Many medical providers recommend alternating acetaminophen and ibuprofen for better fever control. Studies suggest there may be a slight improvement in fever control when using both medications; however, there is also an increased chance the child will accidentally be given an overdose of one or both medicines, especially if more than one person is giving the child medication. If you choose to alternate acetaminophen and ibuprofen, alternate them every 4 hours.
For example, give acetaminophen at noon, ibuprofen at 4pm, acetaminophen at 8pm, and so on. If more than one person will be giving medications, keeping a written schedule may help reduce dosing errors. There is absolutely no evidence that giving acetaminophen and ibuprofen at the same time helps to control the fever.
This practice can also lead to significant medication overdoses thus is not safe. Oral dosing recommendations on the packages of medications are most often given in weight or age ranges. This can lead to under-dosing or slight over-dosing. We recommend ibuprofen to be given at 10mg per kilogram of weight about 10mg for every 2 pounds every hours or acetaminophen at 15mg per kilogram of weight every hours. Acetaminophen can also be given as a rectal suppository, but they are available in a limited selection of doses.
Suppositories should not be split to modify the dose because the medication may not be suspended equally throughout the suppository, so one portion may have more medication than another. This limits the usefulness of the suppositories. It is not true that suppositories work better or faster than oral medication.
Ibuprofen is not available in suppository form in the U. To sum it all up, whether they have fever or pain, we use acetaminophen and ibuprofen to make our children feel better. With a few exceptions, both medications are safe to use when given in appropriate doses and with appropriate timing.
Ibuprofen may be better than acetaminophen for injuries or illnesses that also involve pain and inflammation or for higher fevers. There is no need to alternate the two medications for fever. Keep it simple and use which ever medication seems to work better. Like us! Before giving ibuprofen to your child? Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if your child has any of the following conditions. Precautions may need to be taken with this medicine if your child has: asthma kidney or liver problems stomach ulcers or inflammatory disease bleeding or blood clotting problems heart failure or high blood pressure.
How to give the medication. How should you give your child ibuprofen? Follow these instructions when giving your child ibuprofen: Give this medicine with food to prevent upset stomach. Chewable tablets may be crushed and mixed with food or chewed.
These should not be swallowed whole. A liquid drops, suspension is available if your child cannot swallow pills. Shake suspension well before use. Children who have feeding tubes can also use the liquid. Flush the feeding tube before and after medicine is given. Measure liquid doses carefully. Use the measuring device that comes with the medicine. If none is available, get an oral syringe, a medicine dropper, a medicine spoon, or a medicine cup only for older children from your pharmacist.
What to do for a missed dose. What should you do if your child misses a dose of ibuprofen? Give the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose.
Give the next dose at the regular time. Wait at least 6 hours between doses. Do not give your child two doses to make up for one missed dose. How long does it take to work. How long does ibuprofen take to work? Both ibuprofen and acetaminophen can control pain in kids.
But ibuprofen tends to work better as a fever reducer. When used responsibly, ibuprofen and acetaminophen are safe choices for turning down the dial on fever and pain. Trying to decide between ibuprofen and acetaminophen? An experts explains when you should take which medication and why. Learn more about vaccine availability.
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