New Year Brings Changes to Over-the-Counter Medications

With the new year and cold and flu season upon us, the Nebraska Regional Poison Center has sent out a few safety tips for you and your family.

The topic of these tips is the recent changes made by makers of infant's acetaminophen, who are changing the concentration of acetaminophen in their containers.  They are doing this to make the concentration the same in infant's and children's products and to also reduce the chance of medication errors which are always dangerous and are potentially deadly.

Due to these changes, Nebraska Regional Center reminds you that it is extremely important to read the label carefully if you are dosing medication to infants and small children.  This is especially important if you have both older and newer formulations in your home as you must be aware of what product you are using.

During this time when the manufacturers are transitioning, overdosing your young child is likelier than at most any other time, so again, be extremely careful.

Due to this increased risk, Nebraska Regional Poison Center has a few safety tips for you:

• Before using any medication, read the label. If anything is difficult to understand, contact your doctor, pharmacist, or the Poison Center.
• Give the amount of medicine listed on the label for your child's weight.
• Keep the syringe or medicine cup with the medication in its original box.
• For children under two  years of age, there is no information on the package regarding how much to give.  You will need to get that information from your doctor, pharmacist, or the poison center.
• Adult dosing will be changing as well. The maximum daily dose for single-ingredient extra strength acetaminophen will go from 8 pills per day (4,000 mg) to 6 pills per day (3,000 mg). The dosing interval will also change from 2 pills every 4-6 hours to 2 pills every 6 hours.

For more information about any drug related usage issue, contact your doctor or pharmacist, or contact the Nebraska Regional Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 or by visiting their website by clicking here.