Should I Let My 13 Year Old Carry Tylenol?

Updated on August 23, 2012
E.J. asks from Hialeah, FL
26 answers

My kids are a handful and is completely driving me up the wall. (Dont read my history) To the parents who have small kids and babies..ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY, because they wont be that wayfor long. Once theyre age hit the double digits, thats when the real problems come.
My 13 year old daughter started her cycle last year. And everytime she come on at school, she expect me to come pick her up because she is cramping. I told her,"Baby I cant come get you everytime you come on your cycle. This is something that's gonna be happening to you every month for the rest of your life. So youre gonna have to find some kind of way to deal with it just like every other girl in your school. I have always told her to be prepared..keep a pad in your purse. But should I allow her to carry tylenol?

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So What Happened?

Thanks everyone..99.9% of you said no and to check with the school. Thats exactly what Im going to do.

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T.P.

answers from Indianapolis on

No it's different than when we went to school. You can't even carry a baby asperin. You shouldn't tell her that she will have a period for the rest of her life because it will end one day but tell her she is not alone and she will have to learn how to handle it. She just needs to be babied and pampered a little. Let her take tylenol in the morning before she leaves for school. It will help for part of the day. Good luck!!

2 moms found this helpful
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P.K.

answers from New York on

If school finds out she is carrying Tylenol she will be suspended because she was found to be carrying drugs!! Ridiculous, absolutely. Reality, you bet.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.D.

answers from Minneapolis on

Nope, she will get in trouble at school. I take a bottle of pain relief medicine like tylenol or ibuprofen to the school office each year and sign a release form that my child can come in to take it as needed. Otherwise I'd be running and she'd be missing more school each year.

1 mom found this helpful

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J.C.

answers from Rockford on

The issue is going to be with what the school says. In our district, the kids cannot have so much as a cough drop or antacid pill without it having a doctor's note and being documented with the nurse and kept in her office. The consequence of being caught with anything is serious and could mean expulsion. Check your school's procedure and follow it to the letter. Other than that, I see no reason why she couldn't be able to have it if it helps her.

6 moms found this helpful

V.C.

answers from Dallas on

Most schools won't allow that. You would need to talk to the school nurse to have her administer it.
I had that horrible cramping also and missed a lot of school. I wish I had known more about nutrition then. Once I started a good nutrition/supplement program, I never had them again.

5 moms found this helpful
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A.L.

answers from Charleston on

No. Take the bottle to the school nurse, and sign the paperwork for her to be able to take it at school. In the schools here, if a child is caught with any medication on them, they can be suspended. I wouldn't want to risk that when she can easily go the nurse to take the medication. BTW - Aleve works way better for cramps than Tylenol!

4 moms found this helpful

S.L.

answers from New York on

Call the school nurse and talk to her. the best solution would be nurse keeps it in her office. If you have to drive to her school, give her a Tylenol or Advil and then leave her there. The nurse should also have a hot water bottle or heating pad she could lie down for 20 minutes then go back to class.

4 moms found this helpful
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T.S.

answers from Washington DC on

Find out exactly what and how she can carry medicine at school. TYPICALLY she would need a doctors note prescribing the medication (even over the counter) with correct dosing etc that says she NEEDS to have it on her and can use it "as needed."

Otherwise, she may be able to take it to the nurses office and have them dispense to her (instead of you coming to pick her up) when she needs it. <--- still may need a doctors note.

If she IS allowed to carry it herself, make sure she knows she's not allowed to share it, offer to friends etc. I know it's just Tylenol, but it could get her in a world of trouble.

HTH
T.

4 moms found this helpful

N.G.

answers from Dallas on

You can't send medication to school with your child. It's pretty much always against school policies. You will have to fill out paperwork to leave it with the school nurse, and the nurse can dispense it to your daughter when she needs it. The nurse also has pads available.

3 moms found this helpful
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B.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

She could get in a lot of trouble at school for carrying the pills. There are proper channels to follow so that she can have the medicine she needs, when she needs it.

Typically it is just a form that you get from the nurse. Have her doctor fill it out telling the nurse when and how much Tylenol she is to have.

