Patient leaflet - Calpol Infant suspension sachets
1. What the medicine is for
The paracetamol in CALPOL® Infant Suspension Sachets is used to relieve pain and / or bring down fever (high temperature) in many conditions including post-immunisation fever, teething, headache, cold and flu, toothache, earache, sore throat and other aches and pains.
2. Before giving the medicine to your child
This medicine is suitable for most people but a few people should not use it. If you are in any doubt, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
X Do not give your child this medicine…
- If s/he has ever had a bad reaction to any of the ingredients.
- If s/he is taking anything else with paracetamol in it.
- If s/he is between 2-3 months old and is taking this medicine for other causes of pain and fever and:
- Weighs less than 4 kg or
- Was born before 37 weeks
If any of these applies, get advice from a doctor or pharmacist without using CALPOL®.
! Talk to your doctor or pharmacist…
- If your child has serious kidney or liver problems.
- If your child has an inherited intolerance to fructose or been diagnosed with an intolerance to some other sugars.
During treatment with this medicine, tell your doctor straight away if:
You have severe illnesses, including severe renal impairment or sepsis (when bacteria and their toxins circulate in the blood leading to organ damage), or you suffer from malnutrition, chronic alcoholism or if you are also taking flucloxacillin (an antibiotic). A serious condition called metabolic acidosis (a blood and fluid abnormality) has been reported in patients in these situations when paracetamol is used at regular doses for a prolonged period or when paracetamol is taken together with flucloxacillin. Symptoms of metabolic acidosis may include: serious breathing difficulties with deep rapid breathing, drowsiness, feeling sick (nausea) and being sick (vomiting).
Other medicines and paracetamol
Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking:
- metoclopramide or domperidone (used to treat nausea and vomiting)
- cholestyramine (used to treat high cholesterol)
- anticoagulants (drugs that thin the blood, such as warfarin)
- anticonvulsants (drugs to treat epilepsy)
- flucloxacillin (antibiotic), due to a serious risk of blood and fluid abnormality (called metabolic acidosis) that must have urgent treatment (see section 2).
If you are not sure about the medicine your child is taking, show the bottle or pack to your pharmacist.
If any of these bullet points apply, talk to a doctor or pharmacist.
If adults take this medicine:
The following additional warnings are included in case an adult takes this product:
- You can use this medicine while you are taking oral contraceptives (‘the pill’), but it may not work so well on your pain or fever.
- If you drink large amounts of alcohol, you may be more open to the side-effects of paracetamol. If this applies to you, talk to a doctor before use.
If necessary, the medicine can be used during pregnancy. You should use the lowest possible dose that reduces your pain and/or your fever and use it for the shortest time possible. Contact your doctor or pharmacist if the pain and/ or fever are not reduced or if you need to take the medicine more often.
- Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine if you are breastfeeding.
! Some of the ingredients can cause problems
- Methyl (E218), propyl (E216) and ethyl (E214) parahydroxybenzoate may cause allergic reactions which could possibly be delayed.
- The sucrose and sorbitol (E420) content of this product means that this product is unsuitable for people with inherited intolerance to fructose.
- This medicine contains 2.2 g of sucrose per 5 ml dose and 451 mg of sorbitol liquid (E420) per 5 ml dose which is equivalent to 90 mg/ml. This should be taken into account in patients with diabetes mellitus. Sorbitol is a source of fructose. If your doctor has told you that your child has an intolerance to some sugars or if your child has been diagnosed with hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI), a rare genetic disorder in which a person cannot break down fructose, talk to your doctor before your child receives this medicine.
- Sorbitol may cause gastrointestinal discomfort and mild laxative effect.
- Carmoisine (E122) may cause allergic reactions.
- This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per 5 ml, that is to say essentially ‘sodium-free’.
- This medicine contains 13.63 mg propylene glycol (E1520) in each 5 ml dose, which is equivalent to 2.73 mg/ml.
3. How to use this medicine
Check the tables to see how much medicine to use.
- For oral use only.
- Each sachet contains 5 ml of this medicine. Any unused contents of the open sachet should be discarded.
Do not give more medicine than the label tells you to.
If your child does not get better, talk to your doctor.
- Do not overfill the spoon.
- Always use the spoon supplied with the pack.
