Candy-flavored aspirin sold for children is a poison hazard. Symptoms of over dosage in children include deep breathing, vomiting, lethargy, and confusion. Call a doctor if your child shows any of these symptoms after taking aspirin.
Small children who swallow candied aspirin account for nation’s largest category of accidental poisoning; 80 percent of the aspirin deaths occur among preschoolers. In more than half of the children treated for aspirin poisoning, children’s flavored aspirin was the culprit.
Always keep all aspirin out of the reach of children, preferably in a locked cabinet. Don’t give small children any aspirin except with the approval of your physician. Not every fever calls for it, and many parents inadvertently overdose their children.
When a child receiving aspirin, check other medications to avoid overdosing. In one recorded case a child received only a small amount of an aspirin tablet. But he died of an aspirin overdose after his mother gave him cough medicine. She didn’t realize it contained additional salicylate.
Te get youngsters to take unflavored aspirin, crush the drug into a spoonful of jelly or honey. Wash it down with half a glass of water, milk, or orange juice. This amount of fluid gets rid of any medicinal aftertaste, and also avoids possible stomach irritation.