprklybarefoot]

I've worked in many a pharmacy, and every exp date we put on the bottle was one year from the date we dispensed it. Read into that what you'd like.

As far as OTCs, like the pp said, it probably isn't dangerous, just possibly less potent.

[coldfeet]

I'm glad you finally took him. When you described it, it did sound like it was broken. I'm glad that they were able to still splint it. Sometimes, if you wait too long, they don't splint it. I hope he's feeling better and not in any pain.

[Kleine Hexe]

Originally Posted by coldfeet

I'm glad you finally took him. When you described it, it did sound like it was broken. I'm glad that they were able to still splint it. Sometimes, if you wait too long, they don't splint it. I hope he's feeling better and not in any pain.

Well, I had him in a Dr's office exactly 12 hours after he fell. They did not get around to splinting it until 7 hours later.