Talk to me about Tylenol

[mom2lucy]

DD1 is almost 3 and has never had any sort of medication.  We used homeopathic teething gel when she was a baby and it worked like a charm.  DD2 is now 8.5 mo. and having MAJOR sleep issues (as most are at this age).  She really seems like she's in pain and the teething gel really does nothing for her. 

I bought infant ibuprofen and I've gotten so close to giving it to her a few times but I just can't bring myself to do it.  But I don't know what's worse-not giving her a drug, or allowing her to stay in (apparant) pain and get no sleep.

So I guess my question is what is your experience with pain relievers-do you use them/how often/does it help, etc.

Any insight would be appreciated!!

[Knitting Mama]

Well, infant ibuprofen is different from infant acetaminophen, for one thing. They are processed differently in the body, and some people feel more strongly about one or the other. We use either one over here, because we use them so rarely that I'm not too worried about the way her body metabolizes them. If we used them more often, I might have a concern.

Anyway, I only use a pain killer when Cecilia is clearly not herself and is displaying signs of being in pain. It generally only happens when she's going to sleep so she can get her restful sleep and feel better faster.

[whozeyermamma]

I've used infant ibuprofin for DS - a few times for teething and once for a 103.9 fever after he got one of his vaccines. I use it sparingly - like last night I gave it to him but not tonight - just seemed much worse last night than today. Each time it's worked really well - no bad side effects.

I've used them exactly for those reasons - if he's seriously in pain, I feel like I can tell when he needs it.

Cecilia's Mama - what are the differences in metabolizing ibuprofin vs. acetaminophin?

[tzs]

absolutely positively i would use it if they were in pain. if i as an adult had major tooth pain (and even ancient biblical wisdom stuff says that teething pain is so bad an adult couldn't take it) i woudl either take something or have it taken care of asap at the dentist. a babe just has to live with it.

they do somehow work differently so that you can alternate the two before the time limit is up on the first (tylenol then motrin after only 2 hours instead of 4) if pain is severe i know that overdose is easier with ibuprofin so tylenol is often the go-to drug but if you're conscienscious ibuprofin is fine (and also works better on swelling than tylenol.)

i'm not anti-med by any means but imo helping you kiddo through some serious pain is NOT something to feel the least bit bad about. 

[greenemami]

I hardly ever use pain meds-it is not uncommon to find unopened bottles of tylenol etc. that have long expired because we bought it just in case and never used it!  But it is funny I came across this post today b/c I just gave ds (10.5 months old) some ibuprofen because his teething pain was so bad he couldn't even nurse.  I think a lot of peopel give tylenol for every little thing and it gets a bad name that way, but I also believe that a child who is screaming in pain deserves some meds.  I did try the homeopathic and natural remedies first and will continue to do so, but medication does have its place.

[mom2lucy]

Thanks for the replies already!  I was wondering if any of you may know if I give her homeopathic teething gel first, then want to give the meds later if there is a problem?  The night that I seriously considered giving her the meds was after she'd already had 2 doses of teething gel.

Thanks for the advise and I look forward to any more!

[KempsMama]

I look at it this way.  If I had a pain, and I tried natural remedies and they did not work, would I suffer or would I take some pain meds? If the answer for me would be meds, then the answer for my child is meds. 

[greenemami]

Originally Posted by mom2lucy 

Thanks for the replies already!  I was wondering if any of you may know if I give her homeopathic teething gel first, then want to give the meds later if there is a problem?  The night that I seriously considered giving her the meds was after she'd already had 2 doses of teething gel.

Thanks for the advise and I look forward to any more!

 Well, this isn't medical advice, but yes, I would (and have) used both at the same time and feel comfortable doing so.

[Knitting Mama]

Originally Posted by whozeyermamma 

I've used infant ibuprofin for DS - a few times for teething and once for a 103.9 fever after he got one of his vaccines. I use it sparingly - like last night I gave it to him but not tonight - just seemed much worse last night than today. Each time it's worked really well - no bad side effects.

I've used them exactly for those reasons - if he's seriously in pain, I feel like I can tell when he needs it.

Cecilia's Mama - what are the differences in metabolizing ibuprofin vs. acetaminophin?

I'm not a doctor, but if I recall correctly, acetaminophen is metabolized by the liver, and ibuprofen by the kidneys.

[Snapdragon]

 I know we cannot share any medical advice here- but my thing I wonder about this is how often to give it to ds- I mean- he is 10 months so he is getting lots of teeth right now. So on those nights when he is freaking out- and all of his other needs have been met and tended- it seems like he might be in pain - then I feel like I want to give him some pain meds. But then what if that happens like 2 times a week? That seems like too often! or whatever amount- just a random idea- I just don't know how to know if it warrants the pain meds- mostly because I don't really know how bad of an effect they could have on his kidney or liver. so it is kind of a shot in the dark- I obviously know not to give him anywhere near the maximum dosage- usually we will do one dosage, occasionally a second if he really needs it but 90% of the time only one dosage. But then what if we do that 2 days in a row, and then a week later we do it again? I don't know how to know how often is really safe. I know they badly effect the liver or kidneys- but then because it is infant tylenol or ibuprofen, is the dammage to the organs proportional? Like the same amount as if an adult took a dosage of adult pain meds? Or is it much more? Just things I wonder about- how to know how often is actually safe, and what the side effects actually are.

