Why won't some people give tylenol for fever?

amother

Jetblack

Sun, Oct 11 2015, 10:34 pm

I'm curious about this. (based on a thread in NP forum)

Is it considered not safe? Are there side effects?
I have never heard this before (I've heard of it with regard to antibiotics but not regular otc acetominophen type of med) so I'm honestly wondering what the benefits are of not giving pain relief/fever reducer to a child, and why someone would not do it.

amother

Taupe

Sun, Oct 11 2015, 10:42 pm

There is a reason a child has a fever. It's the body's way of flushing out whatever it needs to. By giving tylenol, you are suppressing the body's natural resources, its immune system to take care of what it needs to.

A prolonged fever or very high fever indicates the body is having difficulty in its fight, it can't do it, and that's when intervention is needed.

You can read this http://healthimpactnews.com/20.....s-it/. Google why is fever a good thing for more reading.

BinahYeteirah

Sun, Oct 11 2015, 10:47 pm

I can only speak for myself, but I don't generally give acetaminophen or ibuprofen because a fever is part of the body's effort to fight off an infection. As long as the fever is not a dangerous fever (too high, for example), the fever actually helps the immune system work more effectively. In addition, I think it's easier to see how an illness is progressing if the symptoms are not being artificially suppressed.

Jeanette

Sun, Oct 11 2015, 10:52 pm

While there definitely is truth to the idea that fever is beneficial to a degree, so is sleep, fluids and the child feeling comfortable. So if the child is uncomfortable or in pain due to the fever to the point that it's interfering with his sleep or he won't drink, I will give Tylenol to bring down the fever. In everything, moderation and common sense is key.

Ema of 5

Sun, Oct 11 2015, 10:56 pm

Jeanette wrote:

My general rule is to treat the child, not the symptoms. A kid could have 103, but be acting perfectly fine, in which case I would not give Tylenol. A kid could have 100, but be absolutely miserable, in which case I WOULD give.

miami85

Sun, Oct 11 2015, 11:08 pm

amother wrote:

I was always really bad about taking medicine when I was sick not liking the false-feeling of feeling better, but then someone I trust told me that taking medicine allows the body to not get so run down so it can better fight the infection more efficiently, and now I'm more proactive about taking medication.
That said, doctors are now more cautious about the abuse of the "safest drug", I.e. Tylenol and the devastating effects it can have on the liver.

Hashem_Yaazor

Mon, Oct 12 2015, 8:50 am

I don't treat a fever solely because there is a fever. I will give ibuprofen (babies over 6 months) over Tylenol if a child is miserable and not eating/drinking or in pain -- Tylenol has been shown to reduce glutathione, which is helpful to fight infection in the immune system: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/......html
But for fevers unaccompanied by pain? I let those ride out and do their job killing off what it needs to kill off.

simchat

Mon, Oct 12 2015, 9:10 am

Another one for using common sense. When my oldest was a baby, I'd really try to hold off giving meds. Once I was at my sil and my baby was crying all evening because she was teething and I`d rock her, hold her, pace the floors with her, until at one point, my sil said 'if you were in pain, would you take something?'

That`s when it hit me - babies are tiny little human beings. It`s all very well saying it's for her own good, healthier etc, but I can't stand being in pain so why should they? Like some of the other posters, if I feel they're not bothered by their fever and it's not dangerously high, then I'd hold off (at least until bedtime lol). Otherwise, I'd give them some relief.

Another thing to maybe consider, is frequency - tG my kids don't get sick often, so I don't feel it's bad giving them pain/fever relief, but if your child is the type to need tylenol every second day, I'd maybe look in to alternatives.

amother

Taupe

Mon, Oct 12 2015, 9:23 am

miami85 wrote:

On the contrary, I found that when taking medication, one feels fine, but internally the body is still fighting something, and one is MORE likely to stress out the body without realizing. When someone is not feeling well, their body is telling them to slow down by feeling sluggish, loss of appetite, etc. If you listen to your body while not feeling well, it will usually tell you to rest, sleep, and drink. However, if you mask your body's symptoms with medication, it is likely to take longer to heal and feel all the way better.

