Paracetamol dosage chart by weight

Someone from the army once told me "Take Panadol (paracetamol), it will cure your illness if you are sick, if you are not sick, it will boost your health". That statement of course is not true but was probably meant as a cynical joke to how commonly prescribed this medicine is.

The adults in my home use it to treat fever and headache. Yes I have a policy that at the slightest headache, don't wait, don't sleep it off, it will not get better, just take two 500mg tablets, period.

I give my children paracetamol to treat fever, when temperature is more than 37.5°C. I would fumble with the phone calculator, checking to make sure that I give the correct volume according to the strength of the medication and the dose by body weight. After countless times doing this, with my third kid turning one soon, it just dawned on me that I should just make a chart and refer to it. So here it is and this gets printed, sealed in a plastic sheet and placed in the medicine cabinet. And my husband no longer needs to guess and estimate the right dose to give.

Why is the right dose important?

Too little and it will not be effective, the fever will not subside. Too much (this amount is very high) and it may cause harm to the liver.

The oral dosage for fever is 10 to 15 mg/kg body weight, not more than 3750 mg/day

To be taken every 4 to 6 hours, not more than 5 doses a day.

When my child develops fever before the 6 hours is up, I will then supplement with ibuprofen, more about this later.

At the correct dose, the fever should subside within 1.5 to 3 hours.

If you’d wish to use this chart, here is a step-by-step guide.

1. Weigh your child, measurement should be in kilograms (kg). To convert from Pounds (lb), divide by 2.2.
2. Check the strength of your Paracetamol syrup. Some clinic assistants do not label the strength, always ask. Common syrup strengths are 120mg/5mL and 250mg/5mL.
3. Refer to the chart for the corresponding volume. You may give an amount between the lower and upper limit.
4. Shake the bottle to disperse the liquid and draw the correct volume using a syringe.

Common trade names (brands) of Paracetamol are Panadol, Dhamol, Tylenol. If there are more, please leave a comment.