To not give Calpol/Nurofen for a fever in a 5yo?

[coffeepleeease]

5yo DD gets a high temp with every virus/illness, but will not take Calpol/Nurofen. Can't pin her down to get it in, nor a suppository. Offe it in squash but she only has a few sips. When her temp is high she vomits. I try to keep her as cool as possible and let her body do its job, but is there any danger in not bringing a fever down with meds? Her temps often hit 39.5, can reach 40, then gradually come down and sit at 38-38.5 until the fever goes.

IMO no, a high temp isn’t an indicator of how sick someone is. The high temp makes you feel lousy so we treat that.

If my kids feel fine I won’t treat a high temp as it’s the bodies way of fighting off a virus.

Only time I would be worried is if they are babies / have had fits before as temps can set these off.

Sorry but you have to be tough sometimes. Hold her nose, pump it into her mouth and then put your hand over her mouth if you have to. Those are seriously high temps you need to get it under control. She is 5 so can understand and talk properly etc so you should be able to explain why she needs it etc as an alternative. Or use bribery.

If my kids feel fine I won’t treat a high temp as it’s the bodies way of fighting off a virus.

A 5 year old is old enough to ask for medicine if they want it (my 5 year old asked when he was last sick). If they don't ask for medicine I don't give it as natural immune response is far far superior to medicines suppressing any bug.

Wow surprised at these responses. Temps of upper 39s or 40+ leave the child at high risk of fitting and potential brain damage. Using paracetamol etc to reduce the temp doesn't hinder the body's ability to fight a virus. Every time I've called the doc/111 etc with my daughter having temps as high as that they've taken it really seriously and investigated thoroughly.

Is there any treat she really likes? Chocolate buttons, ice cream, whatever? Can you explain about taste buds and how if you don't get it on your tongue you won't taste it, then demonstrate with a syringe of normal squash you shoot directly down her throat. Then explain if she lets you do that with medicine, she can wash it down with a sip of drink and then have whatever her number one treat is.

@EasyLikeSundays

Sorry but you have to be tough sometimes. Hold her nose, pump it into her mouth and then put your hand over her mouth if you have to. Those are seriously high temps you need to get it under control. She is 5 so can understand and talk properly etc so you should be able to explain why she needs it etc as an alternative. Or use bribery.

I am tough believe me. She just flails around so much the syringe goes flying, or if by some miracle I do get it in she's sick. She's had to be pinned down by 4 nurses to have a cannula put in before, don't know where she gets her strength from!

@givemushypeasachance

Is there any treat she really likes? Chocolate buttons, ice cream, whatever? Can you explain about taste buds and how if you don't get it on your tongue you won't taste it, then demonstrate with a syringe of normal squash you shoot directly down her throat. Then explain if she lets you do that with medicine, she can wash it down with a sip of drink and then have whatever her number one treat is.

Bribery just doesn't work with her, plus she doesn't eat when she's been vomiting from a fever so dies t want her usual treats.

These are the NICE guidelines for treatment of fever in children :www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng143

It is wrong to state that a high fever is always dangerous - the evidence shows that the height of a fever does NOT correlate to the severity of illness. Often viral throat infections and ear infections lead to very high fevers, but these are self limiting illnesses that need minimal treatment.

In terms of febrile convulsions, these present in a small percentage of children, usually at the start of an illness and are not prevented by using antipyretics (Ibuprofen/paracetamol)

Using antipyretics can be necessary in children with cardiac/renal disease or if a child is in pain. Their pain relief effect is also useful to help encouraging drinking or to promote comfort.

@EasyLikeSundays

Sorry but you have to be tough sometimes. Hold her nose, pump it into her mouth and then put your hand over her mouth if you have to. Those are seriously high temps you need to get it under control. She is 5 so can understand and talk properly etc so you should be able to explain why she needs it etc as an alternative. Or use bribery.

Jeez that is completely unnecessary and cruel! Maybe necessary for lifesaving treatment in hospital, but if that was the case you'd just pin them down until they were sedated.

Fever is not dangerous in itself. It is the body's natural immune response and bringing the fever down artificially makes your body less efficient at fighting off the bug. It's like cutting yourself, letting a scab form and then repeatedly peeling it off over and over again.

The danger with fever comes from spikes: fever going high, coming down, going high again. A febrile convulsion is more likely if you're medicating.

My daughter won't take any medication and I'm not about to traumatise her - while ill! - to make her take it. You do realise that, if you force it down their throat and put your hand over their mouth, they will vomit it back up and potentially choke?

Such differing opinions. I've done the nose hold to get antibiotics into my DD once. Zero guilt because otherwise she would have got seriously ill and admitted to hospital so it Was the lesser of 2 evils. If OP feels strongly enough she could do this with calpol etc but it's up to her how far she wants to go and how important it is. In all honesty I've never met a child who dislikes calpol it tastes lovely but OP if she really hates it that much and will actually vomit it up etc its probably not worth it and just let the fever run its course like others have said. Not something I'd be comfortable with but then my DD loves calpol so it's not usually a problem.

