What's your RX for child headache/fever?

[tigerlily]

My inclination is to try to ride out fever/headache in a child w/o any motrin, tyelnol, etc. My understanding is that the body's natural healing mechanisms are slowed by those types of medicines.

I hate watching my daughters suffer with the pain that comes with fever, but I also know that it's best for their bodies to deal naturally.

Background: Dd1 has just come out of 3 days of fever/headache -- I suspect it was some kind of influenza. I kept her home, in a dark room to ease her eyes, and just gave her water and love. She slept a lot, and today (day 4) she seems to be back to normal. However, dd2 now says her head hurts.:doh I'm reasonably sure she is going to come down with a fever at some point today.

My mom called, b/c I desperately need to go to the bank today (I told her yesterday). I asked that if Lucy wasn't better today, could she come sit with her just for a bit so I could go to the bank? She said she would. She called to check this morning, and I told her not to come since Lucy's doing okay and I can just do the drive-thru and keep the girls in the car.

Anytime my girls have a fever and/or headache (that I tell her about:shifty) she instantly starts dispensing the advice that she always gave her kids tylenol, because otherwise they suffer and it's so sad to watch them suffer and a little tylenol doesn't hurt anything.

Am I being unreasonable? Should I just dose my children so they don't suffer?

Please tell me if she's right and I'm just being stubborn. I don't want to ignore the welfare of my kids b/c I might be irked at her.:sadno

[JessicaTX]

I dont' give my kids tylenol unless they are absolutely miserable. For us an epsom salts bath with a drop of lavender oil in it is a cure-all for aches, pains and fevers. I think letting a fever run it's natural course helps them feel better faster, instead of having a week of on and off fever and general malaise, they have 2 or 3 days of fever and sleepiness.

[tigerlily]

Thanks, that's what I think, too and I'd never heard the epsom salt bath for headache.:tu

So, what do you considering "really suffering"? There were moments this week when dd1 was in a lot pain. I was really questioning if it was time to give her something.:think

[JessicaTX]

Well, usually the bath brings the temp down enough for them to be more comfortable. If they are still writhing in agony after taking a bath and absolutely cannot get to sleep, I'd think about tylenol.

[graceandmercy]

We never give anything either. We were at my MIL's one time and "E" had a pretty high fever and we did nothing. She didn't agree with that and kept telling us things we should be doing and complaining because they were woke up early! :doh Oh well, she got through it just fine as usual! At least her house was "quiet" for a day! :giggle

[mamacat]

We have pretty much stopped using those things too.I 2nd Epsom salt baths and if fever socks on wrung out in cool water helps and using cool or warm cloths on head.If headache is from fever want to cool down but if from sinus congestion want to do moist heat to help open things up.Gentle facial massages and scalp massages help too.I find that back when we were using things like Tylenol(which didnt work for fever for my kids anyway) it would give them a false sense of feeling better and that and probably the dyes involved etc. would make them not want to rest and hinder the healing process

[Lady TS]

With my ds1, I do reach for the tylenol/motrin in case of a headache. The times that I haven't, the headache gets so bad that he cannot function and he just shuts down and goes and sleeps for hours until it goes away. I am not sure if they are migraines(family doc/eye doc suspects that), but he's gotten them since he was a toddler.

My other two, I wait it out a bit and if they can sleep and aren't regularly complaining of head pain I don't give it to them.

[Bonnie]

Fever reducers suppress the immune system. I absolutely do *not* use them for fever. Fever itself does not cause pain. :scratch And the malaise that comes with a high fever means the child is resting. :shifty

If there is some other reason the child is uncomfortable, I try other things first to see if they help. Nothing better than sleep for a headache. If other things don't work, I go to ibuprofen if there is no stomach upset, then to Tylenol if there is, since ibuprofen is anti-inflammatory and the pain is probably best helped by that, depending on the cause.

[tigerlily]

I'm pretty sure it's some type of influenza -- I think the headache is an achy symptom. :shrug3

She was complaining of so much pain, that I gave her some Tylenol. Of course, then she was running around.:doh At least she ate dinner.:shrug3