Dosing with both allows you to give a medication every three hours instead of four for Tylenol [acetaminophen] and six for ibuprofen. Whichever medication you choose, both treatments are intended for short-term relief of symptoms. Rivera says. Keep the childproof caps on bottles, and read labels of combination products such as allergy, cough, or cold formulations to prevent overdosing ingredients.
If your child accidentally takes a medication or you overdose your child, call Poison Control immediately at before doing anything else unless emergency care is needed. Skip to main content Search for a topic or drug.
By Janice Rodden Jul. Top Reads in Drug Info. Can you mix Trintellix and alcohol? Does hydroxyzine for anxiety work? Do coffee and Zoloft mix? Treating heartburn during pregnancy Oct. Looking for a prescription? Search now! Type your drug name.
But both ibuprofen and acetaminophen had the same safety profiles for these children. But one review of the pediatric literature cautioned that the adverse events reported for ibuprofen were more likely to occur when it was used for fever or flu-like symptoms.
As such, it concluded that ibuprofen might not be the first choice for fever, but it should remain the first choice for treating inflammatory pain in children. Acetaminophen does have the benefit that it comes in a suppository form Feverall , so you may be able to use it if your child is vomiting or is refusing to take any medications by mouth. Acetaminophen can be used in younger children, while ibuprofen is usually limited to children over 6 months of age.
Motrin does last longer, though—6 to 8 hours, versus 4 to 6 hours for Tylenol. Another common question is whether it is safe to alternate acetaminophen and ibuprofen. In general, it is best to avoid this practice, because the risk of overdose is too great.
If your child has a fever but is well enough to be at home not in the hospital , they should not need two separate fever reducers. There is also no research to prove that alternating both medicines helps or is safe.
If you are alternating two medicines, it is easy to get confused and give an extra dose of one or the other. And in some children, especially if they are dehydrated or have other medical problems, giving both medications can cause serious side effects, especially affecting the kidneys.
The American Academy of Pediatrics neither supports nor discourages alternating acetaminophen and ibuprofen every 3 to 4 hours, although they do think that it helps promote fever phobia. They state that parents should be careful about proper dosing intervals so as to not overdose on either fever reducer. Motrin ibuprofen and Tylenol acetaminophen should never be given to a child younger than 2 years old without a doctor's approval. If your child has a fever but no distress, no medication is needed.
If your child has any underlying health conditions, discuss the appropriate use of these medications with your pediatrician to get a recommendation. For a normally healthy child, as long as you are following the age restrictions and dosage recommendations, you could choose either medication. If one worked better in the past without side effects, it might be the best one for your child. Remember that for both acetaminophen and ibuprofen, dosing is based on your child's weight.
Keep the child's weight from their most recent pediatrician appointment handy in order to give the appropriate dose. If you do decide to give a medication, give the full dose, at the appropriate interval. Get expert tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. Contemp Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics. KidsDoc symptom checker: Teething. Pierce CA, Voss B.
Ages and Stages. Healthy Living. Safety and Prevention. Family Life. Health Issues. Tips and Tools. Our Mission. Find a Pediatrician. Text Size. Medications Used to Treat Fever. Page Content. Watch her behavior. If she is drinking, eating, sleeping normally, and is able to play, you should wait to see if the fever improves by itself and do not need to treat the fever. What you can do Keep her room comfortably cool. Make sure that she is dressed in light clothing.
Encourage her to drink fluids such as water, diluted juices, or a store-bought electrolyte solution.
0コメント