When you do tylenol and motrin how far apart do you do it?

kevschickee2

The Dr at the ER said 3 hours for tylenol and 6 hours for motrin.  6 hours seems so long doesn't it?

marrymemylove

tylenol is 4-6 hourly and motrin is 6-8 hourly as per the boxes. I always go for the outer end of that - so tylenol 6 hourly and motrin 8 hourly...but with the safety valve that if he needs it earlier I can give it a little earlier.

I also use them as backup for each other. DS sometimes spits the tylenol and I won't give a second dose if he's had any. So then its time to try motrin.

An easy way is just to split the difference and say 6 hourly - alternating them with the option of using both if you have to (since 6hourly is fine for both). 

Temp159135562506975

motrin can be given every 6 hours... tylenol every 4 (though i suppose they said every 3 since they really want to make sure her fever stays down?)

As far as giving them at different times- I try to stagger by an hour-but sometimes it ends up at the same time - and DS just fine with that (some kids might vomit with both at once).

 

marrymemylove

btw I find tylenol is really wearing off by 6 hours but the motrin is not...which fits with their recs. Yes it is a long time, but that's one reason to alternate with slight overlap...you could give tylenol now, motrin in 4 hours...then go on a schedule of each according to their instructions. Its totally fine to give them at the same time, they work totally differently.

marrymemylove

BTW our pedi told us - a one-off overdose of motrin won't do much damage, but tylenol can wreck your liver - so if there's 1 you need to push the envelope on, make it motrin. No way would I give tylenol 3hourly...that would mean 8 doses in a 24 hour period where they should only have 6. That's potential liver damage territory.

LanaM

Tylenol every 4 hours and Motrin every 6 hours.

If I am giving both of them, it's every three hours for tylenol and then 3 hours later it's motrin, and then three hours later it's tylenol again... not to exceed the maximum daily dose.