[hosebergine]

is there anywhere to buy over the counter medicines like cough mixture, Calpol, children's neurofen etc that is a bit cheaper than your average pharmacy?

I bought a few bottles of ASDA own brand kids medicines with me but am on the last dregs thanks to a teething baby and a potent virus that wiped both my little specials out last week. Wish I'd bought some more out :( I've just knocked back $19 of cough medicine in 2 days :wah

And if there aren't any cheap shops, are there any cheaper brands?

[Kanga]

Trawl round the pharmacies asking- there's one in Hawkes Bay that sells paracetamol and paracetamol syrup generics over the counter for very cheap, but I've not had any joy here so far.

[GrumpyGoat]

I know you didn't ask but I feel compelled to share.

A year or two ago, the CDC in the US came out with information about the dangers of giving cough syrup to children. I believe that the US FDA has said that there is no approved dose recommendations. I don't have a link but would suggest googling if you are interested in following it up.

Also, there were seriously dangers with giving children things like paracetemol.

I am not trying to be offensive. I am just hoping that (if you were not already aware of the dangers) you will read up on the dangers before giving this stuff to your children.

Personally, I boost immune systems when my children get sick (with vitamins). And I always let the fever run it's course--as fever is an effective immune function.

Plus, the best part of not using these chemicals is that you save a fortune.

I hope I haven't offended you. :)

[dusk]

is that true for the cough syrup specifically designed for children GG or just general cough medicine? (I haven't seen the report myself) I see the stuff hb was referring to was UK brand child specific is all :)

as for the OP - I haven't found any cheap source of that sort of medicine - other than the few bits and bobs of own brand stuff in the stores (pams ibuprofen etc) or as Kanga says ask at the counter in the pharmacy if they have any generic products as they don't always stick them on display at the front of the store as it's not as profitable I imagine

[James 1077]

Your best bet for children's paracetamol is to ask your doctor to prescribe you a big bottle everytime you take the child in for anything (regardless of whether it is required!). We find that is the best way of getting cheap paracetamol for the kids!

Otherwise we have tried the generics from our local pharmacy but our daughter had a reaction to the generic ibuprofen so we normally buy the branded nurofen and pamol now.

[hosebergine]

thanks all for the info about generics under the counter. And someone mentioned today about the dr's prescription so if I ever take them to the dr's I'll ask very nicely for a whopping bottle of their finest

Grumpy goat - I know where you are coming from but under 5's with temperatures hitting 39 need a bit more than a vitamin tablet. I try to offer medicine as a last resort but I had two very hot girls. I had expected the two bottles of calpol and neurofen I came with to last me up to a yr as normal but they were too ill.

The cough medicine was for me. I was teetering on the edge of a chest infection and have a quarter marathon to do this weekend. I was doing everything under the sun to get myself running again. Desperate times and all that

[GrumpyGoat]

I don't treat fevers of 39 or 40 with anything besides extra fluids--and my children are very young as well. It has been my experience that the illness lasts days less if I allow the fever to do it's job.

Here are some specific ways to reduce fever without medication (http://www.wikihow.com/Reduce-a-Fever-without-Medication)

1. Wet socks and apply them to ankles. Sounds weird but works wonders for a high fever in children. Take a pair of cotton socks that are long enough to cover the child's ankles. Thoroughly wet the socks in cold tap water. Wring out excess water. Put the socks on the child's feet and repeat process when the socks dry out. Some kids will hate this but usually after the socks are on they calm down and enjoy the relief it gives.
2. Feed the child sage and lemon balm tea. For kids who are willing to drink make a tea made from a few leaves each of sage and lemon balm. Add leaves to a mug and cover with boiling water. Cover the mug with a plate and let steep for about ten minutes. Add a little honey or sweetener and let the child sip this down. These herbs will help the child start to sweat which will bring the fever down
3. Use a rub. For babies under two years of age, rub the entire body with pure olive oil before bed and wrap them up well in cotton clothing and a blanket. Give them a bath in the morning to remove the oil. This step works well with the wet socks.
4. Cool the head and neck. For very high fevers take a large cotton scarf and soak well in water, wringing out the excess. Wrap the scarf around the child's head and neck. Repeat when the scarf dries out.

* Fever is not public enemy number one. It is a wonderful defense that our body uses to fight off disease.
* Relax and support your child. When adults panic children feel this and it makes it that much harder for them to heal.
* Make sure your child drinks plenty of liquids, water, natural juices and herbal teas. Note that soda pop is not necessarily the best liquid.

* Keep in touch with the child's doctor throughout the entire process, particularly for fevers of 101 or higher.
* If a fever persists for more than three days or does not respond to any of above methods take your child to a qualified health care provider.

[GrumpyGoat]

is that true for the cough syrup specifically designed for children GG or just general cough medicine? (I haven't seen the report myself) I see the stuff hb was referring to was UK brand child specific is all :)



Yes, cough syrup specifically designed for children is no longer recommended for use in young children. Also, it hasn't been shown to actually help anyway.


