A pharmacy in Northern Ireland have taken to social media to warn parents against using particular drugs when treating their children for chickenpox.
Meigh Pharmacy, who are based on the Dromintee Road in Newry, posted to Facebook urging parents of children with the highly contagious childhood disease not to use anti-inflammatory drugs to treat chickenpox. Their health warning has now been shared thousands of times.
The pharmacist says that parents who use the likes of nurofen/ibuprofen risk doing more harm than good:
“Chickenpox is going round again so can I please remind people NOT to give your children nurofen/ibuprofen.
This type of medicine is an anti-inflammatory, it reacts with chickenpox making them go deeper into the skin tissue and will also make your child very very ill.”
The HSE also advise the use of paracetamol to relieve any pain or discomfort associated with the illness:
“There is no cure for chickenpox, and the virus usually clears up by itself without any treatment. If your child is in pain or has a high temperature, you can give them a mild painkiller, such as paracetamol.
Paracetamol is the preferred painkiller for treating the associated symptoms of chickenpox. This is due to a very small risk of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, causing adverse skin reactions during chickenpox.”
They say that stronger medications are available on prescription from your family doctor:
“If your child’s skin is very itchy or sore, try using calamine lotion or cooling gels. These are available in pharmacies and are very safe to use. They have a soothing, cooling effect.
A stronger medicine called chlorphenamine can be prescribed by your GP to relieve itching. It’s taken by mouth and is suitable for children over one year old.”
