Fever medicines given too readily to children

[flyingcloud]

Link here

Another thing for me to panic over? DD is currently sick with her second chest infection in three months. Should I just let her ride it out without help from medication?

None of the advice in the story is new.

The only thing thats happened is that US research has been published which shows how often parents give the wrong dose, and which reiterates the standard information that running a temperature is a normal part of the body's immune response, and as such shouldn't be suppressed unless there is an additional reason.

I really don't see why this merits the front page.

"don't alternate ibuprofen and paracetamol"

That advice is because they think parents are too thick to work it out for themselves.

My family has something called GEFS+ which means children have febrile convulsions beyond the age of 6 and far more than normal. This has affected DS who had last fit at the age 13 and has had over 20 in all.
We were given a regime with timings and dosing worked out by weight for both DCs. They both work differently and while one is wearing off the other one carries on working.

I spoke to DS's consultant last month and the advice was still to carry on dosing him up if he has a temperature.

I would have thought most children would have been poorly enough to warrant some medication before they reach 15 months, although I'm sure like everything that there are some who don't. I guess they are lucky. But then I've always given mine something when they seem to be suffering rather than going by temp, so that has meant occasionally giving them something when teething so definitely before 15 months.

I don't think I give it too readily, DS(3) was recently admitted to hospital with breathing difficulties (due to a virus), but because despite struggling to breathe he seemed to be perfectly happy (kept insisting to the Drs that he was fine), I hadn't dosed him. When we were in the hospital they took his temp, decided it was high, and they did give him some calpol and told me to keep him dosed up while he was unwell.

I'm another that would never know that dc were running a temp without them acting unwell though, so I wouldn't give medicine for that alone. IME when they have had a high temp, 39 or above, they have been very unwell though.

Interesting about the speed the temperature goes up. I always thought it was a risk when temps were over 39 or so in small children.

actually I think the thing someone mentioned further up about weight of the child may be part of the issue with wrong doses?

When DS3 was admitted to hospital with a chest and ear infection they gave him some calpol to lower his temp..........I questioined the amount given and was told that they had calculated it based on weight rather than his age. Which actually perhaps make more sense than age (where height and weight can vary massively)

The first time DD really had a fever (start of a weird virus that used to spike her temps at night for a week but apart from that she was right as rain during the day), I just thought that she was just nice and cosy from the blankets and was pleased she wasn't cold in the night! It was DH who got the thermometer out, was a bit shocked at the reading at it was almost 40!

I wish you could get suppositories in the UK - I don't think I was ever given oral medicine as a child.

I think DS has had calpol once in the last year - he hates it so much that he has to be really, really unwell before I force it down him.

I do know some people who give it to small children to help them sleep though :(

Though I'm a little confused isn't calpol a pain relief and a fever reducer?

If DS2 wakes crying with earache then I'll give him calpol for pain relief - have I got it all wrong

Baroque
I buy Admil (I think it is called) in France and it has a syringe that you fill to the weight of the child. The marker on the syringe is kg not age/ml.

DD is small for her age, so I would always err on the cautious side of giving meds, and this takes the guesswork out of it.

Much better, imo.

Well quite Baroque that's why mine have had it when suffering with teething. In fact I'm pretty sure it has teething as a reason for using it on the box?! Going to check now...

Lady you can get suppositories prescription free over the counter at the chemist. or get them prescribed by the gp. but the chemist might have to order them as they often don't stock them.

Baroque
Ibuprofen is better at reducing swelling, so for things like ear pain or sinuses, I use that. Calpol will ease the pain but not bring the swelling down.

I would say I use ibuprofen more than paracetemol these days.

Yes weight is part of the problem. In Belgium the medicines are given according to how many kilos your child weighs, so it helps to know the weight of your baby.

Calpol is paracetamol which reduces pain and fever. Ibruprofen also reduces pain and fever, and reduces inflammation as well.

Ok got the calpol box in front of me now. It quite clearly says pain and fever relief on the front, on the side under "uses" it says "will relieve pain (including teething pain in older infants and children) and feverishness.

ahh - Calpol always seems to do the trick (not that I use it often these days) - used to get a hammering when DS1 was little as he was always ill with his chest infections and very distressed too.

The syringe with the weight thing is a good idea - though I then I suppose that depends on knowing how much your child weights and having a set of scales in the house to weight them if you haven't got a clue

I use Ibuprofen more than paracetamol too. It is more effective and my children take it happily whereas they hate paracetamol. I think paracetamol is very bitter. I only have the calpol as a backup for the odd occasion the ibuprofen isn't enough, and in fact just looking at this bottle now it expired last August better bin it now LOL.

"Lady you can get suppositories prescription free over the counter at the chemist. or get them prescribed by the gp. but the chemist might have to order them as they often don't stock them."

They are ridiculously expensive and my dcs paediatrician was very reluctant to prescribe them even with dcs' history.

Bruffin/Lady
They are cheap as chips on the continent. Stock up when you visit France/Germany or give me a shout and I will post some to you.

Jemima, I'm outlining what my dd does when she has a temp. I know her. I wouldn't dare to presume to tell you what your child looks like/acts like with a temp. One of my nieces goes glassy eyed and manic with a temp. All children are different. I just know what dd does when she has a temp and as she's a preschooler, she's here all day. I know what environment/mood she's in too so can make an educated guess based on what I know to be true for her.

And you say you would be giving calpol unnecessarily quite frequently if you went on how she 'looked'. That's the point. That you don't medicate a temperature anyway. So regardless of how good I am/you are at reading whether my/your child has a temp, you don't medicate for it anyway. Even if I took her temp and confirmed it, I still wouldn't give calpol. So no unnecessary medication.

thingumybob, yes anti-pyretics relieve feverishness. Which is important when a very small child has a dangerously high temp that isn't otherwise responding and when the feverishness is causing discomfort/unwell feelings in a child.

The advice is about fevers in isolation, not about children who are unwell to the point of pain/discomfort.

yes, they are about 5£ for ten. but (usually) you don't use many, so a box of them lasts us ages. I only use them if the dc are too poorly and don't want anything by mouth.

SOH yes I know, I was really looking at what it said about pain relief rather than fever but thought I'd better quote it fully.

Thanks MmeLindt - thankfully don't need them anymore.

I do think there's a lot of misinformation around. Like routinely suggesting you give calpol before baby jabs just in case. And calpol seems to be the default setting where advice is concerned. The thing is people are frightened not to because it seems to be medically recommended every time you speak to anybody. And people are frightened of things like convulsions without really understanding why/when they happen.

The article has a good point underlying it.

Thanks MmeLindt - I think he's at an age now where he'd rather swallow a grim mouthful of medicine than me shove something up his bum but it's very kind of you to offer :)

I just find it really weird that suppositories aren't used in the UK. It was a nightmare when my DS was a baby in hospital before they put the NG tube in. I had to hold him down and the nurse said they didn't have suppositories when I asked

I read the article (of which the first part reads pretty much "don't give your child calpol etc when they're ill - it's only later the bit I quoted comes) as saying

"don't give your child calpol/medised etc unless they're actually ill or distressed"

which is, presumably what half of the parents have been doing - while the others are probably of the "calpol to sleep, in a bad mood give them calpol, camp"

agree with SOH - how many times do we see posts that say "I'm not sure whether dc is ill - they seem a bit under the weather" nd the repiles are always "see if they perk up with Calpol"

if the original poster was sure their child was ill, fair enough - but to just advise to go ahead and give it anyway always astounds me.

the article definitely has a good point underlying it.