Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to not give medicine to my ill child?

55 replies

fruitstick · 16/12/2012 11:28

Bear with me on this.

DS1 (7) has this nasty virus going round. High temperature & headache. I really want him to be well enough for his nativity this week.

What he really needs to do is rest & sleep but the merest whiff of Calpol makes him leap of furniture and demand to go out on his scooter.

If I don't give him any he can lie on sofa & feel awful but at least he'll be resting and recovering.

Good idea or cruel mother?

OP posts:
GoldenFrankincenseAndMyrrh · 16/12/2012 16:42

YANBU at all. Fever occurs for a reason - the higher temperature is hostile to the virus, the body's enzymatic reactions occur more rapidly with a raised temperature and the immune system works harder. Also, feeling ill means the child rests, ensuring energy is directed towards fighting the infection.

Unless he's in pain or his temperature is going too high, it's wiser not to medicate him. Plenty of fluids and rest. Would he drink a herbal tea?

Hope he feels better soon.

flyingspaghettimonster · 16/12/2012 16:56

Tricky. On the one hand fever is good for the healing process - the raised temp makes it harsh for the nasties to keep multiplying, but the white blood cells are effective with higher temps. So if you can keep monitoring it and not let him get above about 102 then I would say don't medicate if he feels okay just lethargic.

If his pain increases though definitely Medicate. A nativity is nothing compared to his health. Don't rush his recovery.

Also watch out for raised heart rate. My son was in hospital the last few weeks with a nasty pneumonia and he kept getting febrile tachycardia. We had to have lots of fever reduction meds to stop that.

MulleredWhines · 16/12/2012 17:00

I don't understand your logic 'AT ALL'

You could give your child something which would help his headache and stop him from feeling ill and grotty and you choose NOT to ?

You asked the question so I'll put my neck on the line and say yeah - cruel.

JustFabulous · 16/12/2012 17:01

I think you need to get a high temperature down, as they can lead to febrile convulsions which are dangerous, which ever way you think is best for yor child.

MissCellania · 16/12/2012 17:18

7 year olds don't get febrile convulsions. Be definition they only occur in the under 5's.

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 16/12/2012 17:34

If he was just hot but otherwise ok then fair enough, but a headache is really nasty and to let him suffer just for the sake of a nativity is cruel and idiotic IMO.

And don't hold out for the nativity, my (very healthy and robust) DS1 was ill for 10 days with this thing and is only just better.

Original poster
fruitstick · 16/12/2012 18:10

Obviously I wouldn't keep him in pain for the sake of it.

As I said, if he has medicine he doesn't, I believe, get enough rest to allow his body to fight the illness.

I do the same thing myself - in that I'd rather take myself to bed for a day or 2 than dose myself with nurofen for a week and soldier on. I don't get that luxury these days sadly Hmm

The nativity is a side issue, I just want him to get better quickly for his own sake.

OP posts:
JustFabulous · 16/12/2012 18:11

When I posed MissC I hadn't recalled the child's age.

BartletForTeamGB · 16/12/2012 18:15

"I think you need to get a high temperature down, as they can lead to febrile convulsions which are dangerous, which ever way you think is best for yor child."

There is NO evidence that giving Calpol prevents febrile convulsions. The problem is the high temperature in the first place.

Also, febrile convulsions are, while being very distressing for the parents, are not dangerous. Of course, the infection that has caused the febrile convulsion can be, but the convulsion in the vast, vast, vast majority of cases is not.

www.patient.co.uk/health/Febrile-Seizure-(Febrile-Convulsion).htm#

ChestyNutsRoastingOnAnOpenFire · 16/12/2012 18:15

If my child had pain then yes of course I'd medicate him, as I would myself.
Why would you not give something to make him feel better?

As others have said try ibuprofen or a less coloured version of paracetamol.

BartletForTeamGB · 16/12/2012 18:16

"7 year olds don't get febrile convulsions. Be definition they only occur in the under 5's."

These can happen in any age of children.

"They most commonly occur between the ages of 18 months and three years. They are rare in children aged under six months and over the age of six years."

BartletForTeamGB · 16/12/2012 18:17

Anyway, I tend to try to avoid paracetamol during the day if DS has a cold or fever, assuming he is not in pain, as I can distract him, although I'll give him some at bedtime to try to make sure he had a decent sleep.

PacificDogwood · 16/12/2012 18:19

How high a high temperature does he have?

