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Child Having Temperature And Given Tylenol. How To Reduce The Fever?
Question: My granddaughter has a temp of 103.6 and has no insurance so we need to know what we should do to bring it down . She has had this going on for three days now we give her Tylenol every four hours and it brings it down for a while but it goes right back up. My daughter called the doctor and he told her it could go up to 105 and nothing would happen.
Brief Answer:
Tepid sponging will help.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query, I understand your concern for your granddaughter.
In high fevers, the best way to bring down temperature is by doing tepid sponging. You can take normal tap water that is at room temperature, the water should not be too cold, it should ideally be at room temperature (around 25 degrees Celsius), dip a towel and keep wiping all over repeatedly till the temperature comes down to normal.
If the temperature is shooting back up soon after giving Tylenol, I suspect the dose you are giving may not be sufficient enough for your child. The dosage is 15 mg per kg of body weight (Each time) given at an interval of 4 to 6 hours. I hope you will be able to calculate how much that will come to. You should continue giving Tylenol for two days and see if there is any improvement.
But the problem is, Tylenol does not cure a problem, it is only a symptomatic measure. We need to find the real reason for fever, it is most commonly due to a viral fever, but it could well be bacterial infection too, in which case a course of proper antibiotics would most certainly help, but for this course of action we certainly have to confirm that the infection is bacterial, which can be done by doing some blood work like, complete blood counts, urine exam, blood culture, urine culture.
If things don't improve I would urge you to do these tests in consultation with her pediatrician.
I sincerely hope this information is of help to you. You are welcome to ask any more questions you might have or to clarify any doubts.
Wishing your granddaughter a speedy recovery.
Warm regards.
Tepid sponging will help.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query, I understand your concern for your granddaughter.
In high fevers, the best way to bring down temperature is by doing tepid sponging. You can take normal tap water that is at room temperature, the water should not be too cold, it should ideally be at room temperature (around 25 degrees Celsius), dip a towel and keep wiping all over repeatedly till the temperature comes down to normal.
If the temperature is shooting back up soon after giving Tylenol, I suspect the dose you are giving may not be sufficient enough for your child. The dosage is 15 mg per kg of body weight (Each time) given at an interval of 4 to 6 hours. I hope you will be able to calculate how much that will come to. You should continue giving Tylenol for two days and see if there is any improvement.
But the problem is, Tylenol does not cure a problem, it is only a symptomatic measure. We need to find the real reason for fever, it is most commonly due to a viral fever, but it could well be bacterial infection too, in which case a course of proper antibiotics would most certainly help, but for this course of action we certainly have to confirm that the infection is bacterial, which can be done by doing some blood work like, complete blood counts, urine exam, blood culture, urine culture.
If things don't improve I would urge you to do these tests in consultation with her pediatrician.
I sincerely hope this information is of help to you. You are welcome to ask any more questions you might have or to clarify any doubts.
Wishing your granddaughter a speedy recovery.
Warm regards.
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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