Children having paracetamol and ibuprofen for mild fever Post Reply

[wandsworthmummy12]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/ ... fever.html

Thought this was interesting. I can think of a few parents I know that use calpol for a good nights sleep even when their child isn't unwell.

[Emma]

Thank you for sharing the article. I think there are a couple of particularly interesting points:

With all medicines it is important to consider the size of the child when calculating the most appropriate dosage.

Medicines should always be kept out of reach of children, they are often particularly adept at accessing childproof containers!

If your child has a history of febrile convulsions and you have been advised to give paracetamol or ibuprofen if they have a fever, then you should do so.

Ibuprofen is more effective than paracetamol at reducing a fever.

Most mild illnesses are self-limiting and the child's immune system will lead them to recover themselves. If the child is unwell and in any pain or distress, paediatric paracetamol or ibuprofen can help them feel better.

If you would like any further information - particularly on febrile convulsions, this can be found on my website http://www.firstaidforlife.org.uk

[pie81]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/ ... fever.html

Thought this was interesting. I can think of a few parents I know that use calpol for a good nights sleep even when their child isn't unwell.

Calpol will not make a child drowsy as far as I am aware - as it doesn't have anything in it that makes them sleepy. It only has a painkilling and fever reducing effect. (Happy to be corrected if I'm wrong!)

So if calpol does help a child sleep, that suggests the child was in some pain or discomfort or unwell before the calpol was given. In which case, it wasn't inappropriate to give it.

Remember many babies and toddlers can be teething or have some sort of illness almost constantly, especially over the winter. And children vary in how good they are at coping with or sleeping through this discomfort. So it may seem like some children are being given painkillers a lot, but they may actually be in some pain a lot of the time!

[Erykah]

It is true that during the first couple of years colds and teething can cause discomfort a lot of the time for little ones.

But we also sometimes found that the sugar (or sugary taste) of calpol and nurofen had an almost instant comforting effect during the night hours especially. Sugar is known as a mild analgesic. When we swapped to teething granules during a long phase of cutting canines and 1st molars we found the same instant effect as calpol or nurofen. Teething granules contain sucrose! Now it may have been the small dose of Chamomilla in the granules that soothes and calmed. Or...it could have been the sugar.

There is a definite place for these paracetamol and ibuprofen containing sugary or sugary tasting (where sugar free) children's drugs. But we definitely overuse them as parents generally!