Tylenol/ibuprofen

How old is she?
If I remember right, tylenol can be given every 4 hours. For ibuprofen it is every 6-8 hours. So you would stagger them so that you are giving alternate medications. For example: if you gave tylenol at noon, then give ibuprofen at 1:30 pm, then tylenol again at 4pm, then you wouldn't be able to give the ibuprofen again until 7:30 pm (6-8 hrs AFTER 1:30 pm). Then tylenol again at 8 pm... But that is just an example. You would probably hold off on the tylenol a little longer with that dose until maybe 10 pm, just so she is getting meds in more evenly spaced intervals.

Personally, I never give medication for a fever until it has peaked. That way I know how high it goes (which can be indicative of what is causing it) or unless it goes up to 103. I figure it is doing what it is supposed to do by being elevated. They aren't really miserable until it goes up around 102 or more anyway. They might feel a little yucky- but a popsicle, a blanket and the TV/DVD remote and some doting from me usually helps with that.

But really, it is important how old they are. My kids are older (9 & 12), so I can be a little more relaxed about it. If your child is under age 2, then I would seriously keep a close watch and put in a call to your doctor's office (do they have a service?). Is there anything else going on with her? My son had a "run of the mill" fever last spring, and a cough. Nothing severe. Just a cold. But after he went to bed on Sunday night his temp went up and his breathing rate was really faster than it should have been with just a regular fever. Took him to the doc the next morning first thing-- double pneumonia. He'd had a cough all of 48 hours.

But yes, if the fever is high and not responding to medication, you can (generally speaking) alternate giving ibuprofen and acetaminephin (sp?). Just be sure you WRITE DOWN the time you gave each medication (Advil 5:00 pm; Tylenol 7 pm; etc). That way you won't misjudge how long between dosings, which could be dangerous.

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My pedi said to piggyback motrin/tylenol every 3 hrs. Tylenol just doesn't work well for my kids. Not too sure why but motrin does. They are different so you aren't overdosing or anything like that. Hope she feels better!

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Yes every 3 hours is fine as long as you're switching back and forth. My husband is a pharmacist and we do this with both our kids if they have a fever they can't kick. It really will help to bring it down. If you can get more water in her that will help too!

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I have done tylenol and then ibprofen every 4 hours. You just can not exceed the one medicine limit. Meaning if tylenol says take every 6 hours and ibprofren says take every 8 hours then give tylenol and 4 hours later, give ibprofen, then tylenol after 4 more hours. You have not exceeded the 2 doses of tylenol because you have only given it 2 times in 12 hours. Make sense? Sorry it is easier to say then type out. :)

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You can either give them together or alternate them. They have different ingredients so you don't have to worry there. But the ibuprofen can only be given every 6 hours whereas tylenol every 4. When my kids were little at bedtime I would hit them with a dose of tylenol and ibuprofen at the same time, then if needed, tylenol 4 hrs later and ibuprofen 2 hours after that.

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Liquid Advil or Motrin is what my ped always had me alternate with Tylenol. Call a pharmacist and ask the dosage for your child's weight.

I used to call it Liquid Gold because it would work when Tylenol alone wouldn't.

Best to your daughter.

D.

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I'd give her motrin now. Then just follow the dosages for each until her fever breaks. My baby had a febrile seizure this past January, so I'm pretty sensitive right now about treating her fever if it gets to 103. Keep checking it overnight - sorry you probably won't sleep much tonight. If she's medicated and it's still climbing, place a call to your pediatrician. If she reaches 104.5, head to the er. Keep an eye on this - set an alarm if you have to so you don't sleep through a fever spike.

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It's very easy... their 'modes of action' are different... so you just dose them both together. Tylenol every 4, Ibuprofen every 6. You can also alternate them, but you don't have to. They're as effective as they normally are alone when alternating, but they're more effective when doubling up.

I only ever double tap for stubborn/resistant fevers (like what you have, still rising and rising strong under one or the other). When I've already double tapped and can't get it below 102.5ish I call the nurse's hotline through our hospital and get the "real" dose. The dose per weight that is on the bottles is low. The max dose per weight can be gotten from the RN that staffs the line (as well as gives them a heads up that you may be coming into the ER soon). As an example my son doses 'normally' at 200mg ibuprofen & 500mg tylenol. His max dose per weight, however, is 400mg ibuprofen & 750 tylenol. Makes a big difference. But I don't dose at that level w/out phoning and getting the go-ahead.

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Ibuprofen i have found works better than tylenol, period.... SO, if you can just give her that and it works, then do that. If you piggy back them, make sure you are keeping the tylenol at least 4 hrs apart and the ibuprofen 4 or 6 hours apart. BUT each can be given two hours after you give the one before. You said you just gave her tylenol an hour ago. give her ibuprofen in one hour, and then tylenol in three hours.... HOWEVER, you may find that Ibuporfen works well just on its own.

The person below me said that you need to wait 3 hrs... my MIL who is a nurse AND my children's Ped. says two hours... BUT you can call any pharmacy that is open and ask them about piggybacking. you will get a quicker answer than if you ask your Dr, most likely...

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It's called staggering.

You give one of the medications, and then within 2 hours you give the second. It makes the effects last longer and motrin helps with inflammation as well as fever reducing.

I do this as an adult too for myself!!

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Both my children were prone to Febrile Seizures and had a low threshold (~103.0 degrees). I became the master of the One / Two punch of Tylenol and Motrin. It works great. I usually started with a dose of each together and then alternated them. I had a daycare person that had watched dozens children for 20+ years say that she never saw two children go from a runny nose to a 101 temp so fast. Luckily they outgrew it!

You can give her ibroprofin. I would also give her a luke warm bath, NOT cold.

I never used two different meds for temperatures. I was unaware that you could. I gave her Tylenol if it got up past 101 and if it got to 103.5 or above I'd give her a room temperature bath, not a cold bath, but a cool bath until her temp dropped a degree or two.

I never had to do this but, if that didn't work my plan then would be to rush her to the emergency room, but between the Tylenol and the cool baths I've always managed to get her fever under control before it ever got to 104. I don't know why 104 scares me but it does.

How old is she?

Put a call into your Pediatrician.
Page him/her.