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.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

If you’d mentioned the sensory issues you may have been given some more useful advice from the beginning

I didn't think to include that info as I was asking if it was dangerous to not give meds for a fever. Not advice on how to force Calpol into my daughter.

Absolutely feel your pain. DS used to be a refuser of all medication. Fastmelts were a godsend. He had to go to hospital age 8 and they talked him into taking a paracetamol tablet as he refused calpol.

In the past he had to be pinned down and given antibiotics by nurses in hospital, it still ended up up the wall!

I can reason with him now he is older, and it means I can actually tell when he is really feeling poorly as he still hates taking fastmelts unless he has to.

I hope it gets easier for you.

I have a 5yo and I think a 5yo is well old enough to take a spoon of medicine. I'm surprised you are even using a syringe. Maybe that squirting of liquid is distressing for her. Other than that, she just needs to take it. Bribe her?

Until you see your child having a seizure with their eyes rolling back into their head then you'll think differently. It's really scary and their really high temps. My son suffers with febrile convulsions and its not nice to see

@Restart10

I have a 5yo and I think a 5yo is well old enough to take a spoon of medicine. I'm surprised you are even using a syringe. Maybe that squirting of liquid is distressing for her. Other than that, she just needs to take it. Bribe her?

Have you actually read any of my replies to other people?

Your reply doesn't actually answer my original question anyway, I didn't ask if people think my 5yo should "just take" Calpol

I've been on the child end of the being pinned down for this and it's left significant marks. Perhaps it was how it was done - pretty violently.

As a parent though I get the need to get something in them sometimes.

How does she manage with those vile antibiotics?

Have you tried anal suppositories? I know a parent who says it's the only way her son would take medicine. And they ended up doing this in hospital for him. His heart rate went through the roof along with being sick apperently when they did try a syringe.

DD was similar, we found Calpol melts were a solution, as it meant she could take back some control and was happy to do it herself.

The melts are dosed for over 6, but I don’t know if it would be possible to halve them. Your pharmacist would be able to advise.

Well yes it is the bodies way of fighting it off, but what the immune system forgets is that, ya know, a high temp can fucken kill us.

Oh, and if they’re vomiting due to fever - you need medical attention as the fever has to be bought under control at that point.

I used to HATE the taste of cherry Calpol, it made me sick. Can you try another flavour she might tolerate better?

@Notmenotme

Notmenotme

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

There is NO evidence that giving anti pyretics prevents a seizure.

@coffeepleeease

I will just say to all those saying "find a way", "be firm", etc, I am! She has had to be pinned down by 3 or 4 nurses for various hospital procedures- catheters, having blood taken, etc, and had to be sedated for a heart scan because she got herself that distressed she vomited everywhere and couldn't be pinned down. So if she doesn't want to be pinned down for Calpol, when there's only me to do it by myself, it's not happening!

It is clear from this that she has been through a lot more than many adults as a young child and this will no doubt contribute towards her resistance towards medication.

As you are a parent of a child who has/had many other health interventions, I would say you know your child best and there is not much to be gained by posting on here. Many advising you will be doing so with best of intentions but not have the faintest idea what it is like to have a child experience so much when so young so the comments to just 'hold them down, hold their nose and force it in' are the exact opposite of anything you would ever do to her for analgesia

There is a risk with fevers in children of febrile convulsions (seizures). My eldest suffered these if he reached 40.5 temp wise. If they go on for 15 minutes there is a risk of brain damage so yes if you can bring the fever down you should. That being said my youngrst is now 11. His autistic and would not take any meds since he was 2. We have to ride it out with the fever strips on his head and cool flannels.