Q: My three-year-old son weighing 12 kg accidently drank a full bottle of Crocin syrup 4.3 ml (120 mg/5 ml) today. We came to know about this only after 5-6 hours. He had to be woken up several times on our way to the clinic. The doctor checked him and said he was okay. He asked us to take him back. According to the medical card, the pulse is 108/min; CFT < 3 sec; BP 90/50 mmHg; chest - B/L clear; CVS S1S2 (+) and P/A - soft. Is my son alright? The bottle had a warning that excessive dose may damage the liver.

A:The normal dose of Crocin (paracetamol) for a child weighing 12 kg (based on 15 mg per kg) is 180 mg per dose, which can be repeated four times over 24 hours. Thus, the total 24-hour dose can be as much as 720 mg. The overdose threshold limit is 150 mg per kg, which can lead to liver damage. This is 10 times the normal dose. Your child has not taken this amount of paracetamol. Under the circumstances, there is little cause for concern. Crocin is the safest fever-lowering medicine available in India for children. However, please keep the bottle away from kids. The problem is that if it is made bitter, then kids vomit it out; if it is palatable, some of them like to drink it!