Infant Motrin Drops - 20 Minutes from Tears to Cheers
Written: Jan 24 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Works fast, easy dosing syringe
Cons: My children don't like liquid, limited dosing information
The Bottom Line: This is as close to magic as I have ever witnessed. It brought my daughter almost instant relief from her ear pain and fever.
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| mmcphee's Full Review: Infants' Motrin Ibuprofen Oral Suspension Concentr... |
My 3 year old, Typhoid Mary, brings home every cold from nursery yet never really gets sick herself. She just passes everything on to her younger sister, Disease & Pestilence and me. My 18 month old developed a double ear infection from our most recent cold and my pediatrician suggested Motrin to try and ease her pain. He gave us a sample of Infant’s Motrin Dye-Free Berry Flavored Drops and I picked up another bottle at our local pharmacy.
The Basics
Motrin Infant Drops are a thick liquid pain reliever and fever reducer for children 6-23 months of age. It provides 50mg of Ibuprofen per 1.25ml. The medicine is delivered using an included syringe style dropper. The liquid is clear and berry flavored but it is also available in an orange color that is still berry flavored. The medicine can be administered every 6-8 hours and no more than 4 times per day. Infant’s Dye Free Motrin is available in a 1 oz sized container. The bottle cap is wrapped in plastic so it is “tamper evident”. The top is also child-proof and requires an adult to push down and turn at the same time.
Inactive Ingredients from motrin.com
Artificial flavors, citric acid, corn starch, glycerin, polysorbate 80, purified water, sodium benzoate, sorbitol, sucrose, xanthan gum.
Warnings
The box is fully of warnings and I am not going to repeat them all here. Before giving this medication it is important that an adult take the time to read them all. It should go without saying that this, and all medications, need to be stored safely out of a child’s reach. But just in case, make sure the phone number for Poison Control is posted next to all phones. In the United States the toll free number is 1-800-222-1222.
Ibuprofen is the active ingredient in Motrin Infant Drops, which can cause an allergic reaction. It is important to look for hives, facial swelling, difficulty breathing and in severe cases shock.
Use
There are only two dosages listed for Infant’s Motrin. For children 12-17 lbs and 6-11 months old give 1.25 ml. Children 18-23 lbs and 12-23 months old can take 1.875 ml. Both of these amounts are clearly marked on the syringe as well as a mark for .625 ml.
Before you start you must shake the bottle well. To use you simply insert the syringe into the bottle and pull up on the plunger until the bottom of the stopper, and hence the medication, reaches the appropriate mark. You then slip the thin dropper into the child’s mouth and slowly press down on the plunger to dispense the medication toward the inner cheek.
Our Experience
My normally and happy and playful Disease & Pestilence was absolutely miserable, crying even as she sat and cuddled on my lap for two hours while we waited to head out for the doctor. I had never seen her so miserable. After taking her temperature and looking in her ears we were handed a couple of prescriptions to ease her suffering as well as a box of Motrin Infant Drops. The doctor suggested giving a dose right away. I admit that I was skeptical that is would help much but I gave my very unhappy little girl the dose the doctor measure out.
Since we had some time to kill while waiting for her prescriptions to be filled I plopped Disease & Pestilence into a shopping cart and wandered around the store. It was then I realized that my little girl’s sunny disposition was back! She wasn’t whining and begging to be picked up. She was pointing to everything in the store and either naming it or asking what it was. Then she asked for a snack and since she had not eaten much all day I was happy to oblige with a treat of pretzels and apple juice. I glanced at my phone and realized that in about 20 minutes Infant Motrin had completely transformed my ailing daughter. She was content for the entire 45 minutes that we had to wait in the store, which is more than I can say for me.
Although I have used Infant’s Motrin on both of girls for various aches and pains this is the first time I could honestly say I know it made my daughter feel better.
What We Like
What I like the most about this particular formula is that it is dye free. Neither of my girls ever liked taking liquid medicine so sometimes it gets spit back at me. Since, as the name implies, this formula is dye-free it doesn’t stain their clothes or mine. A baby wipe does a great job of mopping up any spills and they don’t look like they need their clothes changed.
I also like the syringe style dropper. I really dislike the bulb style droppers still found on some infant medications. I have trouble getting just the right amount of medication in the dropper. You need to have the right touch and know just how hard to squeeze the bulb to get approximately the right amount of medication drawn into the dropper. You then have to try to adjust drop by drop until you get the correct amount. I prefer to be able to use the syringe to easily push or pull the plunger to get to the right amount.
As compared to Tylenol, Motrin lasts longer, which means I don’t have to battle giving the medication quite as often. Tylenol lasts only 4 hours compared to the 6-8 hours for Motrin.
Even though neither of my girls like liquid medication Infant’s Motrin Dye-Free Berry Flavored Drops did seem to go down a little easier than Infant’s Tylenol. I have tasted it and while I can say it is berry flavored I think it has a sickening artificially sweet taste. But since it isn’t for me, I’m not going to complain.
Most of all, it works. I have had my doubts in the past since neither of my girls is really good at describing exactly how they feel yet. Sometimes when giving OTC pain relievers I wonder if I am actually helping them or simply making myself feel better by trying something. I am convinced that Infant’s Motrin is what made my little girl feel better.
What We Don’t Like
My only real problem with the actual medication is that my children don’t like liquid medications. I can’t fault Motrin for that. It is just something I have to deal with as my children’s personal preference.
What I really dislike is the limited weight/age range for Motrin Infant Drops. Disease & Pestilence is only 18 months old but weighs about 27 lbs. So while she is within the age range for this medication she is over the weight limit, and for children’s medication it is far more accurate to give dosages based on weight. Once a child reaches 24 lbs they are ready for Children’s Liquid Motrin. Unfortunately, because the concentrations are different that means I have to try and get my daughter to drink twice as much liquid pain reliever.
Fortunately there is a way around that. What is important is the amount of pain reliever children get. At 27 lbs 100 mg is the correct amount of Ibuprofen for my daughter. She can get that from either 1 tsp (5 ml) of Children’s Motrin or from 2.5 ml of Infant Motrin. Obviously Motrin is aware of this because they provide the .625 ml marking on the syringe even though there is no dosage listed on the carton for that amount. I simply measure out 1.875 ml and then another .625 ml of Infant Motrin and my daughter receives the 100 mg if Ibuprofen that she needs for her weight.
I am irritated that Motrin does not provide more complete dosing information for parents on the label. The weight ranges are rather broad. Ibuprofen dosage is 4.5 mg per pound. That means children at the upper end of the two weight ranges provided may not be getting enough medication to fully relieve their symptoms. While you should always check with your pediatrician here is a link for dosing beyond what is given on the box:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T088900.asp#T088901
Final Thoughts
My most recent experience with Infant’s Motrin Dye-Free Berry Flavored Drops has made me a believer. The transformation of my daughter’s personality in 20 minutes was shocking. I don’t know if it was the pain relief for her ear ache or the fever reducing properties, I just know it worked! It continued to provide the same relief for the duration of her illness. If your pediatrician gives you a choice between using Tylenol and Motrin, I highly recommend giving the Motrin a try.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mmcphee
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Member: Mary Ellen
Location: Nutmeg State
Reviews written: 1083
Trusted by: 217 members
About Me:Can you lose 55 lbs and still be cranky? Apparently so...
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