A fever in its own right is not dangerous, unless v high (close to 42C), and helps activate his immune system.
A fast rise in a temperature can trigger febrile convulsions, but at 7 he is a bit old for that.

YANBU.
Encourage plenty to drink.
I would give something before bedtime so he can get a restful night's sleep.

Hope he'll be better in time for Santa which really is almost all that matters this time of year Wink

PacificDogwood · 16/12/2012 18:21

Ah well, x-posted with lots of folks Smile

saintlyjimjams · 16/12/2012 18:22

I don't give calpol unless the temp goes above 39. Actually I don't give it to ds3 at all because as soon as it hits his stomach he retches and brings the whole lot back up (he is a pita medicine wise)

saintlyjimjams · 16/12/2012 18:25

Actually I think forcing calpol down ds3 gave him a convulsion. His temp was over 40 but he was doing his usual refusing anything - he screamed so loudly and kicked off so much his temp shot up further and he had a convulsion.

He won't take anything.

allthatglittersisnotgold · 16/12/2012 18:26

I am appalled by the number of people saying no to medication. As someone who has been sat at home with ferile convulsions from flu. Painkillers have been keeping me sane. If he has a fever you can be rest assured he is distressed and uncomfortable. Sort it. Non of this oh only if temperature gets to blah blah blah nonsense. We've been gifted with fantastic medicine use it. Put your poor child out of their misery abd by the way yabu for wanting him to be better gor the nativity. Let the poor mite recover at his own pace. Don't force him to go because he's not well enough. Or seems well enough because he was "dosed" up.

The anti-painkillers, anti anti-biotics brigade is getting seriously concerning.

BartletForTeamGB · 16/12/2012 18:32

Or it can prolong an illness making them feel ill for longer, allthatglitters.

www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8351085/Parents-warned-against-giving-paracetamol-and-ibuprofen-for-mild-fever.html

We have got lots of great medicines, but we have to careful about how we use them rather than indiscriminately.

GoldenFrankincenseAndMyrrh · 16/12/2012 18:34

"Let the poor mite recover at his own pace."

What, you mean the pace determined by his own body and immune system, not being suppressed and interfered with by physiologically active substances unless he needs it?

"The anti-painkillers, anti anti-biotics brigade is getting seriously concerning."

Yes, because that 'taking antibiotics for everything even viruses' thing has really worked well for humankind, hasn't it... with all the antibiotic resistant bacteria we have now. Hmm

If he's in proper pain, take it away with a drug. If he's running a properly high and potentially damaging fever, bring it down with a drug. If he's poorly and a bit uncomfortable but that makes him rest and sleep, let his body do what it's designed to do.

MissCellania · 16/12/2012 18:34

Whatever site you copied from on febrile convulsions is wrong. My son had severe febrile convulsions and is now being investigated for an epileptic disorder. According to his consultant (an expert on these) once they are past 5, they aren't called febrile convulsions anymore, since fc are caused by an immature system not be able to handle temp spikes, not merely high temps. An older child or adult with a seizure during a fever has an underlying neurological problem that causes it.

saintlyjimjams · 16/12/2012 18:35

Well when ds3 had his febrile convulsion (ear infection) the hospital wouldn't give antibiotics. Antibiotics were the greatest medical discovery ever (IMO) Now getting more and more useless - completely predictable (it was predicted) and due to over use.

Pain killers slightly different, but youbdon't need to bring down a relatively low temp - it's the body's natural defence system. If they're not too unhappy I leave them tonic., I quite happily use pain killers for pain or for dangerous temps (well not in ds3's case as he has some sort of phobia and just brings it all back up immediately so I have given up) but not for sniffles or as soon as a temperature creeps above 38

GoldenFrankincenseAndMyrrh · 16/12/2012 18:35

What Bartlet said, in all her posts, makes absolute sense and is also evidence based.

saintlyjimjams · 16/12/2012 18:38

Misscellania - that sounds familiar. My friend's son had a convulsion as a toddler and they said it was febrile although she pointed out there was no temperature. It was only after the second one (again with no temp) that they renamed it epilepsy.

saintlyjimjams · 16/12/2012 18:40

For those interested in antibiotic misuse google Andrew read tedmed on YouTube

Fab talk on evolution proofing medicines.,

Sirzy · 16/12/2012 18:40

rest assured he is distressed and uncomfortable

Someone better tell that to DS who before now has been happily playing in A and E with a temperature of 41.5 which he had due to pneumonia. Children seem to have a stange way of not being bothered by things which would floor us (which presents its own issues in trying to keep them calm and still!)