That way she won't get in trouble and can get the relief she needs. I'm sure there are a lot of girls in her situation at school.

3 moms found this helpful
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C.N.

answers from Baton Rouge on

Some schools' zero tolerance policy for drugs includes OTC meds such as Tylenol or Midol.

3 moms found this helpful

J.H.

answers from San Antonio on

She can't carry Tylenol at school. We had one kid who got in school suspension for carrying Tylenol. (I talked to the mother at a PTA meeting and she said the principal apologized, but said her hands were tied. The district policy says she can't carry it at school.)

You can, however, go to the school nurse and sign a waiver that says that your child can take Tylenol if needed, and provide them with Tylenol. Then if she needs it, she can go to the nurse and take it.

3 moms found this helpful
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J.M.

answers from Chattanooga on

I would look into some more homeopathic remedies first... I know that there are many, many ways to help with menstrual issues other than medication. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! lol.

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/womensmenshealth/a/menstr...

This link has some good ideas to try out!!!

Other than that, I would call the school's nurse and ask her to administer Midol to your daughter as needed... Schools won't allow children to have even over the counter medications any more. You may need to get a doctor's note though...

3 moms found this helpful

V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

Get your school's handbook out and read it. I can almost guarantee that she is not allowed to have any medicine at school, as in, she cannot CARRY it. Then, take whatever you want her to have (tylenol, midol, whatever) to the nurse's office and ask them to administer it to her on an as needed basis. They will tell you what forms you have to sign (or get signed by your child's doctor, as the case may be).
Do NOT just assume that the school policies do not apply because it is "only" tylenol. They will apply. And they can get her in big trouble if she doesn't follow the rules.

3 moms found this helpful
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L.G.

answers from Phoenix on

If the school allows it, if not, bring a bottle to the nurse's office and have the school dispense it to her when ever she needs.

3 moms found this helpful
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M.B.

answers from Austin on

Most schools will NOT allow students to carry and self-administer their own medicines.... except in cases of asthma inhalers and emergency medicines, and then they have to have a doctor's note given to the nurse's office for that permission. Students can get in BIG trouble for carrying and taking any kind of medicine... even OTC stuff!

However, if you want to have a bottle of tylenol in the nurse's office for her, that is usually allowed... you have to sign papers allowing the nurse to administer the medicine.

There ARE dangers in OTC meds.... kids really don't understand the dangers of taking things like tylenol too often.

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L.C.

answers from Washington DC on

The school doesn't allow kids to carry tylenol or anything of the sort - they consider it drugs. Put a bottle of tylenol and a supply of pads in the nurse's office for her. Label it. You will have to bring the tylenol, because if she gets caught with it, it's immediate suspension for 3 days.
YMMV
LBC

3 moms found this helpful

J.S.

answers from Hartford on

No, you shouldn't. Get the paperwork from the school and bring it to your pediatrician. The pediatrician will fill it out with the proper dosage for acetaminophen or ibuprofen or both, fill in the proper times she's allowed to take it ie. headaches, cramps, migraines aka specific circumstances she would need the medication and then he would sign it. You give that to the school nurse with the medication and then your daughter goes to the nurse if she needs it.

There could be some serious problems if she's caught carrying medications, even something as seemingly harmless as Tylenol.

3 moms found this helpful

T.F.

answers from Dallas on

Nope... You can take your Midol, Tylenol or whatever you use to the nurse and the nurse will dispense the medicine to your daughter.

She does NOT need to have this on her at school.

I'm sorry about her cycle being hard. My daughter (now 17) had pretty bad cramping, etc each month and when she was regular, she would take a Midol before school and then take one at school via the nurse if needed. About once every 6 months or so, her cycle was so bad and I would have to pick her up or let her stay home the first day. We've since been able to get hers under control, thank goodness.

Check your school rules information but around here you can get in trouble with any type of pills on you. ALL meds stay in the nurse's office.

