What is the best fever medication to give children?
That is the question parents are asking after a recent study raised questions about Tylenol.
The worldwide study suggested that there may be an association with children who use more acetaminophen and who have problems with asthma later in their teen years. Acetaminophen is the active ingredient in Tylenol. So what should you do when your children have fever?
"I think we have to remember that that study was done as a questionnaire asked to 13 and 14-year-old children and so their answers may be not as reliable as other methods of study design," said Dr. Paris.
Dr. Kenneth Paris is an assistant professor of pediatrics and allergy immunology at LSU Health Sciences Center who practices at Children's Hospital. He says that while this new study does not show a direct link between Tylenol and asthma, there was science in the past showing acetaminophen in Tylenol and other medications may decrease glutathione, an antioxidant made by the body. And that could skew the immune system toward an allergic response. But still he says it's okay to use Tylenol.
"Severe pain, high fever, it's probably still a drug that we would like patients to use in order to improve the comfort of their children when they are ill," added Dr. Paris.
But he says, parents should use it in children only when necessary, not for every little discomfort, cut and scrape. And don't forget that overusing acetaminophen products such as Tylenol, can cause liver damage and failure over the long term. So never take more than directed.
And never give aspirin to a young child who's sick because that can cause a serious illness called Reye's Syndrome.
But he does say that parents can also use ibuprofen as a pain and fever reducer. That's the medicine in Motrin and Advil.
"I would use acetaminophen (Tylenol) in small children as well as Motrin. I would use them equally actually. They are both effective for reducing fever and they both have their benefits," Dr. Paris added.
But remember that ibuprofen can cause stomach irritation and should not be used in children and teens who already have asthma because it can make the symptoms worse. And asthma affects many in this area.
"New Orleans is well known to have a higher rate of asthma than the rest of the country and there's a variety of reasons for that," he said.
And at this time, there is no cure.
Doctors say children can get dehydrated when they have fever and that can cause serious health problems.
