An increase in body temperature in a child is always a cause for concern for parents. Most often, this indicator indicates a disease, but do not panic. Antipyretic drugs for babies will help to control the situation with body temperature and prevent the development of complications.
Causes of a Child's Fever
Elevated body temperature means that the body is fighting an infection or an inflammatory process is taking place. In fact, fever is a kind of protective reaction of the body, which is present not only in children, but also in adults until the end of life. Sometimes it is not necessary to bring down the heat with antipyretic agents.
For infants today a whole list of drugs is sold that help to improve well-being and prevent a critical increase in temperature, but the purchase of any of them should be agreed with the doctor. The treatment regimen should be determined only by a specialist, based on the specifics of the disease and the individual characteristics of the child's body. Therefore, first of all, if the baby has a fever, it is necessary not to run to the pharmacy, but to urgently call a doctor at home.
How to recognize the fever in a child
Well-being at high temperatures is known to all parents, but just in case, we will dwell briefly on this moment and present the main signs of fever:
- Normally, the baby has a pinkish skin, but with an increase in temperature, the body becomes red or, conversely, pale.
- The behavior of the child changes - he becomes moody, lethargic, irritable.
- Dryness of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity is possible.
- The temperature can occur simultaneously with the symptoms of the underlying disease (runny nose, cough, earache, painful urination, etc.).
To make sure that the child really has a fever and he needs to take an antipyretic agent (for babies they release drugs in the minimum dosage, but they can also have side effects), it is necessary to measure the body temperature with a thermometer.
When to give medicine, and when not?
Antipyretic drugs for infants up to 1 year old should be given if the body temperature is above 38.5 ° C. If the baby's skin is pale, and the body temperature exceeds 38.5 ° C, which indicates spasm of the vessels, it must be knocked down immediately. Otherwise, seizures may occur.
It is worth noting that in infants of the first year of life, the temperature regime is in its infancy. For babies, antipyretic drugs are not used if this indicator is in the range of 37.0-37.5 ° C, because for children in the first months of life it is considered absolutely normal. Usually during the first half of the year the temperature drops to 36.5-37.0 ° C, and the usual 36.6 ° C for all of us becomes stable by 12-18 months.
In what places to measure the child's temperature
Before choosing a baby antipyretic for babies, make sure that they are measured correctly. In addition, it must be borne in mind that not all places on the body have the same temperature. The following values should not cause concern:
- in the armpit - 36.0-37.3 ° C;
- in the mouth - 36.6-37.2 ° C;
- in the rectum - 36.9-38.0 ° C.
Antipyretic after vaccination and teething
Even if the child's temperature in the armpit does not exceed 38 ° C against the background of vaccination or teething, most pediatricians are allowed to give the child medicine. It is recommended to bring down this temperature immediately, without waiting for an increase, since it does not bring any benefit to the body and does not contribute to the development of immunity, it does not fight infection.
For the prevention of fever, no medication is needed. If the temperature has risen to subfebrile values (about 37.5-38 ° C), instead of a children's antipyretic for infants, it is better to use simple home methods. For example, wipe with warm water, give the baby more fluid and do not wear too warm.
In what forms do medicines for children
Antipyretic drugs for babies up to 3 months are prescribed exclusively in liquid form. No tablets should be given to children of this age. For children, sweet medicinal syrups and suspensions are produced, which are used orally according to the instructions or dosage recommended by the pediatrician. For ease of use, each package has a measuring spoon or a special dosing syringe.
Also, antipyretic drugs for babies from 0 years old are released in solid form. Candles from high temperature are selected depending on the dosage. Suppositories are used rectally, carefully inserted into the rectum of the baby.
Temperature Medication List for Infants
All antipyretic drugs for infants up to 1 year old are conditionally divided into several categories depending on the type of active substance. Paracetamol-based drugs are considered the safest and most effective. Among the drugs that are used for children of the first year of life, the most popular:
- Efferalgan;
- "Panadol";
- Kalkol
- "Paracetamol for children."
Paracetamol medicines are available in the form of rectal suppositories and tablets, liquid syrups and suspensions. Such medicines are contraindicated in children with liver, kidney disease, diabetes mellitus or viral hepatitis.
The second common group of drugs is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs based on ibuprofen. Children are most often prescribed Nurofen, Ibuprofen, and Ibufen. Unlike the previous group, these have more restrictions and are allowed for use only by babies older than three months, while paracetamol and its derivatives can be given to children from the first days. Contraindications for the use of ibuprofen are the following disorders and diseases:
- asthma;
- pathology of the kidneys and liver;
- hearing impairment;
- blood diseases;
- ulcer, gastritis.
