Starting this summer, Tylenol will now have standardized dosing for their Infants’ & Children’s products. In 2009, the FDA made several safety recommendations, including changing the concentration of Tylenol so that it is unform regardless of the age of the child. That’s precisely what they’ve done. As a result, the measuring devices will also change. The current concentrated Infant’s Tylenol will cease to be manufactured.
The idea behind this standard concentration is to decrease the risk of overdosing a child. In this case, safety and standardization go hand in hand. An overdose of Tylenol can result in liver damage and/or death. This change is particularly helpful if you have children of various ages in your home. When exhausted in the care of your sick child, you will no longer risk choosing the wrong bottle (i.e. the wrong concentration) in the store or at home. Hence, your child is less likely to be overdosed or even underdosed.
This will have an impact if/when you choose to give your child Tylenol. It also will have an impact when you ask your child’s Pediatrician for dosing questions. Why? Because both past & new formulations will be available in the market at the same time. So, your child’s doctor will need to know the concentration of the specific bottle you have at home in order to tell you what dosage of Tylenol is appropriate for your child. In reality it won’t be a big deal. But it is best to be prepared, as there is likely to be some confusion until all of the old formulations are truly a thing of the past.
On May 4, 2011, The Consumer Healthcare Produscts Association announced that other manufacturers of Acetaminophen (generic Tylenol) will also change their formulations so that their concentrations will also standardized to 160 mg/5 ml.
For more information regarding the change in Tylenol concentration and measurement, please go to http://www.chpa-info.org/
Proper administration of the medicine has to be considered. This is to provide the right treatment.
They need to regulate the dosage of the medicine. It’s better to be safe than sorry when prescribing it.
The Tylenol dosage varies depending on a number of factors such as your child’s age and weight, other medications your child may be taking, and other medical conditions your child may have. A dose can be given every 4 hours, but do not exceed more than 5 doses in 24 hours.
Prepare only the required dosage for the medicine to take effect.