Q: My 4-year-old son weighs 17 kg. He absolutely refuses to take syrups of any kind, be it Crocin syrup or any other cough syrup. Hence I have turned to homeopathy to treat common ailments like cough and cold. But the fever needs to be controlled only with Crocin syrup. So far I have been giving him 170 mg paracetamol suppository, 4 hourly, because of his refusal to take crocin syrup. Is the dosage correct for his weight? He is OK with swallowing tablets broken up into bits. So can I give him a crocin tablet, which the adults normally take. What should the dosage be and at what intervals should it be given?

A:It is perfectly all right to give either suppository or a tablet in place of syrup. The dose is 170-200 mg per dose. This would come thoroughly 1/3 of a 500 mg crocin tablet. The dose can be repeated whenever the fever exceeds 100 degree F or 37.5 degree C. In case of continuos fever, it can be repeated 4-6 hourly.