An antipyretic at high temperature for infants in the first month of life should be prescribed exclusively by a specialist. Parents should not experiment with the health of the child and give them heat medications on their own in order to avoid overdose, side effects or an allergic reaction.
Suppositories for heat removal
If it comes to choosing antipyretic drugs for babies up to 3 months, then most often doctors opt for rectal suppositories. The advantage of this dosage form is the minimum of contraindications. Suppositories are absorbed into the blood through the intestines and do not affect the gastric mucosa, unlike syrups with flavorings and colorings in the composition. Candles usually do not cause allergies, which can not be said about the suspension. To reduce the temperature of the body, the baby is prescribed such suppositories:
- Tsefekon. It can be given to children older than one month old, having a body weight of 4 to 6 kg. One candle contains 50 mg or 100 mg of paracetamol. A day you can use no more than three candles with an interval between doses of 4-6 hours.
- "Panadol." Suitable for children over 6 months. During the day, the child can put a candle no more than four times. The maximum duration of treatment is 7 days.
- "Nurofen." These suppositories, each containing 60 mg of ibuprofen, are indicated from the age of three months for infants with a body weight of 6 kg or more. You can give the drug no more than 3-4 times a day.
Among antipyretic drugs for infants in 2 months, homeopathic medicines deserve special attention, one of which is Viburkol. This medicine is also available in the form of rectal suppositories. “Viburkol” has no age restrictions, but it cannot be used in case of individual intolerance to at least one of the components in the composition.
Suspensions and syrups for children from one month to 1 year
Many people mistakenly believe that medicinal syrups and suspensions for children are one and the same. The syrup is based on a concentrated aqueous solution of sucrose or its substitutes, and the suspension is a kind of liquid medium containing a powder mixture of particles of the active substance. A precipitate often forms at the bottom of the vial of suspension, so the bottle must be shaken before each use.
Syrups are as sweet in taste as suspensions, but in the first preparations, sucrose is most often present, and in the second, artificial sweeteners. If the child is prone to allergic reactions, it is recommended to opt for a sucrose-free drug.
Suspensions and syrups with ibuprofen
Like suppositories, liquid temperature preparations from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed from the age of three months. It is possible to give the child the next dose of medicine if necessary every eight hours.
Suspension "Nurofen" - the most common remedy for heat and pain in children. It is given not only to infants, but also to older children. Analogues of the drug are suspensions of "Ibufen", "Bofen." An important condition for the use of such antipyretic drugs is the baby's weight of at least 5 kg. At the age of three to six months, infants are given 2.5 ml of suspension, after six months you can increase the number of daily doses to four.
Liquid temperature medicines with paracetamol
Hot suspensions and syrups are considered safer than ibuprofen preparations. For children older than three months, the medicine can be given in an amount of 60-120 mg of the active substance. Moreover, this amount of paracetamol is allowed to be used at a time. If an antipyretic is required for a child younger than this age, the dosage must be calculated according to a special formula: for each kilogram of the child's weight, 10 mg of paracetamol. During the day, you can give no more than four times.
Suspension "Paracetamol for children" is given in 4 ml with an infant weight of 6-8 kg and 5 ml if the child's body weight exceeds eight kilograms. According to the same scheme, an analogue is used - Panadol syrup. The dosage of Efferalgan suspension is not specifically calculated. In each package, a measuring spoon is attached to the medicine bottle, on which there are divisions corresponding to the weight of the baby from 4 to 16 kg. It is necessary to dial the amount corresponding to the body weight of the baby. Efferalgan is not recommended for children weighing less than 4 kg.
Another antipyretic for babies of the first year of life is the Kalpol suspension. It also contains paracetamol. It can be given to children older than one month of life with a weight of more than 4 kg. For infants whose weight has not yet reached 8 kg, the optimal single dose is 2.5 ml. As body weight increases, dosage increases. The maximum amount of a drug that can be given to a child at a time is 5 ml.
What should not be given to infants
First of all, it is worth noting combined preparations that combine ibuprofen and paracetamol (for example, Ibuklin Junior). The drug is available in the form of tablets and is considered very effective for adults and children over three years of age. Breasts should not be given.
It is undesirable to give babies drugs with "Analgin". And although the possibility of using this substance in the composition of the lytic mixture is not excluded, it can be used only in extreme cases when it is not possible to bring down the temperature by other methods.
Also, children under 12 years of age, including infants, should not be given “Aspirin”. This medication can lead to serious complications. Acetylsalicylic acid strongly irritates the gastric mucosa, can cause the formation of ulcers and erosion, provoke bleeding.