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Over-the-counter fever reducers for kids are briefly provide in some components of the nation. NPR’s Daniel Estrin asks pediatrician Christina Johns what recommendation she provides to folks.
DANIEL ESTRIN, HOST:
Spare a thought, would you, for folks of young children this vacation season. There is a tripledemic within the U.S., the flu, RSV and COVID, and it is wiping out over-the-counter kids’s medicines from drug retailer cabinets. Medical doctors say there isn’t any must panic. There are alternate options. We’re joined this morning by Dr. Christina Johns, who makes a speciality of pediatric emergency medication in Annapolis, Md. Welcome to this system.
CHRISTINA JOHNS: Thanks a lot for having me.
ESTRIN: Dr. Johns, that is actually surprising. I have been studying about shortages of kids’s Tylenol, kids’s Motrin. I imply, these are the fundamentals. What’s the motive for these shortages?
JOHNS: You understand, proper now, as a result of we’re seeing such a surge of pediatric diseases, and so whereas we have got plenty of sick youngsters, there’s a whole lot of a necessity for issues like over-the-counter ache and fever reducer medicines.
ESTRIN: So if I could ask your recommendation on behalf of our listeners, in case your child does get a fever and you’ll’t get your fingers on over-the-counter medicines, what ought to folks do?
JOHNS: So I’ve a few ideas on it. I believe, initially, individuals are very used to getting what they’re used to, and I might encourage people to know that there are generic formulations of ibuprofen and acetaminophen, which is often referred to as Tylenol. And so search for these. I believe additionally get some steering out of your pediatrician. These individuals will know precisely what are the nice choices in your space and will have some insights in the place to go to have the ability to discover some drugs. I believe additionally chewables for older kids, and naturally, there’s at all times a rectal suppository for very younger infants for Tylenol.
ESTRIN: What about youthful youngsters? Like, in case you have common grownup Tylenol, for instance – I used to be simply wanting by means of my medication cupboard. Many of the ache relievers I’ve say protected for youths 12 and up, however what about youthful youngsters? Can youthful youngsters take these?
JOHNS: You understand, we actually do not encourage people attempting to provide both a half of a capsule or break up a pill. Dosing could be very intentional in pediatrics and it is based mostly on weight, and so it’s totally tough to get a exact dose if you happen to do it that manner. In order that’s typically one thing that we encourage people to not do.
ESTRIN: What a couple of popsicle or simply taking a shower? I imply, you recognize, any house treatments that you just would possibly suggest?
JOHNS: Yeah. You understand, these are actually nice choices. I at all times say to people, when youngsters are over about 6 to eight weeks of age, do not forget that by and huge, you need to deal with the kid and never the quantity. And so if they’re snug and feeling OK and performing effectively, then perhaps it’s time to lean into issues like a lukewarm tub or a popsicle. Different consolation measures like tons and plenty of fluids – that may actually assist.
ESTRIN: Let me ask you a sort of a counterintuitive query. Would having a fever really be useful so long as it isn’t too excessive?
JOHNS: You understand, the fever is the physique’s manner of mounting an immune response. So I am not afraid of fever per se as a result of it is a sign to me that the physique’s doing what it must do to struggle no matter an infection is ongoing. I believe it is essential to notice that some kids, 1 in 5, in truth, can have one thing known as febrile seizures, the place when the speed of rise of temperature could be very steep, then they’ll even have a seizure. And this may be very dramatic, very scary. It’s sometimes a innocent phenomenon that goes away by the point kids enter elementary faculty.
ESTRIN: At what level ought to a mum or dad name a pediatrician?
JOHNS: So my common feeling about it’s that when a mum or dad is anxious, whatever the motive, that is the time to test in with their kid’s pediatrician. That’s what we’re right here for. Definitely, for any new child, any child who’s lower than 4 to six weeks of age and so they have a fever of over 100.4, that could be a state of affairs that should have a pediatrician name for steering. And older than that, the issues that I typically search for are, is the kid having issue respiration? Are they not being as responsive as typical? Are they so sleepy that they’re onerous to speak to? After all, each time anybody has a fever, you do not really feel 100%, however your little one nonetheless ought to be responding to you and capable of observe instructions developmentally appropriately. You understand, take heed to your parental intuition, and if one thing appears not proper, make that decision.
ESTRIN: Dr. Christina Johns, emergency pediatrician and in addition a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Thanks a lot to your recommendation.
JOHNS: Thanks for having me.
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