Does she HAVE to take Calpol?

[TooTiredtoGoogle]

DD has flu (not sure if it's swine but it seems to have hit her quite badly).
She has a temperature of almost 38C (was higher last night), but refuses to have any calpol. (Had to bribe her to take calpol last night with chocolate, but that's no longer working).

Does it matter whether she takes any calpol at all? Will her fever come down naturally?

Also, how will I know if she has swine flu?

TIA

Talk about reading between the lines. More like putting words into my mouth. Where did i say that a child having a febrile convulsion shouldn't be seen ny a hcp? Where did I say that it shouldn't be taken seriously and was nothing to worry about?
I didn't.

From the NICE guidelines:

The use of antipyretic agents should be considered in children with fever who appear distressed or unwell. Antipyretic agents should not routinely be used with the sole aim of reducing body temperature in children with fever who are otherwise well.

Paracetamol and ibuprofen should not be administered at the same time to children with fever.

Paracetamol and ibuprofen should not routinely be given alternately to children with fever. However, use of the alternative drug may be considered if the child does not respond to the first agent.

Antipyretic agents do not prevent febrile convulsions and should not be used specifically for this purpose.

I bought our first thermometer in a moment of swine flu inspired madness last winter. My children were at the time 8 and 13! It hasn't yet been used.

You really really don't need to know what a normally healthy child's precise temperature is - you need to know whether the child is ill or not. A child can be very ill with no temperature, and not very ill with a high temperature.

Go by touch and eye and instinct and by listening to what they say.

Dd was seriously I'll in hospital and I spoke to the consultant at great length about calpol etc as her temp was high.
The consultant was very clear that dd did not need medication for the fever and was happy not to give it.

Dd has never had calpol or anything for a temperature. I only use medication for pain.

But I can understand why people reach the point where anxiety makes them reach for medication. But it isn't necessary.

Thanks everyone. DD actually seems better- reading, doing puzzles - but temperature still 38.6. Problem is that she absolutely refuses medicine, so it's reassuring to know that some think it's ok not to calpol. It's not that I don't want to administer.
Think I'll try to sneak some into some juice as I'm not keen to force a syringe into her mouth.

Glad she is looking a bit better. Have you tried to get somebody else to give her the medicine? I work with young children and sometimes parents have sent in medicines and said that their child won't take them. We find that we have no problems, when the parents are not there. Is there a neighbour, a family friend or a relative you could ask?

Glad she's feeling better.

I too don't medicate for a fever alone. Almost 38 degrees is v mild indeed.

It is true that a febrile convulsion is caused by the rapid change in temp, not the height of the temp. Both of my nieces have a predisposition to convulsions and can have them with a very mild fever. Calpol has actually exacerbated the problem for them as they have it and then for example vomit the remainder of it up. Temp goes down a bit, meds gone, temp shoots up again. It's this rapid change that is the problem for them.

DN1's paed recommended they cool dn naturally and consistently and not rely on the calpol.

I try to look at dd, not the temp (I too don't use a thermometer really).

And a febrile convulsion should always be taken seriously but in the vast majority of cases they do look much, much worse than they are. They're pretty clever actually, resetting the body temp. Bloody frightening though.

I try to give Calpol when DS temp starts to go above 38, only because about a month ago, he was delirious (sp?), hallucinating, with fever and I found it quite scary. GP reassured that it was only due to fever and to get temp down, I now give max dose of calpol in these circumstances.

A fever is part of the body's defenses. It's part of the getting rid of bugs process.

Fevers are signs that the body is fighting a bug. No she doesn't actually need medication. Just keep her cool and hydrated.