Giving both paracetamol & ibruprofen to feverish children

[MatNanPlus]

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frequently but never when I am running a fever

prob use it more than that cod, but not much

tis no one's first resort, surely

i have combined with both of mine, i always found it was the only way of bringing dd temp down

i have combined with both of mine, i always found it was the only way of bringing dd temp down

Doc told us to give calpol and calprofen together...worked well

i find the idea of putting a rubber bottle full of extremely hot water into a child's bed far more dangerous than a dose of paracetemol or ibu.

i'm with bundle. when i'm in pain or feel shite with something i don't hesitate to knock back a couple of paracetemol or ibu, so i don't see why my girls should suffer.

it's not like it's every day or even every week.

hot water bottle for a temperature....is this the 1940's?

Alternating was the only thing that worked for DS when he was younger. He responds better the ibuprofen than paracetamol, but we like to alternate so we don't overdo the 'profen. HOWEVER, I can tell you that it can be REALLY hard to remember what you gave last time... and the doses are different for each one... and the timings are different, too... 'profen is every 8 hours and paracetamol is every six. So we found that we have to keep a log, because if it's a bad illness and the parents are exhausted, and there are two of you giving meds, it can be really easy to make a mistake and give too much of one, or give it too often.

is ibu ok with medised?

Rebelmum the high temperature doesn't cause the convulsion it is a temperature that climbs rapidly that causes FC's. It is usually the first sign my dc's are ill, so they are difficult to prevent.

My DS last febrile convulsion (he has had about 20) was only 2 years ago when he was 10, and my DD had a few when she was 3 and 4. I have always combined and have always dosed by weight as per instructions from A&E.

too much calpol can weaken teeth!!

Nobody ever used a warm hot water bottle to ease an ear ache in their child then? Ot a tummy ache?

I combine the two - doctor things it works wonders and I have a fantastic very pragmatic doctor.

I agree with bundle,expat.....ds is 2 years old - I always give Calpol for teeth, fever etc. They are MISERABLE when ill and I am of the "medicate" school - why make them suffer - I was always given medication as a child and nothing wrong with me. Not sure a hottie and cbeebies would have brought ds's high temp down last week and can't see how a hottie would ease an earache . The Calpol certainly did . I'm sure as he gets older he'll need it much less but for now I'm carrying on as usual.

I always find if I have fluey symptoms/sore throat- a good large dose of (combined) ibru/paracetemol makes me feel miles better- doctor even wrote down for me his "recommended" (higher than on the packet) dose of the two recently when I had near tonsilitis but not quite antibiotics needed. It was fantastic....

My son has had febrile convulsions with ear infections (sometimes 2) and the last thing he needs is a hotwater bottle to make him even warmer.
Also having had an ear infection as an adult, the pain is awful, a hot water bottle wouldn't have touched it.

Oh for heaven's sake, where did I say I let them suffer?

I just think that there are other ways to help children through the normal aches and pains and bugs of childhood without reaching for medicine as a first resort.

Yes, a really bad ear ache needs calpol or similar. However, for a mild one, warmth and distraction can work too. A very high fever or a fever in a child prone to febrile convulsions needs bringing down - a not so high temperature is part of the body's way of fighting infection and doesn't need bringing down. Cool flannels and cool drinks and sponging can make a child much more comfortable. A serious injury (like my ds's broken wrist) needs pain relief and fast - a lot of every day bumps and bruises can be treated with ice. My dd's migraine headaches need Ibuprofen, an end of the week over tired headache needs cuddles, a neck massage and bed.

I have combined the two when ds had tonsilitus and it did the trick. He was screaming with pain and calpol alone was solving the problem. I was advised to do it by the doctor (a couple of years ago).

i am a GP and i will tell parents to use calpol and brufen as long as not taking more than advised doses of either. one will often work if the other does not. if a child is running a fever which will not settle then they should see a GP.
the body is good at fighting infection but if you think how awful you can feel as an adult when running a temp then children will feel it to so if a spot of calpol or brufen helps to make them feel better, decrease pain etc then i think it should be used.

When ds1 had a febrile convulsion last year I was advised to "piggy back" calpol and nurofen if he gets a temperature again.

We alternate in this house. If my daughter is feverish on a night she gets three hourly doses of alternate medicines. This happens roughly twice to three times a year. Her natural body temperature is 36.5, and the last time she had a fever it was 39+ so the painkillers were necessary to allow her to sleep and fight the illness off.

I personally alternate as well, although this is because I suffer migraine, so have the stronger ibu and prescription codeine/paracetamol with which I make life vaguely bearable until the pain recedes.

The last time I had a fever my son was barely a week old and it is amazing the relief that paracetamol can offer, you can actually sense the change in your body temperature. Magic stuff.

I've always combined the two if dc are very poorly. I find if temp is particularly bad paracetamol does nothing whereas ibuprofen drops it almost imm.
Went to gp with dd recently, she had temp of 40+ and he said NOT to give ibuprofen, research now shows the body must deal with temp by itself and its now not good to mess around and try to lower temp
She was v v poorly but he said only give paracetamol. Later discovered she had burst appendix and it was also infected and had an abscess there!!!
I had given her both drugs anyway (ignored gp advice), im so pleased i did this as i dread to think the extra pain she would have been in.