Doctors Issue Warning to Parents About Giving Children Adult Tylenol Amid Drug Shortages

Extra Strength Tylenol is displayed in a drugstore in Washington, on July 5, 2006. Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

Doctors have issued warnings to parents that they should be very careful when giving smaller doses of adult painkiller and anti-fever medication to children amid reports of shortages of Tylenol and other drugs.

“It’s probably a very dangerous maneuver, number one, because children and infants are dosed very differently than adults,” Dr. Jay Schauben of the Florida Poison Information Center told News4Jax over the weekend. “And just by cutting tablets in half, you may not be giving them the correct dose—you may be overdosing them, or you may be underdosing them,” he added.

Barry Power, a pharmacist and editor-in-chief of the Canadian Pharmacists Association, told GlobalNews that adult Advil or Tylenol can be given to children, but that parents must ensure that a proper dose is given so as to avoid potentially harmful side-effects or an overdose. “It’s easy to give the wrong amount,” he said.

Parents who are considering giving a portion of an adult dose to a child should consult an expert first, Power said. Acetaminophen, often used to lower fevers, is one of the most commonly overused and overdosed medications, and health officials say too much of the painkiller can cause liver failure. In many cases, people overdose on the drug by taking something like Tylenol in addition to administering cough and cold medications, which can also contain acetaminophen.

“It’s absolutely critical that if you are going to go down the path of cutting up tablets that you talk to a pharmacist or your physician to find out the appropriate dose,” he said. “And it’s something that you need to think about very carefully.”

“It’s easy to give the wrong amount,” he said. “The main problem with acetaminophen poisoning is that it’s often asymptomatic or there’s no signs of symptoms until it’s very advanced and in quite a difficult situation,” the pharmacist said.

Canada has reported a shortage of children’s Tylenol and other medications in recent months amid a surge in influenza and other respiratory viruses. There have been sporadic reports of shortages of Tylenol in parts of the United States, although there have been shortages of other drugs including Tamiflu, amoxicillin, and others.

Another official, Margaret Thompson, told the Toronto Star that her poison center hotline has taken more and more calls from patients who attempted to make adult pain medication into kids’ dosages and had problems.

“These would be calls from caregivers, parents, etc., where they had realized after they had given a dose or two or three of an adult preparation to their child—because they hadn’t been able to source pediatric preparations—that they were worried or had been (giving) more than what was recommended based on weight-based dosing,” Thompson said.

Directions

On its website, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urges parents to “give the right medicine, in the right amount, to your child. Not all medicines are right for an infant or a child.”

A sign for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration outside of the headquarters in White Oak, Md., on July 20, 2020. Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images

The FDA also states, “Medicines with the same brand name can be sold in many different strengths, such as infant, children and adult formulas. The amount and directions are also different for children of different ages or weights. Always use the right medicine and follow the directions exactly. Never use more medicine than directed, even if your child seems sicker than the last time.”

According to Johnson & Johnson, the maker of Tylenol, children should likely not take adult versions of the drug.

“Young children should not take adult medication,” the firm says. “All parents and caregivers should follow the dosing instructions outlined on the label. If you have questions, please consult your pediatrician or health care provider.”

If not, taking too much acetaminophen can cause liver damage or even failure. Severe liver damage could occur if an individual takes more than 4,000 mg of acetaminophen within 24 hours, says Tylenol’s website.

The pharmaceutical giant told NPR in early December that demand for children’s Tylenol is currently elevated but there is no U.S.-wide shortage. The Epoch Times has contacted J&J for comment.

“Consumer demand for pediatric pain relievers in the U.S. is high,“ Johnson & Johnson said, ”but there are no supply chain issues and we do not have an overall shortage in the U.S.”

Children’s Tylenol products have been out of stock for about one month across Canada, according to the Health Canada government website.