Fever is a symptom, a sign that an infection, inflammatory or
very rarely thermo-regulatory problem is going on.
A fever (over 100.4 rectal) in any child under 6 months needs
immediate attention, if less than 3 months it should be considered
serious and child should be seen immediately.
A fever over 105 that does not come down within one hour with
TylenolÔ (acetaminophen) and/or AdvilÔ (ibuprofen) should be
considered an emergency. *
I recommend that you always use TylenolÔ as the first medication
for fever. TylenolÔ taken in the normal dose is one of the safest
medications in existence. ***TylenolÔ will make a sick child feel
better that AdvilÔ will. TylenolÔ is easy on the stomach and sick
kids often are not eating or already have an upset stomach. TylenolÔ does not have the anti-inflammatory properties that AdvilÔ does. If you smash your finger with a rock, don't grab the TylenolÔ grab the AdvilÔ instead! *
AdvilÔ can safely be added to a dose of TylenolÔ and should be
added after one hour if a fever is still over 102 degrees. *
Cold water baths should never be used to lower a fever. Tepid
baths are very effective if you need to quickly lower a fever. A fever
over106 needs to be brought down immediately! A fever over 105
should also be brought down quickly. A fever over 104 should be
controlled (brought to lower than 102) within two hours. *
***While TylenolÔ is one of the safest medications at normaldoses; it can be fatal in overdoses that are not much larger
than the regular dose! There is an adequate safety margin at the
recommended doses that you do not need to be concerned about
as long as you never give more than what is recommended. TylenolÔ is not like Aspirin, AdvilÔ or most other medications. If you take a double dose of AdvilÔ it works better (but is hard on the stomach and kidneys). Taking more than the recommended amount of TylenolÔ DOES NOT WORK BETTER! An overdose of TylenolÔ, if caught quickly, and long before any of the effects of the overdose occur, can be treated in the hospital. Blood levels are needed to determine an overdose in borderline cases and can be done here, but we will not have the results for 24 hours. We can order this test at the outpatient lab at the hospital for immediate results. A TylenolÔ overdose will NOT CAUSE ANY SYMPTOMS in the first week or more! The death from an overdose of TylenolÔ in the 3rd or 4th week is a long, slow horrible death.
Call the Poison Control number in the front of the phone
book if there is any question of an overdose!
If you cannot tell from the tone of this section, I strongly feel that
a large warning should be on the label of all products containing
acetaminophen. I have seen several deaths from accidental
overdoses; someone is taking the regular amount of TylenolÔ
and some OTC cough medicine (that has acetaminophen in it and
they did not read the label!) I feel that drinking diet anything (except
possibly SplendaÔ products), not drinking enough water, loosing
weight, drinking alcohol or taking several different types of herbal
products while taking TylenolÔ even if taking less than the maximum
dose can cause an "overdose" of TylenolÔ even if taking less than
the maximum dose. These factors can lead to liver damage, liver
failure or death.
*This information is not a substitute for medical attention. See your health-care professional for medical advice.