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Child Took Folic Acid Tablet For Mouth Ulcer. Now Have Vomiting And Stomach Pain. Treatment?
Question: HI DOCTOR,
I WENT TO A DR. TWO DAYS BACK TO CONSULT FOR MY 3 YR OLD CHILD. My son was having ulcers in his mouth every one or the other day. The Dr. told me to give him folic acid tablets for 15 DAYS (1TAB PERDAY). After giving him this tablet just for 2 days he started with loose motions and vomiting and severe stomach pain. To my surprise, when i saw the dosage of folic acid it was 5mg per tablet. Please help me in this.. as whether any complication is there.. and what to do now?
I WENT TO A DR. TWO DAYS BACK TO CONSULT FOR MY 3 YR OLD CHILD. My son was having ulcers in his mouth every one or the other day. The Dr. told me to give him folic acid tablets for 15 DAYS (1TAB PERDAY). After giving him this tablet just for 2 days he started with loose motions and vomiting and severe stomach pain. To my surprise, when i saw the dosage of folic acid it was 5mg per tablet. Please help me in this.. as whether any complication is there.. and what to do now?
Hi, thanks for using health care magic
The normal recommended dose for folic acid for children aged 1 to 3 is 150 micrograms a day which would be 0.150 mg a day.The upper daily limit for children in his age group is 300 micrograms or 0.3 mg.
High doses may be associated with the symptoms that you are describing : diarrhoea, stomach upset, nausea.
Luckily you only gave it at the dose prescribed, for 2 days so there will not be any long lasting side effects.
You should consider speaking to his doctor about the medication.
If the vomiting and diarrhoea are continuing, he is at risk of dehydration if he is not given adequate fluid replacement.
Since he is vomiting he should be given small amount of fluid (1 tbs) frequently (5 - 10 min intervals), if he tolerates this then more may be given
He needs fluids to replace what he is losing and for maintainence. His doctor will calculate this based on his weight and the estimated level of dehydration.
Some of the symptoms and signs of dehydration would be : decreased urine output, dry skin, skin tenting (when pulled up , the skin stays in that position), lethargy, increased heart rate, dry tears, dry tongue and eyes
It may be best to take him to a doctor to assess his hydration status, if he still has the vomiting and diarrhoea
Hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
The normal recommended dose for folic acid for children aged 1 to 3 is 150 micrograms a day which would be 0.150 mg a day.The upper daily limit for children in his age group is 300 micrograms or 0.3 mg.
High doses may be associated with the symptoms that you are describing : diarrhoea, stomach upset, nausea.
Luckily you only gave it at the dose prescribed, for 2 days so there will not be any long lasting side effects.
You should consider speaking to his doctor about the medication.
If the vomiting and diarrhoea are continuing, he is at risk of dehydration if he is not given adequate fluid replacement.
Since he is vomiting he should be given small amount of fluid (1 tbs) frequently (5 - 10 min intervals), if he tolerates this then more may be given
He needs fluids to replace what he is losing and for maintainence. His doctor will calculate this based on his weight and the estimated level of dehydration.
Some of the symptoms and signs of dehydration would be : decreased urine output, dry skin, skin tenting (when pulled up , the skin stays in that position), lethargy, increased heart rate, dry tears, dry tongue and eyes
It may be best to take him to a doctor to assess his hydration status, if he still has the vomiting and diarrhoea
Hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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