Also: It sounds like you are very frustrated. Believe me, the 13 yr old phase does not last forever. Have good communication set up between you and your daughter because you'lll need that when she gets older. My 17 yr old was never "bad" and managed through the hormone swings without ruining our relationship. Just remember... this phase will pass and you'll be sending her off to college before you know it. Time flies, appreciate each moment, even the not so good ones.

2 moms found this helpful

M.L.

answers from Houston on

Yes, that or Midol, which ever works better for her though. I don't know what the school rules are about carrying meds these days, you may have to have her meds be at the school nurse's office with a permission note so she has to see the nurse to take them. Other times when she is not in school, I would let her carry a small bottle in her purse.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.K.

answers from Columbus on

NO! She'll probably get in trouble! Check with her school on what the rules are! She'll probably have to take it in (in the original bottle) and leave it with the school nurse or secretary.

She'll have to get over the "embarrassment" of having to go ask for it. My daughter finally got over it when she finally realized the nurse (or secretary depending on what day it was) is a female and knows what it's like! And if the nurse happens to be a guy, just have her tell him she has a headache if she can't tell him she's on her period.

And as for when they hit the double digits - I HEAR YA!!! Oh my gosh!!!! There is no person, book or professional that can totally prepare you for when they hit the teen years - especially the girls!!!! My son has been sooooooooooooooo much easier than my daughter!!!!

Good luck!!!

2 moms found this helpful
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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

She needs to go to the nurse. If the nurse can provide tylenol with your permission, that's where she needs to get it. She can also lay down. Depending on the school, she can be in big trouble for having meds or giving them out. And sometimes she should just take the tylenol before she leaves for school that day and if that still doesn't work, then occasionally pick her up - everybody is different. I had a friend that would be in incredible pain, whereas I was mostly just annoyed.

2 moms found this helpful
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C.C.

answers from Denver on

check with the school first - they probably have a policy about medications that you will want to follow If not, I dont think it's a big deal to let her carry 2-3 in her bag. I wouldnt give her a whole bottle since it's dangerous to take too much and she might give it to her friends.

Maybe it would be easier for her to take it at home before she goes to school - one dose should last 6 hours.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.T.

answers from New York on

First of all, tylenol is not nearly as effective as mortrin (ibuprofen). In our school it's not allowed that kids carry any kind of medicine at all - it's kept at the nurses office. In fact in our school district in order for a child to have over-the-counter medicattion (& prescription of course) there must be a form completed by their doctor!

In our middle school once the nurse sees the child act responsibly she eases up on the kid and allows them to carry it on their person - but it must be in the original bottle with a label. So when my DD was that age I bought a small bottle of ibuprofen and put only 4 pills in it at a time. it was more thn enough to get her through the day.

In our HS the same restrictions apply but since the nurses office is about 1/4 away from most academic classes (where my daughter spent most of her day) I allowed her to carry the same bottle with 4 pills in it - but also made sure the nurse's office ahs the note in her file. I didn't wait until she observed my child's responsibility - it was too much drama in an already difficult time.

What we did, in general, is got a cute zipper bag (small pink alligator - make up bag style) that was her monthly emergency kit. It included pads, motrin, wipes and a spare pair of underwear. We also began to track her cycle so we knew when to expect it - and she would wear panty-liners. Now, all that being said there were still times when she was completely surprised!!! (As am I !) Also - BTW there are ipod / smart phone apps that can help track you cycle - once you've entered a number of months it will predict when your next cycle will start. My DD loves it!

1 mom found this helpful
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J.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

Sadly your daughter could get in trouble for carrying them. I really wish they would give an allowance of two advil or tylenol on your person for just this instance. There is no reason why you should have to tie up the nurse's time with this type of thing. Some of these rules are out of control. My son had a cough and was unable to take cough drops in school. I needed a doctor's note for that. REALLY? So instead he was probably a distraction and had to leave for water several times a class.

1 mom found this helpful
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N.H.

answers from Atlanta on

DO NOT LET HER CARRY TYLENOL TO SCHOOL!!!!!!!
This will be considered grounds for suspension or expulsion.

You should sign a form in the office and send a bottle to the school. They can administer to her as necessary.

We have gone through all this a couple of times.

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