What to do if your child accidentally takes medicine

Drug poisoning is one of the main injuries to children in China. Children aged 1 to 4 years old have insufficient knowledge about drugs and are very likely to take them by mistake. 81.4% of drug poisonings are caused by children taking them by mistake, 42% of poisonings result in moderate and severe injuries, and 86% of drug poisonings occur at home.

4-step approach to dealing with medication accidents in children

When children take medicine by mistake, we often panic, but we need to stay calm. Do not blame or scold the child, otherwise we will not be able to understand the child's actual intake and symptoms, thus delaying treatment. We can follow the following 4 steps to deal with it:

1. Check your baby carefully.

If there is any residual medicine in the child's mouth, spit it out and rinse his mouth in time if he is in good condition, and observe the child's condition further.

2. Confirm that the drug was taken by mistake.

Quickly confirm the type and dosage of the medicine that the child has taken by mistake, check the remaining amount, and check whether the child has taken several medicines at the same time. Common household medicines (painkillers, etc.), common medicines for the elderly (antihypertensive drugs, cardiovascular drugs, etc.), children's medicines, and nutritional supplements are the main medicines that children are likely to take by mistake.

3. Quickly confirm the time when the medicine was taken by mistake.

The time of taking medicine and the interval between them are also important reference indicators when seeking medical treatment.

4. Decide whether to seek medical treatment as soon as possible.

If the accidentally ingested dose is lower than the maximum recommended dose for children in the instructions and the child does not have any discomfort symptoms, the child can be observed at home first.

Seek medical attention immediately in the following situations: ① If you have taken too much (exceeding or approaching the toxic dose), you need to seek medical attention immediately. ② If you have abnormal symptoms, such as vomiting, rash, drowsiness, abdominal pain, dizziness, diarrhea, etc., or any other symptoms that make you feel uneasy.

Note: Do not try to drink anything, such as water, milk, etc. to relieve it. There is no evidence that this method works.

Treatment of accidental ingestion of children's medication

Because of their widespread use, many manufacturers have made common children's medicines fruit-flavored to cater to children's tastes, and have added extra sucrose, which can easily be taken by children by mistake.

However, compared with adult drugs, children's drugs have a higher overall safety factor, and there is no danger if normal doses are taken by mistake. For example, some parents worry whether taking normal doses of Tylenol will cause a drop in body temperature. The answer is no. However, overdose still needs specific evaluation. Tylenol is currently recognized as the world's safest antipyretic drug for children, and overdose may also cause irreversible liver damage.

Ingestion of nutritional supplements by mistake is usually not harmful. The drug content is very low, and the supplements are the daily preventive doses needed by the human body. If a small amount is accidentally taken, just remember to stop taking the accidentally taken dose later. However, if a large amount is taken, symptoms of poisoning will occur, so it should not be taken lightly.

Treatment of accidental drug ingestion in adults

Adult medicines usually have a higher risk of adverse reactions in children, and most of the people who accidentally ingest adult medicines are very young children. This is because young babies do not understand the dangers. They only see that some medicines have colorful surfaces and taste sweet when licked, and they end up ingesting them by mistake.

If the child simply licks the medicine and does not swallow it, or holds it in his mouth, and the surface of the medicine (such as the sugar coating) is still intact and the child does not show any abnormal behavior, you can observe the child at home first.

However, if it has been swallowed, considering the young age of children and their incomplete development of organs, accidentally ingesting adult medicines may be life-threatening. Regardless of whether there are abnormal symptoms or not, it is recommended to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Take preventive measures and manage medications properly

1. Keep medicines and vitamins out of the reach and sight of children, even those we use every day. Never leave medicines on the dining table or at the bedside of a sick child, even if they need to be taken again within a few hours.

2. Try to buy medicines with locking packaging or child-proof covers, and make sure the safety cap is locked.

3. Teach children what medicine is, and do not mislead them into thinking that medicine is sweet like candy. We need to explain to children clearly from an early age that these are medicines, and that all medicines, regardless of the type, are toxic.

4. Do not let older children help the elderly to get medicines to prevent the children from hiding the medicines out of play and causing danger.