[Knitting Mama]

My take on it is that even a couple of times a week-- or even a day-- won't do too much damage, because it's not a couple of times a week indefinitely. But that's just how I see it. I can't stand to see my daughter in pain, so I will give it to her if she's clearly miserable even if I gave it to her that day already. She's not pretending, yanno?

[mom2lucy]

Thanks again for the replies.  This has got me thinking about a lot of my choices-now that I'm on #2 I'm definitely considering things that I never did with #1 (like the meds).  But part of my problem is that (at least in my mind) I want to do things all natural, and all AP.  So I'm proud to say that my first daughter never had formula, medication, vaccines, TV, etc.  But I find myself looking at other things for #2 (even supplementing with an occational bottle of formula since my milk supply is LOW), and that idea just bothers me. 

I just want to make sure I always do what I think is truly best for them, not just following some pre-set ideals that I established before I even had kids.

Just thinking out loud, thanks for listening!!

[Laurski]

My 5 month old daughter is in the midst of some pretty gnarly teething and when the teething gel and cold washcloth don't work we use infant acetaminophen.  My husband was actually singing the praises of it last night when, after a lengthy attempt to soothe her, we finally gave her the acetaminophen and after about 10 minutes she was slowly drifting back to sleep...

I actually asked my doctor about giving the Bean it too often, b/c a few weeks ago she had a spiking fever for a few days and we were using it when her fever was over 101.  My doc said that they don't sell bottles large enough that would allow you to overdose a baby.  Obviously several bottles at once would be a different story...

I agree with what a PP said about the use of the acetaminophen only being a temporary thing.  I hate seeing the Bean in pain (as we all obviously do for our babes!), and since I can't explain to her that she will feel better soon and have her understand it (and since I would imagine it's actually disorienting, and quite upsetting, for a baby to feel pain that s/he can't stop or logically identify the cause), I figure the least I can do is try to ameliorate it the best I can in the short term.

Anyway, that's what works for us...

[P.J.]

Originally Posted by Cecilia's Mama 

My take on it is that even a couple of times a week-- or even a day-- won't do too much damage, because it's not a couple of times a week indefinitely. But that's just how I see it. I can't stand to see my daughter in pain, so I will give it to her if she's clearly miserable even if I gave it to her that day already. She's not pretending, yanno?

I feel the same way. While I appreciate and agree with keeping as much allopathic medicine out of a baby's body as long as possible, that is totally overridden when he is screaming in pain. I cannot just sit there and let him suffer knowing there's something I could give him that would ease his pain.

So far the homeopathic stuff seems to help for mild teething grumpiness, but there were a few nights when he got that very first tooth that he was really upset so we gave him Tylenol and it worked like a charm. Luckily since then the other teeth haven't been so bad.

[tzs]

Originally Posted by mom2lucy 

Thanks again for the replies.  This has got me thinking about a lot of my choices-now that I'm on #2 I'm definitely considering things that I never did with #1 (like the meds).  But part of my problem is that (at least in my mind) I want to do things all natural, and all AP.  So I'm proud to say that my first daughter never had formula, medication, vaccines, TV, etc.  But I find myself looking at other things for #2 (even supplementing with an occational bottle of formula since my milk supply is LOW), and that idea just bothers me. 

I just want to make sure I always do what I think is truly best for them, not just following some pre-set ideals that I established before I even had kids.

Just thinking out loud, thanks for listening!!

well, i'd say that every kid is different and every situation is different so you do what's best for the moment for that kid. i do know what you're talking about, though, as i'm pregnant with #2 and wonder if i'll feel guilty if i don't do everything for her/him that i did for dd. but then i do know that there's things that the newbie will experience that dd didn't.....i'll HAVE to babywear more often, he/she will have more general household stimulation with two kids, i'll have readjusted some view that maybe didn't work. 

[SeattleRain]

Originally Posted by mom2lucy 

Thanks again for the replies.  This has got me thinking about a lot of my choices-now that I'm on #2 I'm definitely considering things that I never did with #1 (like the meds).  But part of my problem is that (at least in my mind) I want to do things all natural, and all AP.  So I'm proud to say that my first daughter never had formula, medication, vaccines, TV, etc.  But I find myself looking at other things for #2 (even supplementing with an occational bottle of formula since my milk supply is LOW), and that idea just bothers me. 

I just want to make sure I always do what I think is truly best for them, not just following some pre-set ideals that I established before I even had kids.

Just thinking out loud, thanks for listening!!

I think we all deal with things like this. I know that I do. It's important to realize that you are parenting YOUR child, not some hypothetical child in the Dr. Sears Baby Book. I've found it helpful to stop thinking about AP as a sense of pride or as badges of honor. Once you take the "pride" away, you take some of the pressure away from yourself. Not ever giving your baby medication is an admirable goal, but not a goal so worth pursuing that you should listen to your baby scream in pain. The same with formula, I think. Never giving your baby formula is a great thing to do, but it's not the end of the world if they get a bottle of formula as long as your nursing relationship is well established. It sounds like you're already thinking like this, which I think is the first step. You might find once you take the pressure off yourself, you'll stop second guessing things.