Thoughts on tylenol/ibprofun/etc

GiGi1221

The boys are actively teething. Harry is cutting his top two and I think Ollie is getting a third on the bottom.

They don't have fevers but have been super fussy before going down the last two nights...and fussy sporadically throughout the day.

When do you give in and give tylenol or the like? I am not a big meds taker but I also don't want them to be in pain... the last two nights I've ended up giving them both 1/4 doses of tylenol and they've been fine then....

I'm just paranoid- what do others do/did?

I am using the generic target tylenol....

kimarino13

If they are crying and in pain, I give it.  Lily's front teeth killed her and the Pedi said it was OK to give every 3 hours for days on end. 

sunnybrook.

My DH is not big on giving meds unnecessarily either. If I know the girls are teething and are fussy or wake up screaming at night, I give ibuprofen. Ibuprofen helps with the inflammation which tylenol does not do. That and my DH is a doctor and that's what he prescribes I usually only give tylenol for fever. For everything else, its usually ibu. We buy generic for both.

GiGi1221

Thanks for the reply- I just can't tell sometimes. They are usually such easy going babies... I'm always worried that I'll just "pacify" them with tylenol and it may be something more like an ear infection...

Leigh71

I've been giving the generic tylenol... at most 1x a day.... but poor things have been drooling up a storm, and trying to chew everything in sight.

I know how hard it is for me to sleep with a toothache, so I would rather see them comfortable, and I give it.

sugardrive

not to sound all granola, but have you tried amber teething necklaces or any other natural or homeopathic remedies?  i'm thinking humphries teething strips or pellets (available at walgreens).

Temp159135562506975

tylenol is every 4 hours and motrin every 6 ---- only if you alternate should they be every 3 hours --- so make sure you are dosing it properly.

i prefer motrin- it lasts longer and works better for pain.... i will give it to them before nap and bed time when they are really fussy from teething.

flutepharm87

I know my boys aren't here yet, but I'm a few weeks away from finishing up my pharmacy coursework for my PharmD, so I thought I'd give you some advice anyway. For babies, I generally recommend the infant tylenol drops. They're dosed 15mg/kg, 1kg=2.2lb usually every 4-6 hours as needed. You can also try the baby Orajel. It's a topical numbing agent. Just use a q-tip to apply where the teeth are coming in because babies don't like their tongues numb, etc! If they don't have a baby Orajel, you're looking for a product with 7.5% Benzocaine (it's half the adult dose). And use as little as possible. HTH and hope your boys feel better soon!

MamaCrystal

I'm not big on meds, either.  Luckily, none of our kids have needed any for teething so far (I know... you can hate me because none of them were even fussy while getting teeth!)

However, if they are in pain for some reason at bedtime and are fussier than usual, I'll give them Tylenol before bed.  We gave our girls some last night because they had shots yesterday and just weren't themselves at bedtime.  I wouldn't wake them to re-dose, but if they're waking on their own and fussy, then I'd give more.

MamaCrystal

...and ditto on prefering Motrin, at least for fevers.  Tylenol has never done a good job of taking our kids' fevers down.  We usually have to alternate Tylenol/ibuprofen to get them down.  For minor pain like from shots though, I just give Tylenol.

GiGi1221

Thanks ladies- and they do wear the amber necklaces which I think help...

regenab

I think my girls were on Motrin for about 3 weeks straight when the 1 year molars came in, they were horrible. When they were younger and those first couple of teeth came in I also used Motrin for the pain. They were not as bad as the molars, but they felt and acted so much better on the Motrin and I know it was due to the pain of the teeth. I am not big on over medicating, I mean my girls have never been on an antibiotic as this point and they are over 2 1/2 because I don't run them to the pedi's office for every cold and fever. But when they are in pain, they are in pain. I asked my pedi about it at their 1 year old appt. and they said as long as I am following the recommended dose amounts on the bottle and not giving it too often (before the recommended 6-8 hours) then it would not harm them in the least. My pedi actually prefers to give them Motrin once they hit 6 months old because they feel it is less harmful if they are given too much by accident. Tylenol can be dangerous if given incorrectly.

I have also found Motrin works better than Tylenol for pretty much everything, at least for my girls. Motrin last longer so they sleep for longer stretches when they have fevers. Now I do alternate Motrin and Tylenol when they have high fevers to keep them under control but that is only happened twice.

amanda31H

I give ibuprofen for teething if the girls are fussy/biting their hands before bed.  I'm also not a big fan of giving medicine, but my BF is a nurse and has told me as long as I properly dose it's not harmful. 

I struggle with what to do during the day.  The last couple of weeks the girls have been so cranky during the day, fussing, crying, and some days I'm sure it's their teeth, other days I have no idea.  It's hard because I don't want to feel like I'm medicating them if it's just that they need attention!  We also use Baby Orajel and that has helped.  That's what I turn to during the day.....although they are so fussy today (biting fists, etc.) that I think Ibuprofen is coming up soon....

Chickandtaco

We haven't had much luck with Tylenol for pain or fevers either.  I agree, I'd give Motrin, it lasts longer and works better.  I didn't usually give it during the day when teething but I would give him a dose before bed, especially if he was up a lot the night before.  At this point my son sleeps through the night (most the time) so if he's having multiple wake ups I know something is going on.  You want them to be comfy and getting restful sleep at night!    I also LOVED Hyland's teething tablets.  I know they were recalled a while ago, they are supposed to be back on the shelf in May is what I heard?  You could try Humphries teething tablets, they have them at Walgreens.