What temp do you medicate?

[JAG's baby mama]

Having had a child get liver failure with showing signs of lethargy and long periods of off and on fevers, I would NEVER give meds at those signs. Real lethargy (not just fatigue) is a serious symptom that shouldn't be masked with meds (not without a call to your ped first). Viruses and fevers (coupled with eating because they are sick) wear a baby body out. Prolonged periods of this can cause big health problems.

You should be very careful using any ibuprofen and acetaminophen for any cold lasting more than 2 weeks (or a two week stretch of different colds). The bottles are usually pretty clear about that, but they are frankly not strong enough warnings. Google tylenol toxicity, or the like, and you'll get an eyeful.

We usually don't give meds at all unless they are in pain, and only after paging our ped. We are skittish, I'll admit that, but what's a phone call? We have never had a temp above 103 (even when DD was getting to the liver failure point) so there isn't a temp point for us.

I leave the drug dosing to the doctors, and in our case, we run metabolic labs before doing so. We are still trying to test if DD is allergic to ibuprofen (it makes her throw up and it was the last straw that pushed her over the liver failure edge so we are suspicious).

Our story:
While I know we have an exceptional case, we had no serious signs that she was anything but sick with a cold that turned into an ear infection. No clue whatsoever that she would nearly die. The lethargy was the one sign that sent us to the ER and just in time. She'd cry but she was teething and she had an ear infection, but nothing constant or over the top (like in extreme pain). She slowed eating but only small amounts here and there. No skipping whole meals for days on end. Her stools were fine (though yellowish at the end which only means high fat content; whose little one isn't eating high fat content?). She started to have swelling, but it came on very slowly. She blew up at the hospital, but not before. I am just saying that so that if you think you'd see some serious signs that make you say OMG my kid needs to be rushed to the hospital when you know it is serious, we didn't get those. Even when at the ER, and the docs diagnosed her with liver disorder, they sent her home with us saying we had a few hours to collect things and head to the big regional hospital. They didn't fly her there or rush her into an ambulance. They sent us home. She failed just as we drove up to the ER at the big hospital. Makes me shake just thinking about it.

[JAG's baby mama]

Originally Posted by DalesWidda I try not to medicate. The body needs to run a fever to fight off infection. The more I medicate, the longer the illness IME. Almost never under 103. Above 103 I will medicate if my child is really lethargic, has chills, etc. I also would prefer not to medicate because if I do, then my child is feeling better and does not want to rest, which is what she needs most.

Originally Posted by bluedaisyma Never ever. I may give homeopathy for specific symptoms but have never given fever reducers

Originally Posted by jaelynsmommy61607 Thanks for all the replies. Seems like a lot of different opinions on when. Ds2 has had a fever all week from 101-103.5. Thursday it seemed to have gone away. Took him to daycare friday and picked him up with another fever. It was 101.6 and I wanted to see how he would be and were it puke go before I gave him anything. Finally around 10 I made the decision to take him to the er and got chewed out for not medicating him at 101. Was told he could seize with that temp blah blah blah. I'm really frustrated with the whole thing. They double dosed him with Motrin and Tylenol.

Amazed that they would do that to a 6mo. SMH. Glad your LO is ok.

Originally Posted by PoshPants Food for thought From the NIH site http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/f....htm#221383111

My thoughts in general.

[EmsMom]

Generally not at all during the day but I will definitely at night if they are uncomfortable, achy, coughing etc. Sleep helps everything IMO and if they can't sleep things just take longer to get better.

[Newton]

Originally Posted by leyash I medicate anything above 102, or anything below 102 if they are not comfortable. Lethargic, won't eat for an extended period, etc. All reasons that I medicate.

This exactly

[Bellaroo]

Originally Posted by PoshPants Food for thought From the NIH site http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/f....htm#221383111

I disagree with this and think that they actually contradict themselves. If a febrile seizure is caused by a fever like they say than medication can help. Maybe not once the fever is already well-developed, but certainly when it is just on the way up.

Perhaps this is just me trying to reassure myself though - we have a son who has started to seize when he is sick. Once has been due to hypoglycemia and the other due to the rapid onset of a fever on day one of an ear infection. I will do anything I can to avoid another seizure so, on Doctor's orders, we medicate as soon as there is a hint of a temperature change and pump him full of electrolytes.

Frequent febrile and nonfebrile seizures can lead to the development of epilepsy which I would desperately like to avoid so I'll grasp at any straw to make that happen.