Anyone else DC got quite ill after MMR? (NB *NOT* a question about links to autism)

[ElmMum]

My 14 month DD had her MMR last Tuesday. No side effects at all for a week, then about 8 days later she was a bit cranky and off her food (v unusual). The next day she didn't want to eat anything and by the evening was running a v high temp.

When it hit 39.2 we took her to the GP at the local A&E (on advice from duty doc on phone).

Doc at A&E completely dismissed the possibility that it was linked to the jab - I think because he mistakenly thought I was worried about other 'side effects' i.e. autism etc.

But NHS website itself says measles part of jab can have an effect 8-10 days later.

Her temp is down now but she's got spots around her neck.

My instinct says it's the measles bit of the jab and that as long as I keep her temp down with Calpol, give her plenty to drink and just keep an eye on it, she'll be fine.

The more paranoid part of me thinks I should take her to the doctors.

Has anyone else's DC had a reaction like this? How long did it last?

Thanks all in advance

more apologies this time to the op because it's not about your post

v sorry

stuffitlllama - it's this bit "he never had an ear infection again" that you implied was because you didn't use Calpol. After you'd said you'd used it and antibiotics too. You could equally have concluded he never had an ear infection again because you'd used Calpol and antibiotics. I just thought it didn't make sense. But let's not fight over this and get it all out of proportion.

but he did have an ear infection after antibiotics..two weeks later.. it hadn't been fixed

research about ear infections and antibiotics here
seems to support stuffitlllama's theory.

'The researchers found that 63 percent of children given the antibiotic amoxicillin experienced a recurrent ear infection within three years, compared with 43 percent of children given a placebo at the time of their initial infection.'

'The higher recurrence rate among children who took amoxicillin could be due to a weakening of their body?s natural immune response as a result of taking an antibiotic at the initial stage of infection, the researchers said. Antibiotic use in such cases may cause an ?unfavorable shift? toward the growth of resistant bacteria.'

'Antibiotics may reduce the length and severity of the initial ear infection, but may also result in a higher number of recurrent infections and antibiotic resistance, the researchers stated. Because of this, they said, doctors need to be careful in their use of antibiotics in children with ear infections.'

Thanks pofaced I've never seen that.

I understand there's also research contraindicating the use of anti-pyretics for mesles but I am afraid I can't link to it.

OP I'm really sorry for the hijack, might start a thread elsewhere.

Hello? The claim made by stuffit was about not reducing the temperature with Calpol, not about the use or not of antibiotics. The fact her son didn't have any further ear infections had no relation to having used or not Calpol to reduce the temperature.

And if I knew how to post links to old threads (2007) you'd see I referred to a Cochrane review of antibiotics use in glue ear which showed they were no better than placebo.

cthea

to be continued

Well you could argue that calpol suppresses the body temperature and prevents the body from fighting infection - there are doctors who have told me this off the record, who have learned it from experience. I am not advocating not using antipyretics when a child is very distressed and feeling unwell, but I already linked to a study that concludes antipyretics are not an effective preventative against febrile convulsions so one has to wonder whether calpol is overused and misunderstood. Probably more research is required!

Pofaced I agree with your every word ..

My DD had a temp of 38.8 seven days after the MMR but no other symptoms but was fine the next day, if a bit tired.

Elmmum hope dd is feeling better - reading with interest as was debating about getting mmr before or after holiday but may leave it til post holiday if there is a lag on symptoms.

no dd didn't show any signs of illness IIRC

Re calpol, this WHO article cites "the probability that antipyretics may prolong the course of mild to moderate infectious illnesses" and concludes

"Fever represents a universal, ancient, and usually beneficial response to infection, and its suppression under most circumstances has few, if any, demonstrable benefits. On the other hand, some harmful effects have been shown to occur as a result of suppressing fever: in most individuals, these are slight, but when translated to millions of people, they may result in an increase in morbidity and perhaps the occurrence of occasional mortality. It is clear, therefore, that widespread use of antipyretics should not be encouraged either in developing countries or in industrial societies."

So stuffitllama seems to be completely in line with WHO advice.

If you want to base it on that WHO commentary, the last sentence was "A reasonable evidence-based approach is to discourage the use of antipyretics in fevers

I don't ignore high fevers, I shouldn't think any Mum does. It doesn't mean paracetamol is a given. Fluids and sleep, and watching, is my prescription, up to about 40, and depending on all sorts of things, maybe a bit more.

Paracetamol isn't something we should give willy nilly not even knowing if it's needed! It also disguises symptoms.. imagine appendicitis.. if the temp is down and the pain is killed, things could get very worrying without you knowing.

Thank you to those who've provided those quotes, it's great to read that there's also some conventional medical support for it.

Interesting Zeph thanks.
Calpol is definitely overused in industrial societies. Definitely. Most doctors prescribe it at a drop of a hat, for teething, for grumpiness, for low fevers, etc. Of course high fevers must not be ignored, they may be a sign of severe illness. But actually suppressing the temperature artificially does not necessarily mean you are helping the severe illness, and it may well work the other way, and mask symptoms.

Good, I think we're all agreed with that. (But 40 is pretty high, I wouldn't watch & wait so long.) Now back to where we started from. Oh, never mind, I think we're both bored a bit by now.