Over-the-counter fever reducers for youngsters are in brief provide in some elements of the nation. NPR’s Daniel Estrin asks pediatrician Christina Johns what recommendation she provides to oldsters.
DANIEL ESTRIN, HOST:
Spare a thought, would you, for fogeys of babies this vacation season. There is a tripledemic within the U.S., the flu, RSV and COVID, and it is wiping out over-the-counter youngsters’s medicines from drug retailer cabinets. Docs say there is no such thing as a must panic. There are alternate options. We’re joined this morning by Dr. Christina Johns, who makes a speciality of pediatric emergency drugs 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, youngsters’s Motrin. I imply, these are the fundamentals. What’s the cause for these shortages?
JOHNS: You recognize, proper now, as a result of we’re seeing such a surge of pediatric diseases, and so whereas we have got a lot 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’ll ask your recommendation on behalf of our listeners, in case your child does get a fever and you may’t get your fingers on over-the-counter medicines, what ought to individuals do?
JOHNS: So I’ve a few ideas on it. I believe, to start with, persons 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 usually generally known 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 great choices in your space and should have some insights in the place to go to have the ability to discover some drugs. I believe additionally chewables for older youngsters, and naturally, there’s all the time a rectal suppository for very younger infants for Tylenol.
ESTRIN: What about youthful youngsters? Like, if in case you have common grownup Tylenol, for instance – I used to be simply wanting by means of my drugs cupboard. A lot of the ache relievers I’ve say secure for teenagers 12 and up, however what about youthful youngsters? Can youthful youngsters take these?
JOHNS: You recognize, we actually do not encourage people attempting to offer both a half of a capsule or break up a pill. Dosing may be very intentional in pediatrics and it is based mostly on weight, and so it’s totally troublesome to get a exact dose when you do it that method. In order that’s usually one thing that we encourage people to not do.
ESTRIN: What a couple of popsicle or simply taking a shower? I imply, you realize, any dwelling treatments that you simply would possibly advocate?
JOHNS: Yeah. You recognize, these are actually nice choices. I all the time say to people, when youngsters are over about 6 to eight weeks of age, do not forget that by and huge, you wish to deal with the kid and never the quantity. And so if they’re snug and feeling OK and appearing nicely, then possibly it’s time to lean into issues like a lukewarm tub or a popsicle. Different consolation measures like tons and many fluids – that may actually assist.
ESTRIN: Let me ask you a form of a counterintuitive query. Would having a fever really be useful so long as it is not too excessive?
JOHNS: You recognize, the fever is the physique’s method 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 battle no matter an infection is ongoing. I believe it is vital to notice that some youngsters, 1 in 5, in reality, may have one thing referred to as febrile seizures, the place when the speed of rise of temperature may be very steep, then they may even have a seizure. And this may be very dramatic, very scary. It’s sometimes a innocent phenomenon that goes away by the point youngsters enter elementary faculty.
ESTRIN: At what level ought to a mother or father name a pediatrician?
JOHNS: So my basic feeling about it’s that when a mother or father is anxious, whatever the cause, that is the time to examine in with their kid’s pediatrician. That’s what we’re right here for. Actually, for any new child, any child who’s lower than 4 to six weeks of age they usually have a fever of over 100.4, that may be a scenario that should have a pediatrician name for steering. And older than that, the issues that I usually search for are, is the kid having issue respiration? Are they not being as responsive as traditional? Are they so sleepy that they’re onerous to speak to? In fact, every time anybody has a fever, you do not really feel 100%, however your youngster nonetheless ought to be responding to you and capable of comply with instructions developmentally appropriately. You recognize, 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 in your recommendation.
JOHNS: Thanks for having me.
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