The bit that would be bothering me is the vomiting when her temp is very high.

Is she otherwise lucid, alert, able to stay awake when like this?

As long as there is an obvious reason for the temperature and she isn't otherwise unwell or in pain, I wouldn't be too worried about a high temp. This website states that brain damage is only really a risk with very high temps (>42), such as when a child is left in a hot car.

@BlibBlabBlob
I think it’s unnecessarily cruel to let a child’s temp get so high they could have a seizure…!

Yes to Nanny R's point that it external heat that is more dangerous, which can lead to Heat Stroke (because it is outside the bodies control and can surpass the cooling mechanisms) - this is a totally different mechanism to a fever that is controlled by the hypothalamus and is an immune response.

Notmenotme
Not all children feel unwell at the same point. DS doesnt start feeling really poorly til he hits 39, DD can be miserable at 38.

I think febrile seizures in children are quite rare aren't they?

@DeepaBeesKit

The bit that would be bothering me is the vomiting when her temp is very high.

Is she otherwise lucid, alert, able to stay awake when like this?

Yes she's alert, just seems to be her body's reaction to a fever. She's done it since she was a baby!

It's bitter outside but opening a window is the best way to get it down.
Have you tried Calpol in yoghurt?

@EasyLikeSundays

Such differing opinions. I've done the nose hold to get antibiotics into my DD once. Zero guilt because otherwise she would have got seriously ill and admitted to hospital so it Was the lesser of 2 evils. If OP feels strongly enough she could do this with calpol etc but it's up to her how far she wants to go and how important it is. In all honesty I've never met a child who dislikes calpol it tastes lovely but OP if she really hates it that much and will actually vomit it up etc its probably not worth it and just let the fever run its course like others have said. Not something I'd be comfortable with but then my DD loves calpol so it's not usually a problem.

That's my thought, if I do on the rare occasion manage to get it into her she vomits anyway. She's had lots of hospital stays and procedures and I'm tough when I have to be!

@OinkPinkPonk

It's bitter outside but opening a window is the best way to get it down. Have you tried Calpol in yoghurt?

I've tried it in everything I can think of. She's always off her food when she has a fever so isn't interested unfortunately

@willingtolearn

These are the NICE guidelines for treatment of fever in children :www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng143

It is wrong to state that a high fever is always dangerous - the evidence shows that the height of a fever does NOT correlate to the severity of illness. Often viral throat infections and ear infections lead to very high fevers, but these are self limiting illnesses that need minimal treatment.

In terms of febrile convulsions, these present in a small percentage of children, usually at the start of an illness and are not prevented by using antipyretics (Ibuprofen/paracetamol)

Using antipyretics can be necessary in children with cardiac/renal disease or if a child is in pain. Their pain relief effect is also useful to help encouraging drinking or to promote comfort.

That link was really helpful, thank you

It is horrible having this sort of struggle with a distressed child.I wouldn't necessarily give calpol/ nurofen for a fever but I would start to prepare your child for if she ever does need to take medicine. In a year or two ( possibly now) she wil be able to take tablets which might make her feel more in control. Minor illnesses , even if painful, such as tonsillitis, middle ear infection, bronchitis etc don't need antibiotics so with luck she will get away without this trauma until she is older. Giving a child medication can feel like an assault but there are times when it just has to happen and as a parent in that situation you just have to get on with it.

@EasyLikeSundays

Wow surprised at these responses. Temps of upper 39s or 40+ leave the child at high risk of fitting and potential brain damage. Using paracetamol etc to reduce the temp doesn't hinder the body's ability to fight a virus. Every time I've called the doc/111 etc with my daughter having temps as high as that they've taken it really seriously and investigated thoroughly.

Yes this. High temps are seriously dangerous, and you don't always know when you need treating. Even as an adult my husband has had to wrestle bedding off me because I have a high temp but feel cold and wrap myself up. A 5yo is not able to identify and understand the risks of a high temp. If I can get liquid codeine down my rottweillers throat you get it down your 5yo.

I don’t treat high temperatures if my child is otherwise well. I treat the symptoms, not the fever.

If my child has a temp of 38.5 but is playing happily with toys, eating and drinking and generally being his usual mischievous self I just leave him.

Whereas if he had a temp of 38.2 and was lethargic, tired, disinterested in doing anything, just seeming generally unwell then I would give paracetamol/ibuprofen.

Calpol meltlets can be useful “you don’t have to swallow it but show me how strong your teeth are by biting it” and then it’s almost gone.

A 5yr old is not a toddler, surely she should understand it will make her feel better- it’s one spoon of sugar and that’s it.