To leave a temprature or not??

Clytus

My 10 month old son has bit of a heavy cold and is running a temp of 38C.
Im tempted to give Calpol to bring it down...but Im hearing 2 different schools of thought on this.......one is that the high temp is the bodys natural way of trying to get rid of the Virus and it should be left...so long as it doesnt get too high (39'C)...then the other is that in young children the Hypothalmus part of the brain isnt developed enough to deal with high temps and should be kept in check....

Bit confused here!!

ambman

Clytus wrote: »

My 10 month old son has bit of a heavy cold and is running a temp of 38C.
Im tempted to give Calpol to bring it down...but Im hearing 2 different schools of thought on this.......one is that the high temp is the bodys natural way of trying to get rid of the Virus and it should be left...so long as it doesnt get too high (39'C)...then the other is that in young children the Hypothalmus part of the brain isnt developed enough to deal with high temps and should be kept in check....

Bit confused here!!

that is just over 100f give him the calpol as it will bring it down and help him sleep and stop it from getting any higher during the night while you are asleep.

ps dont mind all that natural way of doing things

Quality

I would give the child the calpol and if the fever isnt gone by tomorrow bring the child to the doctor on call.

Shelli

i would tend to give calpol at night, helps babs get some much needed sleep, also it puts my mind at rest so I can get some sleep. During the day your in a much better position to keep an eye on the temp.

Clytus

Thanks guys...
I gave him Calpol lastnight and he slept right through. He woke a little bit later than normal and temp is back down to 35.8 ( normal). Seems to be the way with babies and colds...they come on quick,but clear up just as quick.

He didnt like the Suagrfree Calpol AT ALL!!...spat all back out at me,but took the normal Calpol no problem.

m_stan

You might find the temp comes back tonight. Keep an eye on it - temperatures are much more likely at night time in my experience. They can go away during the day and come back at night.

My advice would be to always give the Calpol. Once you are within the recommended doses it's completely safe to give. It's only paracetemol afterall, and makes the baby much more comfortable.

A great tip I had from our GP when my son was getting ear infections all the time, was that when the 4hr interval for Calpol isn't enough to dull the pain, you can overlap Calpol and Neurofen so they are taking both at the same time. You start with one and then give the other 2 hrs later, and then follow the dose intervals from there for the first 24hrs of a bad ear infection etc. You need to stick within the doses for each, but since one is Paracetemol based and the other Aspirin, they are safe to take together in instances of severe pain - not for a temperature, as Calpol can do the trick on its own.

Clytus

isint neruofen an ibuprofen based anelgesic??

Iv heard asprin in under 12s is a big NO NO!!!

The cold seems to have cleared up...no more snots and spits and he's back in good form.But I think from now on Il just give him the Calpol....seems to be the better option.....hate to see them uncomfortable.

embee

m_stan wrote: »

A great tip I had from our GP when my son was getting ear infections all the time, was that when the 4hr interval for Calpol isn't enough to dull the pain, you can overlap Calpol and Neurofen so they are taking both at the same time. You start with one and then give the other 2 hrs later, and then follow the dose intervals from there for the first 24hrs of a bad ear infection etc. You need to stick within the doses for each, but since one is Paracetemol based and the other Aspirin, they are safe to take together in instances of severe pain - not for a temperature, as Calpol can do the trick on its own.

Calpol is paracetamol. Nurofen is ibuprofen, not aspirin. Children should never be given aspirin for any prolonged amount of time particularly after a viral illness (the common cold and flu are both viral) because of the known link between aspirin and Reyes Syndrome in children - see link below for more information.

http://www.personalmd.com/news/reyessyndrome_80200.shtml

Either paracetamol or ibuprofen are fine to give to children. Calpol (paracetamol) is an antipyretic and analgesic, and is therefore more useful at reducing a temperature. Nurofen (ibuprofen) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic, so is more useful for things like toothache, teething or general pain.

m_stan

I stand corrected. However, the point remains. Over a 24hr period before antibiotics kick in for an ear infection etc, this is an effective way to keep a child comfortable.

embee

m_stan wrote: »

I stand corrected. However, the point remains. Over a 24hr period before antibiotics kick in for an ear infection etc, this is an effective way to keep a child comfortable.