amother

Floralwhite

Mon, Oct 12 2015, 5:50 pm

I'm the OP of the np thread.
The reason I didn't give meds is because my baby showed no other signs of distress. He simply had a fever.
Believe me I have common sense. I know to look for other symptoms and treat as necessary. In this case I wanted to bring the fever down as it was going on for a day and wanted him to sleep well at night. (He did. I gave him nothing ).
I also don't take meds myself unless I will otherwise get really sick. I bare the pain of headaches, colds and sore throats and the occasional flu. I used to take meds when unwell but I was getting sick so frequently. I was advised to try other methods of natural healing and bh I very rarely get sick now.
Because of my own experience and also the information some above posters have said I tend not to give meds unless I have literally tried all other avenues.
Just to clarify my baby was not in any obvious pain. Discomfort perhaps but not medicine worthy imo and as his mother I made that choice.

amother

Black

Mon, Oct 12 2015, 6:17 pm

I was at my mother in law for Yom Tov. Both My baby and a nephew were not feeling well. I kept my baby comfortable and believe me she was a full time job. I didn't give her pain reliever and the result was she didn't wanna eat anything and just wanted to sleep. She got over that virus or cold or whatever it was so fast bH. Take the child who's on pain reliever. He now has energy to run and play and eat and doesn't let his body rest and heal. Very simple reasoning. Except for the unhealthy or healthy aspect of Tylenol.

amother

Taupe

Mon, Oct 12 2015, 6:22 pm

Jeanette wrote:

IME, fever itself does not usually cause pain. When my child had a broken foot, I gave pain reliever. Same with when child had hand and foot virus. For a teething child, I would hold and nurse as often as necessary. If things were really bad, I'd rather smear Oragel (or vodka) than use Tylenol.

devo1982

Mon, Oct 12 2015, 6:51 pm

A) Fevers are beneficial as long as they do not reach dangerous levels.
B) Acetaminophen can be very lethal, very quickly. It has killed people - I know someone from another online community who recently lost her cousin because he accidentally overdosed on acetaminophen during a simple cold.
http://articles.mercola.com/si......aspx
https://www.propublica.org/art.....ected

Ibuprofen can also cause issues (gastric bleeding, I believe), but Tylenol makes me downright scared.

sky

Mon, Oct 12 2015, 8:11 pm

devo1982 wrote:

Everything in life has to be done with moderation and careful.
Iron poisoning is the common cause of death in young children, and yet many people still take iron supplements...

eschaya

Mon, Oct 12 2015, 8:37 pm

Tylenol is safe, when taken as directed (right dose, wait appropriate elapsed time before redosing). It doesn't have significant side effects, but the "lethal" part is its toxicity, ie if too much is taken. So as long as a responsible adult is in charge of dosing, you may as well give it. Of course, keep tylenol, like all meds, high up and never let kids take on their own.
Like many said above, there is nothing inherently dangerous about a normal high fever, so if there are no symptoms then no need to treat it. But I feel like it's cruel to a young child to withold pain/symptom relief based on a parent's natural beliefs.
While we keep on mentioning how "beneficial" or harmless fevers are, please keep in mind that very high fevers can become dangerous and need to be treated even in the absence of symptoms. Especially in young kids, very high fevers can cause seizures, and a really high fever means that the body may have lost some of its autoregulatory capabilities. Remember, fevers are an indicator that something is going on inside the body.
Also, keep in mind that the threshold for "high fever" is different for newborns, babies, and kids.

Hashem_Yaazor

Mon, Oct 12 2015, 8:41 pm

Febrile seizures are usually caused by rapid increase in temperature, not the amount of fever itself. In fact, giving medication to a child to reduce fever and having it wear off before the next dose may lead to this rapid rise and resulting seizures (not that those seizures are harmful, but they are scary nonetheless).

amother

Black

Mon, Oct 12 2015, 10:36 pm

eschaya wrote:

Those seizures aren't harmful.