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Pediatric Acetaminophen

 Last year, the makers of over-the-counter, single ingredient liquid pediatric acetaminophen began converting these medicines to a single concentration across all brands  to standardize dosing and prevent dosing errors.

Now, both infants’ and children’s acetaminophen are the same strength to standardize concentration and dosing across all single-ingredient liquid acetaminophen products. You can find the concentration (160mg/5mL) for the medicine on the front of the medicine bottle. The standardized concentration for both infant and children’s liquid acetaminophen products is 160mg/5mL. The infant medicines now come with dosing syringes and the children’s medicines now come with  dosing cups.

The former “infants’ concentrated drops” are no longer sold. But as the transition is still recent, some parents and caregivers may find both the old “concentrated drops” and/or the new concentrations in their home medicine cabinets. Both are safe to use, but be sure to check the concentration, always read the label, and follow the dosing instructions of the medicine you have.

Related links:

 

More on Acetaminophen and Other Oral OTC Pain Relievers and Fever Reducers

Call to Action for acetaminophen-containing medications: Adopting best practices for prescription labeling, Pharmacy Today, January 2012

Know Your Dose


CHPA's Educational Foundation is a proud member of the Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition whose goal is to educate patients and consumers on how to appropriately use medicines that contain acetaminophen. To learn about the coalition’s new Know Your Dose campaign, visit KnowYourDose.org.

CHPA Educational Foundation

The CHPA Educational Foundation has information, tip sheets, and brochures for consumers on the safe use of medicines. The makers of OTC pain relievers and fever reducers also have information about their products on their web sites, or you can call them directly.