Calpol syrup is one among the foremost commonly used brand for the treatment of fever in children. This syrup is one among the oldest syrup which is most commonly prescribed by the doctors. So let’s understand some facts about this syrup
What is calpol syrup ?
It is a paracetamol syrup which is used for the treatment of fever in children. It is produced by Glaxo SmithKline pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd company.
What is the content of calpol syrup ?
The main content of the syrup is paracetamol.
- Calpol 120 syrup is out there in 120 mg per 5 ml of syrup. Every 5 ml of the syrup contains 120 mg of paracetamol.
It is given a measuring cap indicating 2.5ml, 5ml and 10 ml indication on cap in order that you will give syrup within the dose for your children. Calpol 120 comes in strawberry flavour which is one of the best palatable flavour in children.
- Calpol 250 syrup is available in 250 mg per 5 ml of syrup. So each 5 ml of the syrup contains 250 mg of paracetamol. It also comes in strawberry flavour.
- Calpol pediatric drops is available in 100 mg per 1 ml of syrup. So each 1 ml of the syrup contains 100 mg of paracetamol. Drops comes in peppermint flavour.
Calpol pediatric drop is provided with a calibrated dropper so that you can give pediatric drop to your baby in the proper dose as prescribed by the doctor.
This syrup needs to be stored at a temperature below 30 degree Celsius.
What is the dose of calpol syrup ?
It is always advised that your baby should receive a proper dose of the syrup as advised by the doctor. But in case of emergency you can give syrup dosage in the dose of 15mg/kg/dose to your baby.
Suppose your baby weighs 10 kg then 15×10= 150 mg. So you have to give 6 ml of 120 mg syrup or 3 ml of 250 mg syrup to your baby.
You can give syrup dose three times a day, which means 8 hourly.
If your baby vomits out the syrup in 5-10 minutes or while giving the syrup, you can give the second dose of the syrup immediately after 10-15 minutes.
But when your baby has fever then always try to consult your pediatrician as early as possible.
| Weight of Baby | Calpol 120 syrup | Calpol 250 syrup |
| 6 kg | 4ml | 2ml |
| 8 kg | 5ml | 2.5ml |
| 10 kg | 6ml | 3ml |
| 12 kg | 7ml | 3.5ml |
| 14 kg | 9 ml | 4.5ml |
When to give calpol to your baby ?
It is very important to know when you have to give this syrup for your baby. So This syrup is most commonly prescribed for fever in children. So you first have to know whether your baby has fever or not. It is not possible to check the fever of baby with hands as it is not accurate.
So always use digital thermometer for recording. Keep the thermometer in the axilla to record the temperature. If it is more than 100.4 degree fahrenheit then your baby has a fever so at such time you can give your baby syrup in the proper dose.
What is the action of the calpol syrup?
It has antipyretic means it reduces fever and analgesic means it acts against pain. It contains paracetamol which acts on the brain which signals for inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis which is ultimately responsible for reduction of fever and pain in the children. The action of the syrup takes 15-30 minutes for the action but it varies in every patient.
This syrup does not have any interaction against any other drugs so you can give calpol with other syrups. But you must check for allergies to other medicines.
What are the calpol 250 syrup uses ?
- Fever – This syrup is used for fever in children. Drop is one of the safe drug which we can use for infants as it does not have much more side effects. Sometimes during viral infection and bacterial infection, children may suffer from high grade fever at such time paracetamol syrup is useful to control fever in children.
- Pain killer – This syrup acts as an analgesic so it can be used as a mild painkiller. It can be used for post operative pain. You can give syrup after vaccination for 2 days for relief of pain especially after pentavac vaccination.
What are the side effects of the calpol syrup ?
There are very few side effects of the syrup. These are nausea, vomiting and stomach pain.
It is used cautiously in patients with severe renal disease but in mild renal disease it can be safely used.
In liver problem, the dose of the syrup is to be adjusted as per the severity of the disease. But it is one of the safe syrups in liver disease as well.
How much calpol syrup use as per age of children?
- Calpol pediatric drops are useful for infants upto 6 month of age or you can use it upto 1 year of age as well but try to adjust the dose of drop as per weight of your baby.
- Calpol 120 syrup is best to use between 1 year to 3 years of age.
- Calpol 250 syrup is best to use between 3 years to 6 years of age.
As the weight of your baby increases, the dose of the syrup also increases so it is better to shift your child on tablets after 5-6 years of age.
Frequently asked questions
Can a calpol pediatric drop be given to the newborn baby ?
Yes. It can be given to one day old baby but in the proper dose as prescribed by your pediatrician.
Can we give O2 syrup with calpol syrup ?
You can give O2 syrup if it is advised by your doctor and you can also give syrup along with O2 syrup.
Can I give milk after a dose of paracetamol syrup to children?
You can give syrup along with milk as well as water. You can give syrup after eating breakfast or lunch.
Can I give calpol and polybion syrup together for a toddler?
It is better to avoid polybion syrup when your baby has fever. So give only syrup. When your baby fever subsides then you can start polybion syrup again.
Which is best for babies in treating fever medomol paracetamol or crocin syrup?
All of those syrup contains paracetamol so you can use any one of these syrup for treatment of the fever in your child in the proper dose.
How many days we can use calpol syrup bottle?
Every bottle of syrup has mentioned expiry date over it. So after expiry date you must have to discard it. so you can use it upto expiry date.
How many time we can give paracetamol syrup in 24 hour ?
You can give paracetamol syrup with gap of 6 hours. So, you can give paracetamol syrup 4 times in 24 hour. You can also give dose after 4 hours but no more than 4 doses in 24 hour interval.
How many days we can give paracetamol syrup without medical advice ?
You can give paracetamol syrup for 3 days. If fever still persists then you must contact your doctor.
What is difference between calpol drop & calpol syrup ?
Drop is useful for infants as concentration of paracetamol is higher in each ml of drop and baby can take small dose. Syrup is useful after infancy as higher dose can be give as weight of baby is increased.
Can we give calpol to elder person against fever ?
No. As the dose of the syrup will not be sufficient for elder person so we should not give syrup to elder person. Either you can give tablet.
Which syrup is best for fever in babies ?
You can give any paracetamol containing syrup for fever in baby according to the weight of the baby.
Special Tips for fever in children
- Always try to measure fever of your baby with the help of thermometer. If it is more than 100.4 degree fahrenheit then give syrup to your baby in the proper dose according to the baby weight.
- If fever does not subside after giving syrup in half an hour, then give sponging with lukewarm water to your baby so fever will subside immediately.
- Do not cover your baby with a lot of clothes, it will not reduce the fever of your baby at all.
- Give your baby a lot of liquid like water, oral rehydration solution, buttermilk.
- Bathing is also very important because it keeps the baby’s body clean. There is one misconception in our society that you should not bathe if you have fever.
- Do not panic when your baby has fever, just give syrup so that fever will reduce. If you panic then your baby will also get afraid.
- Some children may suffer from febrile seizure in the fever, at such time you must have to consult your pediatrician immediately.
- Hand washing is one of the most important tasks you have to tell your child as it reduces chances of infection so the fever.
Ref – GSK
