Tylenol, Motrin/Advil, or Both?The treatment of fever can be both challenging and confusing at times. What to use, how often, for how long? Is it even necessary to treat fever? To alleviate any confusion and dispel any myths that may be out there, here are the basics of treating fever in children.
1. Never use Tylenol or Motrin/Advil in a child under 2 months of age unless specifically directed to so by your physician.
2. Between 2 months and 6 months of age, only use Tylenol. You may use either Tylenol or Motrin/Advil after 6 months of age.
3. Treat your child not the fever. If your child has a fever but is otherwise feeling fine, then no treatment is necessary. If they feel badly, regardless of the degree of fever, then go ahead and treat the fever. If their fever is 103 or higher, even if they feel fine, treat the fever so that it does not go any higher.
4. Try both Tylenol and Motrin/Advil to see which works better for your child. Neither is clearly better than the other, but Motrin/Advil does work longer.
5. You may alternate Tylenol and Motrin/Advil if you are having difficulty keeping your child’s fever down. You may alternate the two every 3 to 4 hours if necessary. To do this, give Tylenol and then 3 hours later Motrin/Advil, 3 hours later Tylenol, 3 hours later Motrin/Advil, etc. If you alternate medications, keep a log of when and which one you gave to ensure proper dosing. Once you child’s fever is better under control, try to return to using only one medication if possible.
6. Always check to ensure proper dosing for the formulation you are using. The dosing instructions for infant drops and children’s liquid are different! Infant drops are concentrated and if inadvertently given according to the dosage instructions for the children’s formulation can result in an overdose.
Back to Top
|
Register