*Latest research Ibuprofen better than calpol for fever*

[SayItWithWine]

This is a very interesting article regarding fever reduction in children. NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) is still recommending using only one anti fever med. This article from the BMJ (British Medical Journal) news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7592585.stm
is now saying this advice is not as effective and children are kept fever free for an extra 4 hours with alternating calpol and ibuprofen.
NICE's main objection seems to be the risk of overdose, but most sensible parents would keep a record of whats given and when, expecially if they had a houseful of sick kids!

Thats not new advice my Ds is 15 and still has febrile convulsions since he was 15 months. We have always been advised to alternate ibroprufen and calpol

Same here, alternate them.

GPs will advise alternating them but NICE changed that a couple of years back, and now the latest advice according to this research is alternate! NHS Direct follow NICE guidelines and say not to alternate, they should change this I think now!

latest?

I was told this by paediatrician about 9 years ago

I have alternated both for 17 years

bruffin does your DS still have febrile convulsions at 15? Did I read that right?

We were told youngest would grow out of it by 3 or 4 and at almost 6 she's still going odd (not fitting but going vacant) febrily

It's not surprising findings though is it? Children having 2 lots of anti pyretic drugs experience less time with a temp to me is a fairly obvious outcome.

I have always alternated if my dc still have a temp after 4 hours of the first dose although when I first had DD 7 years ago I would use paracetamol first but now given burden first.

Most anti pyretic do wear off around 4 hours Laura, if not sooner, so makes an awful lot of sense to me. NICE should change their policy. They also recommend calpol first because it has few side effects, but if brufen is better they should go with this. Nothing is scarier for a parent than a high fever in a little one.

Yes but what I am saying is that in a 24 hour period if your child is having alternating anti pyre tics they will have more drugs than if you just gave one - potentially they could have 4 lots of paracetamol and 3 lots of burden - so to me they are inevitably going to have less time with a pyrexia - don't think I am explaining myself very well but I know what I mean lol

Brufen not burden!!!!!

I know exactly what you mean, you explained it well, and thats what the new research is saying too!

Hi activiate - yes you read it right. My family has a long history of febrile convulsions after the age of 6, both my sister, my mother and probably my grandmother all had there last ones around the age of 10.
DS had one about 18 months ago (he was at school and turned out he had pneumonia. He had ECGs which ruled out epilepsy and the paediatrician believes he has GEFS+ From what I can gather it is very rare and most gps have not heard of fc after the age of 5.
He may never have a fc again but it is not something we can guarantee. My DD also had 4 fc but only when she was 3/4.

With regard to the calpol/ibroprufen we have always been told to alternate calpol and ibroprufen from the first fit when he was 15 months. He was also dosed by weight rather than age, being a big boy meant he could always have a higher dose.