Calpol is 'the heroin of childhood' says doctor

Dr Chris van Tulleken investigated why UK spends £64million a year on Calpol
The BBC presenter found many parents use medication to treat children’s fever
He said his GP told him some people describe medicine as ‘heroin of childhood’

By Phoebe Southworth For Mailonline

Published: 08:50 BST, 19 May 2018 | Updated: 09:19 BST, 19 May 2018

Dr Chris van Tulleken, who is worried about the rise of Calpol use of treating fever

Dr Chris van Tulleken, who is worried about the rise of Calpol use of treating fever

A doctor has branded Calpol ‘the heroin of childhood’ as it is revealed children are taking three times more of the medicine compared with 40 years ago.

In a BBC documentary, Dr Chris van Tulleken investigated why the UK spends £64million a year on the paracetamol-based medication.

The new dad and CBBC ‘Operation Ouch!’ presenter says his own GP Dr Marlow tells him: ‘We have children almost addicted to paracetamol, to Calpol.

‘Not the drug itself, but the process. Some describe it as “the heroin of childhood”.’

Dr van Tulleken found that many parents give their children Calpol to ease a mild fever.

However, according to guidelines, having a high temperature is not dangerous and is in fact the body’s way of fighting infection.

Instead, Calpol – which has been linked to asthma and kidney, liver and heart damage – should only be used as a painkiller, said Leicester Royal Infirmary medic Dr Damian Rowland.

Johnson & Johnson, the makers of Calpol, said: ‘We strongly refute any suggestion that the information we provide to parents is inadequate.’

Dr van Tulleken has previously conducted a social experiment for BBC One in which patients’ prescriptions were swapped for drug-free alternatives.