I posted Friday about my DDs broken elbow. (I updated that post, btw to anyone who cares... Her orthopedic doctor told me to absolutely report the pediatrician.)
She was prescribed Hydrocodone for pain, but only to be given if I couldn't control her pain with over the counter meds.
So far, she has been doing well with OTC. Actually, she has barely been needing even that. My question is, should I be giving her JUST Tylenol, JUST Ibuprofen, or alternating the two? I'm not sure what the difference between the two are. The doctor just told me to use what seemed to work best, but she doesn't really seem to respond to one more than the other.
She has only been having a little pain. Yesterday, she only needed two doses of medicine. (I gave her one of each...) today, she didn't need anything at all until we got home from the orthopedic office, after they had to manipulate her arm a little for a clearer x-ray, and hasn't needed anything since in the 8 hours we have been done with that... So I'm more wondering if I should give her the same thing every day, or switch what I give her on different days. Not so much rotating on the same day. :)
Ibuprofen, helps with pain AND inflammation/swelling.
Tylenol, helps with pain and also fever etc.
So, they are not the same.
Please read this: Hydrocodone and Acetaminophen
http://kidshealth.org/parent/medications/hydrocodone_and_...
Ask a Pharmacist.
And the thing is: DOES she have, pain? A lot? Or just a little? She may not need pain meds. Or does, per the level of her pain.
You can actually use oth Tylenol and Ibuprofen at the same time but in the following sequence.....you dose the Tylenol first and two hours later, you dose the Ibuprofen. Tylenol is a pain killer and Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory. They are not in the same class of medications and they both function differently in the body. Tylenol is a nerve signal blocker and works to dull the pain receptors in the brain to stop or lessen the pain response. Ibuprofen is an anti inflammatory and works by quelling the inflammatory response in soft tissue and muscle which helps to control pain triggers that then excite pain receptors in nerves and the brain. Both drugs can be used in unison as long as you dose them like I suggested above. It is a great over the counter way to combat pain and also give a nasty fever a real kick in the pants! Just remember one thing.....it is very hard to control pain of any kind once it starts. By the time that occurs, the body has already geared itself up and has to now talk itself off the cliff. Preventing pain is the key. If the pain never gets to a bad level, it never will. You use less medication this way in the long run and the pain response never triggers. My mother is a cardiac surgeon and my oldest daughter is a Verterinary Medicine student so I have been fortunate enough to learn from each of them and put the advice and instruction to good use. I am so happy to hear our daughter is doing well with her injury. That is a real blessing!
Hi, M.,
Thanks for the update! I went back and read it. :)
Glad to hear the OTC meds are working for your daughter. Definitely alternate between the two meds. LeeLee is spot on with her post. Plus, when you alternate, *IF* your daughter is having a really painful day, you can overlap the times without worrying....meaning instead of having to wait the normal 6 hours for ibuprofen, you could give the next dose of Tylenol earlier and you won't have to worry about overdosing. Of course this isn't something you'd want to do all the time, but our pediatrician once had a us alternate the correct dosage every TWO hours between acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen for two days to break a major fever in one of our kiddos (age 3 at the time). Obviously, this is not the norm....I'm just throwing it out there so you know that a little overlapping should not be a problem if you need to do it.
As with any post about medical issues, if you really want the doctor's say, then give him/her a call to see. Most doctor's offices will have a nurse call you back pretty quickly.
We always rotate, per our doctor since Tylenol can affect the liver. Like Advil, Tylenol reduces fevers, aches and pains. But, it doesn't reduce inflammation.
Advil is good for: headaches, toothaches, menstrual pain, minor aches, arthritis pain, fever, muscles, joints and backaches.
ETA: Yes, it is true that overlapping is not an issue. Our doctor told us that if we were to administer Tylenol and notice that it is not working, then Ibuprofin can be given with no problem and with no need to wait until the Tylenol has worn off.
I only rotate in cases of major pain or high fever where one medicine isn't holding from dose to dose. To save my sanity and not have to track 4 hour and 6 hour intervals I usually do every three hours - so Tylenol at 9 AM, Advil at noon, Tylenol at 3, Advil at 6, etc.
If she can manage on just one OTC and go for four or 6 hours, just pick one. I usually default to Tylenol for little kids because it's gentler on the stomach. Then stretch out the doses of those until she doesn't need anything at all.
Sounds like she's doing great - it's amazing how resilient the little ones are!
