This post is brought to you by the Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition’s Know Your Dose campaign.
It was the middle of the night. I was holding a screaming child and feeling very helpless.
I don’t think there is anything that makes me feel more out of control as a mom than when my kids are sick.
Sobs, screams, uncomfortable wiggling, hot and sweaty.
I just want to make it go away.
At this moment there are options. Things that can be done to give comfort beyond a hug, but the last thing I want to do is make the situation worse.
It can happen easily when accidentally exceeding the maximum daily dose of acetaminophen. This sometimes happens because many people don’t realize over 600 over-the-counter and prescription medications contain acetaminophen. Acetaminophen is safe and effective when it is used as directed, but there is a limit on how much you can take in one day.
The good news is that there is help for me {and other parents who want to do the right thing}. It is
Know Your Dose. Know Your Dose helps make sure you are using medicines with acetaminophen safely. There is a list of all the different medicines with acetaminophen with information on
keeping your family (and yourself) safe.
There are four easy steps that can help from
Know Your Dose:
- Always read and follow the medication’s label.
- Know if your medicine contains acetaminophen.
- Take only one medicine at a time that contains acetaminophen. Double check, don’t double up!
- Ask your healthcare provider or a pharmacist if you have questions about dosing instructions or medicines that contain acetaminophen.
When I think back to how I care for my family, it seems like often I don’t take as much time to research things for myself. So when that next cold hits you, remember this is as important for adults as for the little ones!
Grabbing a few over-the-counter medications to take to get through the day is not the answer. Check the labels and follow the steps above to make sure that you are never taking two medications that both include acetaminophen. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has set a maximum daily dose of 4,000 milligrams of acetaminophen in a 24-hour period and taking more than directed can lead to liver damage.
Be sure to visit
Know Your Dose for more information. You can also follow along on social media to hear other stories about using acetaminophen safely with the hashtag #KYDcoldflu.
A big thank you to Know Your Dose for sponsoring this blog post and inspiring me to read a little more carefully when it counts.
0