They Say: Parents Scrimp on Kids’ Pain Meds
No need to worry we’re turning out the next generation of pill popping addicts. A new study says parents are actually TOO conservative when it comes to dosing out the pain meds for their kids.
Can we all offer up a collective OUCH?
Past studies have pointed to under usage of appropriate anesthesia during surgery for kids (remember when they didn’t bother with pain management for the circumcised because they figured they’d forget the pain?), but the study slated for publication in next month’s issue of the Journal of Pediatrics reports on a problem with follow-up care.
Kids are being shuttled out of the hospitals earlier and earlier after surgery, and parents are left to give them their pain medicines. Only the parents aren’t - be it from the all-to-common fear of over-medicating our kids to a very basic lack of understanding the pain scale for kids.
Looking at kids ages two to twelve who underwent common medical procedures such as a tonsillectomy, the researchers found eighty-six percent of parents reported their kids were in significant pain on the first day home. But one in four of those kids received minimal pain medication, and some received none at all.
Following the kids for several more days, they found the amount of parents giving their kids medicine decreased despite pain still being present.
Warnings about liver damage caused by certain kids pain relievers play a role, and sometimes kids just can’t communicate with parents. Or sometimes we don’t believe them (I can’t blame them - my daughter was on Benadryl thanks to a reaction to bug bites - it tasted so good she started requesting it, at which point I had to weigh whether the bites were still itching or she was simply digging the taste).
Do you go easy on the pain medication for your kids?
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Tags: bug bites, Jeanne Sager, medication, operation, over-medicating, pain, sick kids, surgery, they say, tylenol
5 Comments
kristen commented on Sep 10 09 at 11:59 amI dont care what the FDA or whoever says, i’m giving my kids medicine if their sick and medicine if their in pain. Noe one wants to see their kids suffer. Its diff to keep giving it after you see the pain has subsided or they are feeling better, but as a parent you love your kids and want to stop any hurt they feel.
Toy Kitchen commented on Sep 10 09 at 1:39 pmI agree, give the kids medicine as needed.
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Marj commented on Sep 10 09 at 4:21 pmI know a lot of people who are very paranoid about over-medication, not only of kids, but of themselves. They might not give their kids enough pain meds, but they don’t take any themselves. Me - I don’t enjoy pain, so I take Advil as needed, in the dosages reccomended. I hope I’ll do the same for my kids. Right now they get regular doses of Tummy Soother (a ginger chammomile concoction).
Laure68 commented on Sep 10 09 at 5:09 pmkristen, if the FDA believed pain medication was bad for kids, they would take the kids’ versions off the market.
I think a lot of this fear of over-medicating comes from the alternative medicine crowd. They push the idea that “natural” remedies are better. Now, I agree things like humidifiers, etc. can be great. However, when you get into taking herbal supplements that have more than a normal amount of the herb in them (that is, more than ginger you might slice on your food) you have to be very careful. These supplements have very low regulatory requirements, and can be risky, especially for children. By comparison, regular old “medication” is very safe, if taken as recommended.
sz commented on Sep 10 09 at 7:48 pmYes, I go easy on the meds. Most medications contain stuff that I don’t want in mine or my child’s body unless we really need it. I’m don’t think handling pain is a virtue per se but I do think it’s good to be able to manage some discomfort without running to the medicine cabinet every time there’s a pain. Of course, when it really seems necessary (like after surgery) I’d offer the proscribed medication to dull pain and help my child rest and recover. Surprisingly (or not), I’ve found that for general childhood owies a cool washcloth and a nice cup of calming chamomile tea often works wonders.