- Do not give anything else containing paracetamol while giving this medicine.
i Babies under 2 months
Do not give to babies under 2 months old. Consult your doctor.
i Babies 2 - 3 months
For the relief of fever after vaccinations at 2, 3 and 4 months - 2.5 ml. This dose may be given up to 4 times a day starting at the time of vaccination. Do not give more than 4 doses in any 24 hour period. Leave at least 4 hours between doses. If your baby still needs this medicine two days after receiving the vaccine talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Pain and other causes of fever - refer to the tables below.
| Child's age | How Much |
|---|---|
| 2-3 months | 2.5 ml If necessary, after 4-6 hours, give a second 2.5 ml dose. |
- Do not give to babies less than 2 months of age.
- Only give if your baby weighs over 4 kg and was born after 37 weeks.
- Leave at least 4 hours between doses.
- Do not give more than 2 doses. This is to ensure that fever that may be due to a serious infection is quickly diagnosed. If your child is still feverish after two doses, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
| Child's age | How much | How often (in 24 hours) |
|---|---|---|
| 3-6 months | 2.5 ml | Up to 4 times |
| 6-24 months | 5 ml | Up to 4 times |
| 2-4 years | 7.5 ml (5 ml + 2.5 ml) | Up to 4 times |
| 4-6 years | 10 ml (5 ml + 5 ml) | Up to 4 times |
- Do not give more than 4 doses in any 24 hour period.
- Leave at least 4 hours between doses.
- Do not give this medicine to your child for more than 3 days without speaking to your doctor or pharmacist.
It is important to massage the sachet before use.
i Children over 6 years
Ask a pharmacist to recommend a suitable product.
! Speak to your doctor:
- If your baby needs more than the doses shown in the table, or if fever doesn’t go away, speak to your doctor as soon as possible.
- If you are not sure of the cause of your child’s illness or it is accompanied by a rash, breathing difficulties, diarrhoea or excessive tiredness or lethargy, speak to your doctor straight away. Do not give CALPOL® until you get medical advice.
! If anyone has too much
Talk to a doctor at once if your child takes too much of this medicine, even if they seem well. This is because too much paracetamol can cause delayed, serious liver damage.
! If you forget to give the medicine
Give the next dose when needed, provided that the last dose was given at least 4 hours ago. Do not give a double dose.
4. Possible side-effects
CALPOL® Infant Suspension Sachets can have side-effects, like all medicines, although these don’t affect everyone and are usually mild.
! Tell your doctor as soon as possible if you notice any of these:
- allergic reactions including swelling of the face, tongue or throat, difficulty swallowing, unexplained wheezing, shortness of breath, rash or hives.
- becoming unusually tired, unexpected bruising or bleeding and getting more infections (such as colds) than usual. These are very rare effects in people taking paracetamol.
- very rare cases of serious skin reactions have been reported. Symptoms may include: skin reddening, blisters, rash. If skin reactions occur or existing skin symptoms worsen, stop use and seek medical help right away.
- a serious condition that can make blood more acidic (called metabolic acidosis), in patients with severe illness using paracetamol (see section 2). This side effect has a frequency of “not known” which means it cannot be estimated from the available data).
If your child shows any of these signs, stop giving paracetamol and talk to a doctor right away.
Long term use: People who use medicines containing paracetamol every day for a long time (several months or more) could get certain side-effects, including liver and kidney damage. People taking paracetamol in the usual way for shorter periods have not had these problems, but liver function tests may be affected.
If you notice any side-effects not included in this leaflet please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
Reporting of side-effects: If you get any side-effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side-effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side-effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: http://www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.
By reporting side-effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. Storing this medicine
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not store above 25°C.
Keep sachets in the outer carton.
Do not use after the end of the month shown as an expiry date on the packaging.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
6. Further Information
What’s in this medicine?
The active ingredient is: Paracetamol 120 mg per 5 ml.
Other ingredients are: Sucrose, sorbitol liquid (E420), glycerol, polysorbate 80, acesulfame potassium, methyl parahydroxybenzoate (E218), propyl parahydroxybenzoate (E216), ethyl parahydroxybenzoate (E214), microcrystalline cellulose and carmellose sodium, xanthan gum and purified water. The flavouring is strawberry (containing propylene glycol (E1520)) and colouring is carmoisine (E122).
Each 5 ml sachet of this product contains 2.2 g of sucrose.
What the medicine looks like
CALPOL® Infant Suspension Sachets is a pink oral liquid, available in packs of 12 x 5 ml sachets. It contains 120 mg of the active ingredient Paracetamol in every 5 ml of medicine.
The Marketing Authorisation holder is McNeil Products Limited, 50 – 100 Holmers Farm Way, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP12 4EG, UK.
The manufacturer is Delpharm Orleans, 5 avenue de Concyr, 45071 Orléans, Cedex 2, France.
This leaflet was revised January 2025.
CALPOL® is a registered trade mark.