5 year old very High Temp help pls

Hi, so you'll find that actually OP said it here 'he’s awake and responsive and I’m wondering whether I should take him to school tomorrow' posted at 5pm

Definitely not school. You need to keep a close eye on him for febrile convulsions if he gets very hot. Plus he will feel awful so will be better at home. I hope he feels better soon.

My understanding was that you shouldn't use both without being advised because it does a good job of masking serious conditions which doctors will rule out before saying it's ok to alternate doses.

I hope he feels better soon x

To test for dehydration pinch the skin on the back of your DC hand. If he/she is adequately hydrated the skin will go back to how it was. If they are dehydrated then the pinched skin will remain raised.

Hope he’s feeling any better!

I have a four year old. If her temperature is over 39, I always do the following:

• sleep in the same room so that I can monitor her better and in case she has a febrile seizure.
• check her regularly for non-fading rash (glass-test) or sensitivity to light which are signs of meningitis.
• check for difficulties with breathing at night: chest is pulled in with each breath, especially under the rib cage, grunting or wheezing noise, or blue lips.
• Check for mottled skin.

All above points need urgent medical attention.

Is he eating / drinking or going out the toilet ? Any signs of dehydration are concerning too

I never alternated because we never had calpol. We only ever used children’s nurofen, orange flavour. Both of ours quite liked it. As far as I. Know nurofen/ibuprofen gets high temperatures down more quickly.

Sorry to be picky but the child in question is 5, not under 5.

A fever can be good for the body to get rid of sn injection. Unless it was really high I used to only give medication if my child was in discomfort, grumpy, irritable with being ill.

There is some very “interesting” advice on here.

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng143/chapter/recommendations#antipyretic-interventions - look at section 1.6

NICE says very clearly

• do not give antipyretics with the sole intention of bringing down temperature - by all means give them if he feels poorly but not just for high temperature
• How to use both paracetamol/ibuprofen in children
• when to seek further advice

Well as I said the risk only arises if you get confused and overdose on one or other drug. Both drugs are available OTC from infancy and are safe in combination. The advice didn't change because they interact. So if you can take either in isolation safely you can also take both. Obviously ibuprofen is contraindicated for children with asthma and can cause stomach upsets.

It's easy to see that we should be cautious with sleep deprived parents of a 3m old with a temp - hence changing the advice to minimize risk of accidents. It's much less likely that a parent of a school age child will make this mistake or that a child weighing 15kg plus taking 7x 250mg paracetamol in 24hrs rather than 4x 250mg paracetamol in 24hrs could result in a toxic level of paracetamol. The average bottle size of calpol is only 100ml for a reason, because that way even a whole bottle is unlikely to cause toxicity in this age group. (Source: work in paeds mh including self harm in u15s which surprisingly frequently includes calpol overdose, fortunately these are rarely even close to dangerous)

That's what happens to me. When I get unwell it usually only lasts 24 hours or so but I am REALLY rough for those 24 hours with a temp of about 40-41 then I start sweating - temp drops and apart from being a bit tired I return to normal!

"IF your child is school age, you are careful to alternate the drugs (keep a record on your phone of times and drugs given for example) and especially if a Dr or nurse from 101 tells you to do it then it is perfectly safe. The two drugs work in different ways so taking both together won't cause an overdose but they will both help reduce inflammation."

To be fair, you don't know it is perfectly safe for this child, which is why the NHS advice page says to only alternate if a Doctor or Nurse tells them to. It isn't wise to give advice that ignoring NHS medical advice is ok.

@abonymousAnon first hope your DS is better soon.

I can see why you are confused.

It is technically safe to alternate ibuprofen and paracetamol and is what they will do if you take him in to hospital. When mine were small it was also listed as advice on the NHS website.

It is not now because there is a risk v tired parents will get the doses confused and accidentally give an overdose by confusing which to give next and giving a series of doses of just one drug so the child ends up having 7 x paracetamol in one day for example. This is particularly dangerous with paracetamol and with very small children.

IF your child is school age, you are careful to alternate the drugs (keep a record on your phone of times and drugs given for example) and especially if a Dr or nurse from 101 tells you to do it then it is perfectly safe. The two drugs work in different ways so taking both together won't cause an overdose but they will both help reduce inflammation.

That said, basic advice is sound. The number on the thermometer is not the worrying thing. Especially in children it can go v high but they can be fine. But if he's not ok in himself or seems floppy or lethargic and the temp isn't coming down definitely call 111 again.

Hope he's ok soon.

@LostittoBostik in the reply she's 'wondering whether to take him to school'

At no point does OP say she's going to send the DC in.

In fact the opposite: they make it quite clear they're worried about their job as they'll need more time off.

Do not send him to school, spread this bug and inflict this on other families!

I know you feel guilty but you need to call up work and take sick/ parental leave

Oh! I just saw you asked why

Nhs says not to give ibrofen and paracetamol: should I still follow advice on here and give?

No, because it tells you not to unless instructed by a health professional.

Just follow the actual advice on both the website and that you were given by 111

I’m not sure where you are located, but there is a bug going around my area that sounds similar. Two of my children have had high temperature (39-40) for 3/4 days, headache, feeling nauseous, diarrhea, sore throat and a bit of coughing. Thankfully it’s passing now and temps are back to normal today.

If they are dozy/lethargic then call 111 again, plus look out for all the usual worrying signs eg rash, dislike of bright light etc. If in doubt always call 111.

feel guilty phoning up sick again tomorrow but I can’t go back till he’s better.

if you’re not ill yourself, you shouldn’t be phoning in sick.

@Cerealkiller4U

Because it can cause them to shiver which makes the temp higher.

Yes I know, I was rather asking OP why she ignored the big ❌ against it on the NHS website.

You can definitely give Calpol and Nurofen together (other brands are available - Calpol is paracetamol and Nurofen is Ibuprofen) makes sure you space out correctly (Calpol is every 6 hours and Nurofen every 8 hours).

I find writing down the times I give first dose then allow me to work out when next dose is allowed and if they need it I give it, if not I shift the time a little.

As worrying as it is, a fever is the bodies natural response to illness / infection.