How to Rotate Tylenol and Motrin for Babies
Parents oft have what I call "fever phobia." They rush to aggressively maintain a normal temperature for their child when a fever could actually be an indication of their child'south natural virus-fighting abilities in high gear.
I know that your child'due south safety and recovery volition be your number one concern when a fever is involved. Secondarily, y'all will want to make your child equally comfy as possible during this time.
This week, I'm following up on my previous post about fever research with an update regarding Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen (popularly consumed under the brand names Tylenol® and Motrin®) as fever treatments for children. To write this mail service, I consulted the latest research findings from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) as well every bit our own pediatric pharmacy experts at Children'south Hospital Los Angeles.
Giving Your Child Over-the-Counter Fever Medication
Stick to One Formulation Parents should be careful to only use one formulation of an over-the-counter medication. This ways non switching between bottles of 50 mg and 100 mg over the course of the same fever.
Guidance for Dosing Although in proper dosing, these medications are safe, acetaminophen overdoses are the most common single medication reported in children's emergency room visits. The steps below will help you prevent an overdose in your child.
- Requite the dose based on your child's weight.
- Avoid using measuring cups or spoons from your kitchen drawer. Instead, use measuring devices from your pharmacist to exist more accurate.
- Do not give more medication than the dosage listed.
- Do non requite your child fever medication more than v times a day.
- Do not give fever medication to a babe under two months old
Give-and-take of Caution for Parents: 80 per centum of Tylenol® overdoses in children are from unsupervised ingestion by children. So parents should store the medicine where little hands cannot reach.
Acetaminophen vs. Ibuprofen: Which is Better?
A lot of parents swear by one a particular brands of these fever medications. The latest research on pediatric fevers from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows no evidence that i favorite fever brand of medication is improve than some other. Parents should feel free to give either of these medications to reduce fever or flu discomfort in their child. Of course, parents should follow the guidance on the bottle. In addition, I've provided some guidance below.
Alternating Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen for Fever Treatment
The latest AAP research findings indicated that alternating these ii fever treatments can lead to a risk of overdose for a child with fever. Desire to know more? See below.
Why Not Alternating?
If you read my terminal blog post on treating fevers in your child, you probably already know the reason why alternating medications tin can exist tricky business organisation for your child—the difficulty with alternating these medications is that it increases the risk for confusion for parents (and teens).
Acetaminophen is usually dosed in amounts that allow for redosing every 4 hours. Ibuprofen is normally dosed every six hours. As a outcome, timing can become disruptive for busy parents.
I checked in with our lead pharmacist at our hospital and she indicated that the problem with alternating medications is that it is then piece of cake to get confused and given an extra dose of one or both medicines. In some children, especially if they are dehydrated or having other medical problems, giving both medications can cause serious side effects, peculiarly affecting the kidneys.
Take it from a Nurse From my perspective, knowing busy parents equally I do, information technology'south not worth the risk of overdosing your kid to alternate these medications. Pick one medication or the other and use consistent dosing post-obit the guidance on the labels to provide the best care for your kid.
Other Common Fever-Fighting Practices Exposed 
Below is a list of common things parents exercise to fight fevers in their children that could actually be harmful.
- Practise non give your child a cold bath.
- Do not use booze baths.
- Practise non use aspirin.
- Do non requite Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen along with any over-the-counter cold medication which may contain Acetaminophen already.
- Do not wake a sleeping child to give Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen.
Special Annotation for Parents If your child has chronic illnesses such as kidney or liver affliction, asthma or is on other medication, consult your medico regarding the best course of treatment for a fever.
Stay Away from Adult Medications
One thing that parents should always remember–treating a kid is different than treating an adult. Fever care is no dissimilar.
Every bit a nurse, I ask you, please do not ever treat your child with adult doses of Acetaminophen (frequently purchased as Tylenol®) or Ibuprofen (oft purchased as Motrin®) or any other adult medication.
Like to Share? Accept y'all heard of other fever treatments which I have not covered? Like to know more? Leave me a comment below and I'll answer.
Source: https://www.chla.org/blog/rn-remedies/treating-child-s-fever-common-treatments-exposed
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