A mum and dad watched helplessly as their son suffered kidney failure after taking Nurofen for Children.

Josh Carroll, 12, complained of a sore throat and had a temperature so mum Louize gave him the liquid Ibuprofen-based medicine, for children aged three months to 12 years, at the beginning of December.

Josh recovered and the family thought no more of it until he began getting severe stomach pains and being sick shortly before Christmas.

For weeks doctors had no idea what was wrong with the Norton Knatchbull School pupil and diagnosed stress and stomach issues before a blood test on New Year’s Eve suggested kidney problems and he was taken to William Harvey Hospital where he stayed for three days.

On January 6, Josh was sent to Evelina London Children’s Hospital where a biopsy showed he had tubulointerstitial nephritis, an inflammation of the kidney that can cause the organ to fail.

Doctors told Mr and Mrs Carroll Josh’s condition was a side effect of taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which include ibuprofen, and stressed their son had not had an allergic reaction to the medicine.

Mrs Carroll, 39, an HR manager of Lakemead, Singleton, said: “It was horrible watching him go through it.

“I felt guilty because I’d given him the Nurofen, but I just gave him a normal dose for three days.

“I was surprised when we were told the Nurofen had caused Josh’s problems, but a nurse said they see a lot of similar cases.”

“It was horrible watching him go through it. I felt guilty because I’d given him the Nurofen..." - Louize Carroll

Josh is taking steroids to “kick-start” his kidneys and is on a low-potassium diet.

He is not allowed to play his favourite sport, rugby, or do his taekwondo lessons.

Nurofen's parent company Reckitt Benckiser said reports of acute renal failure as a result of taking ibuprofen were "very rare".

A spokesman said: "We take the health of our customers very seriously and we are very sorry to hear about Josh Carroll’s condition, we wish him a swift and full recovery.

"We have informed our consumer safety team who will be in touch with the family to find out more about the case and investigate further."

But the family is calling on the company to place a prominent warning on packaging about the possibility of kidney problems rather than listing it as a “very rare” side effect in the leaflet.

Louize Carroll set up the Facebook group “THINK TWICE before you give Nurofen to children” to share information with other parents.

In 2012 a boy from Cambridgeshire ended up on a life-support machine when he contracted autoimmune disease Stevens-Johnson Syndrome after taking a single dose of Nurofen for Children.

Calvin Lock, now 13, lost 65% of his skin when his body burst into blisters. His nails and hair fell out and he is slowly going blind.