Dawaa Reference

acute

Concussion

Treatment options, dosing, cautions and Egyptian brands from the shipped Dawaa Reference card.

Evidence status

Checked against the sources named below

Sources1 source

MSF Essential Drugs 2024 - paracetamol (oral)

Verified against2 documents
  • MSF Essential Drugs 2024 - paracetamol (oral)
  • Concussion - disease-level clinical article (concussion-clinical.txt)

Verified date2026-08

Presentation reference

Is it this?

Reference only, to read alongside your own examination.

Symptoms — what the patient reports (6)

  • Cognitive symptoms include confusion, disorientation, amnesia, mental fogginess, and trouble concentrating [confusion · memory loss · poor concentration]
  • Physical symptoms include headache, dizziness, balance problems, and visual changes [dizziness · headache · unsteadiness]
  • Sleep-related complaints include drowsiness and either more or less sleep than usual, or trouble falling asleep [drowsiness]
  • Over 90% of patients diagnosed with concussion never lose consciousness, though a loss of consciousness signals a potentially more serious injury [loss of consciousness]
  • Symptoms do not always start right after the injury and can appear hours to days later
  • A history of more numerous, severe, or longer-lasting prior concussions predicts a longer recovery from this one

Signs — what you find (3)

  • Exam should closely check the head and neck for any structural injury
  • A full neurologic exam covers strength, sensation, reflexes, eye movements including saccades and nystagmus, and balance testing [nystagmus]
  • Cognitive testing should formally assess orientation and higher-level thinking

Tests (6)

  • Concussion remains a clinical diagnosis; there is no single defining finding or minimum symptom count required
  • The SCAT6 tool helps assess athletes on the sideline after a possible head injury, with a child version for ages 5 to 12
  • Severe headache, seizures, focal deficits, loss of consciousness, or worsening mental status should prompt an emergency evaluation for a more serious injury
  • A normal head CT scan does not rule out a concussion
  • PECARN criteria and the Canadian Head CT Rule are decision tools used to decide whether imaging is needed
  • MRI can be considered when concussion symptoms persist beyond 7 days

If not this — what else fits (2)

  • Right after the injury, more severe alternatives such as a cervical spine injury, brain bleed, or skull fracture must be considered
  • Persisting symptoms can overlap with pre-existing headache disorders, anxiety, depression, PTSD, ADHD, or sleep problems, complicating the diagnosis

Scores

  • Glasgow Coma Scale — How depressed is this level of consciousness?

SourceStatPearls "Concussion" - disease-level clinical article

Presentation findings are traced to the source above.

1

PARACETAMOL

1st line

Strength500 mg

Formoral.solid

Adult dose and duration

1 g three or four times daily, maximum 4 g in 24 hours - As needed for pain or fever

Paediatric dose

15 mg/kg/dose [child max 500 mg]

(Child 1 month and over: 15 mg/kg per dose, 3 or 4 times daily, maximum 60 mg/kg daily. Child under 1 month: 10 mg/kg per dose, 3 or 4 times daily, maximum 40 mg/kg daily. MSF's own weight table gives one 500 mg tablet three times daily from 30 kg to under 50 kg, so 500 mg is the per-dose ceiling; the 60 mg/kg daily total still applies.)

Dose by weight
3kg45 mg/dose
4kg60 mg/dose
5kg75 mg/dose
6kg90 mg/dose
7kg105 mg/dose
8kg120 mg/dose
9kg135 mg/dose
10kg150 mg/dose
11kg165 mg/dose
12kg180 mg/dose
13kg195 mg/dose
14kg210 mg/dose
15kg225 mg/dose
16kg240 mg/dose
17kg255 mg/dose
18kg270 mg/dose
19kg285 mg/dose
20kg300 mg/dose
21kg315 mg/dose
22kg330 mg/dose
23kg345 mg/dose
24kg360 mg/dose
25kg375 mg/dose
26kg390 mg/dose
27kg405 mg/dose
28kg420 mg/dose
29kg435 mg/dose
30kg450 mg/dose
31kg465 mg/dose
32kg480 mg/dose
33kg495 mg/dose
34kg500 mg/dose (capped)
35kg500 mg/dose (capped)
36kg500 mg/dose (capped)
37kg500 mg/dose (capped)
38kg500 mg/dose (capped)
39kg500 mg/dose (capped)
40kg500 mg/dose (capped)
41kg500 mg/dose (capped)
42kg500 mg/dose (capped)
43kg500 mg/dose (capped)
44kg500 mg/dose (capped)
45kg500 mg/dose (capped)
46kg500 mg/dose (capped)
47kg500 mg/dose (capped)
48kg500 mg/dose (capped)
49kg500 mg/dose (capped)
50kg500 mg/dose (capped)
Dose source

MSF Essential Drugs 2024 - paracetamol (oral)

Why

Symptomatic relief of the pain and fever only. It does not treat the cause, and the dose is the same whatever the cause is.

Cautions
  • Relief only - it does not treat what is causing the pain or fever.
  • Check every other product the patient is taking for paracetamol; combination cold and flu preparations are the usual route to an accidental overdose.
  • Reduce the dose in significant liver disease, chronic alcohol use, or low body weight.
  • RED FLAG - Worsening headache or repeated vomiting, increasing drowsiness or difficulty rousing the patient, a seizure after the injury, unequal pupils or new focal weakness, or clear fluid leaking from the nose or ear (possible skull fracture): refer for emergency assessment.
Egyptian brands
Egyptian brandManufacturerIndicative price
FEBRIMOL 500 MG 20 TAB.PHARCO3.50 EGP (0.17/unit)
CETAMOL 500 MG 20 TABS.MEMPHIS8.00 EGP (0.40/unit)
PARACETAMOL-MUP 500MG B.P. 20 TABS.MUP13.00 EGP (0.65/unit)
CETAL 500 MG 20 TABS.EIPICO24.00 EGP (1.20/unit)
ARKADOLOW 500 MG 30 F.C. TABS.UTOPIA42.00 EGP (1.40/unit)
PARAMOL 500MG 20 TAB.MISR38.00 EGP (1.90/unit)
ADOL 500MG 24 CAPLETSJULPHAR32.00 EGP
AUGICETAMIDE 500 MG 20 SACHETSAUG PHARMA50.00 EGP
FEBRIMOL ORAL DROPS 20 ML? strength differs? different route - not oral solidPHARCO4.00 EGP
THERA-LO 3.2G/100ML ORAL SUSP. 100 ML? strength differs? different route - not oral solidPHAROPHARMA5.00 EGP
2

REFERRAL & SAFETY-NETTING (NO DRUG THERAPY)

1st line
Dose source

Concussion - disease-level clinical article (concussion-clinical.txt)

Why

Carries the referral criteria and warning signs for this condition, which apply whichever treatment is chosen.

Cautions
  • RED FLAG - Send to the emergency department, as a severe head injury: a seizure, headache that is severe, any focal neurological deficit, consciousness lost, mental state declining, or symptoms that keep getting worse.

Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy.