Well, tylenol and ibuprofen won't "kick" the virus. It will treat the symptom of the fever, but a temp of 99-101 isn't high. I like elderberry syrup (Sambucol), echinacea tincture, and sodium ascorbate for immune support.
Unnamed virus going around
My son is 22, almost 23 months. Since Friday he has had a fever which has stayed between 99 and 101...i've given him motrin which has worked immediately but then 4-6 hrs later he is complacent and whiny with his fever back up. I called pediatrician last night and nurse said that there is a mystery virus going around that is lasting 3-7 days with these symptoms. Said Memorial Day weekend she was on call and in 10 hrs had 98 calls about kids with the same symptoms. She said to give him 1 & 1/2 tsp motrin every 6 and 1 1/2 tylenol every 8. Seems like a lot of drugage to give a little one. She said this is the only way that has been found to kick the virus. Anyone have thoughts? I have no idea what alternatives to these over the counter meds are but they seem to knock it back each time. I just hope it doesn't take long. Thanks!
1 - 20 of 22 Posts
I agree with Emily. The only time I use Motrin is if the kid is too miserable to sleep at night. I avoif Tylenol completely. Haven't bought any for years.
I would not do tylenol or ibuprofen. Again, they will do nothing to "kick" the virus. The only thing to do is wait it out. Fever HELPS the body fight off viruses and bacteria.
-Angela
-Angela
So glad to see this thread. My 7 month old is suffering from something similar- feverish and uncomfortable for about 24 hrs now.
So far, I have just nurse, nurse, nursed her. I've been trying to drink a lot of water and am taking a bunch of Vit C and garlic, which is what I do whenever I am sick.
I did give her a dose of Ibuprofen last night so she could sleep a bit more comfortably for a while, we also don't do tylenol.
Does this seem reasonable to everyone? I don't want to just run off to the Dr or ER because I suspect they will torture her with urinalysis, blood tests, possible spinal tap. And harass me about her vax status.
At what point WOULD people suggest taking a baby in with an only symptom of fever/ irritability?
So far, I have just nurse, nurse, nursed her. I've been trying to drink a lot of water and am taking a bunch of Vit C and garlic, which is what I do whenever I am sick.
I did give her a dose of Ibuprofen last night so she could sleep a bit more comfortably for a while, we also don't do tylenol.
Does this seem reasonable to everyone? I don't want to just run off to the Dr or ER because I suspect they will torture her with urinalysis, blood tests, possible spinal tap. And harass me about her vax status.
At what point WOULD people suggest taking a baby in with an only symptom of fever/ irritability?
I would be concerned about how the heck the nurse can assume he has this "mystery virus" without ever seeing the child. If the fever lasts longer than a week or it gets worse, I would bring him in. I would like to rule out possible causes for the fever before it was deemed a "mystery." I would ride out a low grade fever, but my son recently had a low grade fever which spiked so I took him in. The doc diagnosed him with an ear infection, but by the next day his fever got to 106 and he was very lethargic. Motrin wasn't even taking his temp down. At the Urgent Care, he not only had double ear infections, but strep and pneumonia. The doctor the day before never even checked for anything beyond the ear infection.
my additional instructions were that if his fever got to 104 (which it hasn't) to put him in a tepid bath and be sure to keep his head wet, if it got to 105 to call them back. I am learning as I go here. Please educate me on the distaste for tylenol. I usually use motrin when there is a high fever which has not been that often. Letting him ride it out has not worked at all. I tried that the first day. He got visibly pink and was very upset and uncomfortable. I have actually only used the tylenol one time, somehow instinctively i feel more comfortable with the motrin and it's results. As long as his temp stays low, I will do motrin and try the suggested others. I definately would not take chances with my son. If he still has a temp monday, I will take him to the doctor. I do realize that "kick it" was poor termonology. I am looking forward to his body kicking it and him feeling better!
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard Tylenol can reek havoc on the liver easier than Motrin.
Both are bad for the liver; apparently tylenol is a bit worse (but perhaps this is just good marketing on the part of the motrin folks?)...
And hopefully you never have to, but Motrin is not at all approved for children under 6 months of age. If you absolutely need to give something to a baby under six months, use tylenol. Motrin hasn't been tested on babes under 6 months and is not approved for use for them...
When my baby girl was 6 weeks old we had a really bad experience with double ear infections, which quickly became Bronchiolitis... I hate to give her anything but tylenol was a life-saver and really comforted her so she could nurse and sleep... now she is a plump, healthy 5.5 month-old...
And hopefully you never have to, but Motrin is not at all approved for children under 6 months of age. If you absolutely need to give something to a baby under six months, use tylenol. Motrin hasn't been tested on babes under 6 months and is not approved for use for them...
When my baby girl was 6 weeks old we had a really bad experience with double ear infections, which quickly became Bronchiolitis... I hate to give her anything but tylenol was a life-saver and really comforted her so she could nurse and sleep... now she is a plump, healthy 5.5 month-old...
DS had what sounds like the same thing last week. He had a fever for 3 or 4 days off and on, never more than 101.3. I did give him Tylenol once, but mostly I just made sure he was hydrated and tried to get him to eat if he wanted. He didn't eat very much and slept a whole lot but he's fine now. I agree that a fever helps the body fight infection, and no medication is going to kill a virus. What a weird thing to say! Listen to your instincts. If you think he's really sick, take him in instead of calling. If you think it's just a virus then keep him hydrated as much as possible and let it run it's course.
Tylenol is hard on the liver. Ibuprofen is hard on the kidneys. Pick your posion. Quite literally.
I do not medicate fevers. Period. I would medicate pain or severe discomfort.
I do use warm baths to lower high fevers.
Dd has run 104 several times and 105 once.
-Angela
I do not medicate fevers. Period. I would medicate pain or severe discomfort.
I do use warm baths to lower high fevers.
Dd has run 104 several times and 105 once.
-Angela
My youngest dd has had this same "mystery virus" for about a week. I took her to the doctor finally on Wed after a number of days of fever and a crabby baby. He said nothing to do but wait it out. She finally got a yucky nose yesterday, so I hope it's on its way out. I gave ibuprofen a few times when she was really miserable and it helped her to calm down and sleep. Body aches maybe?
Quote:
I have never used either on any of my kids, nor would I. The fever is essential, bringing it down will prolong the illness as the body still has to kill of whatever it is that is making it sick.
We do use homeopathy to deal with the discomfort aspect.
Originally Posted by alegna  Tylenol is hard on the liver. Ibuprofen is hard on the kidneys. Pick your posion. Quite literally. I do not medicate fevers. Period. I would medicate pain or severe discomfort. I do use warm baths to lower high fevers. Dd has run 104 several times and 105 once. -Angela |
We do use homeopathy to deal with the discomfort aspect.
I thought for sure this thing was gone...Ryan sleeps with us and didn't get warm or uncomfortable thru the night, but after he woke up around 8:30 he got whiney and had a temp again. I think I'll let him ride the fever today and see what happens. He has not had any body aches as I can tell. My husband saw him grab his ear one time but I have not seen it since or before husband did. I still have not been doing tylenol, just gave him a hair of motrin this am and he perked up. I think we'll plan on a day of elmo and books and whiney time in bed. Thank goodness I am able to be home with him on these kinds of days. Thank you for your time and attention!
My ped told me to take Sambucol so that my son would get it through my breastmilk.
does it matter whether i give him the kid version or the regular?
Did they look in his throat? It sounds similar to coxsackie virus to me: http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/inf...coxsackie.html
It can create spots on the hands and feet, but when dd had it, her only visible symptom I could see was a very high fever and refusal to eat any solids. She nursed like mad though. At the ped, they shined a light into her throat, and then we could see little blisters. It was hard to see them at home though; the flashlight was too big to shine into a small child's throat. If it's that, you just ride it out. We used ibuprofen at night so she could rest, and the first day or two, a dose during the day so she could nap.
It can create spots on the hands and feet, but when dd had it, her only visible symptom I could see was a very high fever and refusal to eat any solids. She nursed like mad though. At the ped, they shined a light into her throat, and then we could see little blisters. It was hard to see them at home though; the flashlight was too big to shine into a small child's throat. If it's that, you just ride it out. We used ibuprofen at night so she could rest, and the first day or two, a dose during the day so she could nap.
My 17m dd had a fever (her first one ever!! ahh!) from Friday to Sunday... she seems okay now. She didn't really act too differently than normal, just more snuggly and maybe a bit whiny.. I didn't give her anything, nursed lots, water, popsicles and juice diluted with water to keep her hydrated. I wonder if this too was teh mystery virus?? I think they just call things virus when they have no idea. Kids get sick sometimes.. it's life, eh?
1 - 20 of 22 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Mothering Forum
A forum community dedicated to all mothers and inclusive family living enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about nurturing, health, behavior, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Recommended Communities