US News article here (http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2007/10/10/on-parenting-cough-medicine-isnt-for-kids.html)

"He was surprised to learn, back in 1997 when the American Academy of Pediatrics warned parents that two popular over-the-counter cough suppressants, codeine and dextromethorphan, did nothing to relieve coughs in young children, that there was very little research on the subject. Paul decided to do some investigating himself. He tested two of the most widely used kid cold remedies, the antihistamine diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and dextromethorphan, giving them to kids whose ages ranged from 2 to 18. Not only were the drugs no better than a placebo at relieving symptoms, but neither the child nor the parents got more sleep. (Other research, including reviews by the Cochrane Collaboration, found little evidence that the drugs relieve symptoms in adults, either.)"

[Georgebulldog]

I agree that cough syrup doesn't work, they say now it just soothes & nothing more. As for the other stuff about wrapping cold wet stuff I must say I don't like the sound of it, both my 2 also had fevers in the last month, one an ear infection the other a throat infrction, both times I read about what I could do to help & the one thing I read was not to put cold damp stuff on as it makes the body react & get hotter, OK I'm no expert in this field but it did make sense to me, lucky I had antibiotics which kicked in straight away & for no 2 just Neurofen which did the job but I do stop the minute I can see they can cope without it

[GrumpyGoat]

I know they used to say to use rubbing alcohol to cool the body but that is toxic stuff and shouldn't be used all over the skin. It has serious side effects.

Water, on the other hand, should be safe. Personally, I put wet washcloths on my kid's foreheads for maybe 5 minutes at a time. Usually, when they are feverish they don't welcome much intrusion but it does seem to soothe them.

The most important thing is for them to drink lots of fluids and I find this to be the hardest thing to do adequately. Mine just hate to drink liquids when they are sick and I have to constantly offer liquid and insist on a "sip" each time.

Of course, I would recommend that you have your doctor's input for any illness as fever is just a symptom and not an actual disease process.

[James 1077]

Also, there were seriously dangers with giving children things like paracetemol.


I read the paracetemol article and thought that it was a shining example of bad science. It effectively used an epidemiological study that showed that there was a correlation between giving a child paracetemol and that child getting various illnesses such as asthma and increased risk of others.

However there was nothing that demonstrated that there was any causation between the two (other than the press releases).

My view of it was that children who are generally "sickly" or have asthma and other difficulties are, most likely, given more paracetemol than children who are rarely sick and have nothing wrong with them. The link, therefore, is that the illnesses cause the increased consumption of paracetemol, not the other way around as per the study.

I always take epidemiological studies with a HUGE pinch of salt as they always try to demonstrate causation when all they really show is correlation.

[Wooly_Cow]

I always take epidemiological studies with a HUGE pinch of salt as they always try to demonstrate causation when all they really show is correlation.

Yup statistically there is a correlation between sales of ice cream and deaths by drowning.....therefore ice cream kills you by drowning ...right????

Can't help thinking about the now infamous 'report' about a link between autism and the MMR vaccine - result many many more cases of mumps and measles!

BTW back to the OP - drug prices in much of Europe are high too because you can only get some sorts through chemists....and although they are cheaper in the UK due to being available in supermarkets, there are limits to what you can buy due to suicide risk.

In other countries like Tunisia you can buy antibiotics over the counter.

Strange therefore in a country like NZ where freedom to do what you like seems to be written large, that access to medicines is so restrictive and expensive.

[GrumpyGoat]

I assume the article you are referring to is the study by Dr. Seif Shaheen from King's College, London which suggested that tylenol use is linked to asthma. But that was with adults. The study showed a strong correlation between use and allergic disease. Thorax 2000;55:266-70

This wasn't what I was referring to, however. Although it is an important thing to consider when reaching for medications.

I was referring to the ease of overdose (normally less than double the recommended dose is toxic) leading to death or liver transplants. That is pretty severe consequences IMO.

I am just super vigilant. I have had medical issues with my child from vaccine injury. Once you have watched in horror as your child is changed in front of your eyes--"statistically insignificant" risk is transformed into "yes--it can and does happen to people just like me".

[JasonS]

is there anywhere to buy over the counter medicines like cough mixture, Calpol, children's neurofen etc that is a bit cheaper than your average pharmacy?



you could try online at www.netpharmacy.co.nz

i have ordered vitamins and supplement for a few bucks cheaper then what the store sells them for. sometimes they have a special deal if you buy more then one of a product. plus the shipping was not to dear either.

laurel

[hosebergine]

you could try online at www.netpharmacy.co.nz

i have ordered vitamins and supplement for a few bucks cheaper then what the store sells them for. sometimes they have a special deal if you buy more then one of a product. plus the shipping was not to dear either.

laurel

Thank you very much Laurel. And your insight James 1077 and Wooly Cow.

Grumpy Goat - we all parent differently. I simply wanted to know about the price of medicines in NZ. I appreciate your alternative remedies but we feel more comfortable having painkillers in the house for our children for those rare occasions when we believe it is necessary to help their bodies cope. My children are healthy and very active. We eat a balanced, nutritious diet and they get their vitamins from their food.