Oh no, I agree with you - combing Calpol and Nurofen is really effective at keeping temperatures and pain at bay until you can get to a doctor/wait for a prescription to start working - when my wee one had a bad respiratory tract infection which first kicked in on a weekend, I did exactly that just to make her more comfortable until she could see the doctor. I just thought it was important that I point out that aspirin shouldn't be given to kids under 12 - also just explained the different drugs and what they do so that people know that a high temperature is better combated with Calpol than Nurofen etc.

tallaght01

m_stan wrote: »

A great tip I had from our GP when my son was getting ear infections all the time, was that when the 4hr interval for Calpol isn't enough to dull the pain, you can overlap Calpol and Neurofen so they are taking both at the same time. You start with one and then give the other 2 hrs later, and then follow the dose intervals from there for the first 24hrs of a bad ear infection etc. You need to stick within the doses for each, but since one is Paracetemol based and the other Aspirin, they are safe to take together in instances of severe pain - not for a temperature, as Calpol can do the trick on its own.

It's good advice alright. We do it all the time in paediatrics.

Except as we've already established, Ibuprofen isn't aspirin, but a close relative that can be used in children, as long as you adhere pretty strictly to the doses on the pack.

As an aside, regarding the comments about antibiotics and ear infections...only a minority of ear infections require antibiotics. The vast majority are caused by viruses, or will just go away themselves.

Most people see their kid getting better after a few days of antibiotics, so they think the antibiotics have worked on it, but they would usually have gotten better anyway. Even if the infection is caused by a bacterium, it will usually go away on it's own anyway.

All these antibiotics are helping to cause resistance, for when we actually need to be using them.

Always leave the decision up to your doctor, but don't pressurise them. A lot of docs will give your kid an antibiotic, as they've charged you for the consultation. But, if you look like you're open to the idea of trying without it, they'd usually be much happier with that. I rarely give antibiotics for ear infections. People believe me when I tell them you're often better off trying without one initially,as I'm a paediatrician.Even then, the parents often feel like they've been short changed by me if I don't give them some amoxicillin. But the poor GPs get heaps of abuse when they refuse antibiotics, even though most infections don't require them. virtually every GP on the face of the planet knows this, but at this time of year, they get so many kids with ear/throat infections etc, and you wouldn't believe the abuse they get if they don't give an antibiotic.

My GP friend told me recently "I just give them the antibiotics, I haven't the stomach for the fight. I know I'll regret it when I'm an old man in hospital, dying from a resistant bug. But for the moment, it's impossible to fight the demand!".

However, there are some definite indicators for antibiotics in ear infections, depending on what the doc finds on examination and the age of the kid, amongst other things. So, leave the decision to your doc, but don't push too hard for antibiotics

Also, sorry to ramble, but have a VERY low threshold for seeking medical help if a very young baby has a temp. I'd advise seeing a GP ALWAYS if a baby below 3 months has a high temp, and probably up to 6 months. Or any other age, obviously, if you're worried.

Clytus

Great post tallaght.

Just on the children with a tempreture issue....what would be your view on the subject?? Are children with a mildly raised temp better off being left or would you give them something??

As regards a baby under 12 weeks with a temp...I said it to a friend of mine who had a 5 week old,who had a temp,bit of a barking cough and was vomiting that he should head to his GP or A&E pronto that babies that young shouldnt be sick at all. They left it for a day or so and ended up rushing into Temple St with the baby struggling to breath...turned out the child had pnuemonia and bronchioitis......and it was all brought on by the Flu virus that caused an infection in the childs eye!!! ( never knew influenza could cause an eye infection,I always thought the Flu was a respiratory tract infection)

crosstownk

Calpol is good at reducing the temperature - as is Nurofen. If the temperature is relatively high, I find Paralink (Paracetamol based) is far quicker at getting the desired results.

But as with all medicines, if symptoms persist then consult your doctor. Control the temperature, but the real key is to establish what is causing the rise in temperature.

Hody

Our 15 month old daughter has fever and we give her calpol which seem sto bring the temperature down by 1 to 2 degrees to a level of around 37 something. We give her the calpol every six hours but by the end of each cycle the fever will rise again to 39 something.

This is happening now for 24 hours. My question is now if I should start to add up Nerufon, as I do not believe that is good to fever for such a long time.

Nevyn

I suggest that you check with your chemist and if needs be take your child to the dr.

Hody

We were yesterday at the GP and he told us to us Calpol to bring down the fever and eventually kick in Neurofen as well, we also got a prescription for anti-bs if there is no improval after 48 hours - I am just so damn worry if I can really give her both drugs or there no suppositories in Ireland?

Nevyn

There are suppositorys check with your chemist.

January

My daughter is nearly 6 weeks old and was gonna pick up some Calpol in the chemist yesterday, just in case... but it says on the box 2+ months... but the PHN said it was ok to take??

I didn't get it in the end, because I don't want to give it to her if it's not safe...

littlebug

Thaedydal wrote: »

There are suppositorys check with your chemist.

Paralink. Great for avoiding the struggle with medicine or when babs just throws it up.

I never knew they existed til I got the tip from someone on here.

adrieanne__x wrote: »

My daughter is nearly 6 weeks old and was gonna pick up some Calpol in the chemist yesterday, just in case... but it says on the box 2+ months... but the PHN said it was ok to take??

I didn't get it in the end, because I don't want to give it to her if it's not safe...

Advice on this seems to vary. When my eldest was getting her first jabs at 6 weeks the GP said to give her a spoon and it was ok as a one off after the jab. With my next child the (different ) GP looked at me as if I was a monster when I suggested it and sternly told me "it says on the bottle 2+ months"

On the dr/ anti-b thing I have a 3 day rule- if they go past 3 days with a high temp and are very sore/ uncomfortable I go to the doc. I hate getting anti- b's. My youngest can't stomach them at all and ends up with horrible diarrhoea. Thankfully we've gone beyond the recurrent ear infection phase (touch wood)

lostinnappies

When a child is sick, remember what it is like yourself. When you have a head cold you more then likely get sinus pain, shivers and just feel rotten. Even if you dont have a temp you might take cold and flu tabs to get you through the day. Wouldnt you want the same for your child? Although a small temperature may not be too worrying for a child you really aught to think of the other symptoms and how they make them feel.

A temperature should never really be left in a very young child because their brains are so susceptible to temperature changes and a sudden spike in temperature can lead to feveril fits/convulsions.

I would always error on the side of caution

ps calpol and neurofen can be given both at the same time, they are different types of analgesia and will not harm them if given both together. However to get the best effect usually they would be given 2 hours after each other ... never exceeding the stated dose. I find calpol to be better for colds flus temp and nurofen to be better with physical pain, teething etc.

TargetWidow

Hi all,
Havent been in in a while. My doc recommended a half teaspoon (2.5mls) of calpol one hour before her 6 week jabs as a preventative for a jab fever. I did it because she is a very hot little thing and gets feverish at the drop of a hat. Like Adrienne I felt very weird about it and double checked with my (excellent) pharmacist. He gave me loads of great advice. ( Including my all time best ever cure/preventative for nappy rash). In all my baby books it says that if a fever hasnt eased in 3 days you should see a doc, provided that there are no other indicators of anything else such as rashes that change colour when pressed with tumblers etc. My lady tends to break a fever usually on the second day and at this stage now it doesn't knock a bother out of her. I look at the whole picture. Is she sleeping well, is she eating well, is she drinking all of her bottles, and how is her mood generally. The minute she goes off her food I usually know something is going on. She loves her grub!