True or False

Updated on May 31, 2008
D.W. asks from Merrillville, IN
24 answers

I heard that you can give your child Ibuprofen and Tylenol at the same time for fever, colds and the flu is this true?

D.

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So What Happened?

Thank you ladies his fever is down 99.1 and he is feeling much better...I gave him Jr. tylenol capsules I only gave him half every 4 hrs and Ibuprofen 1 1/2 teaspoons every 6 I only had to do this for one full dose of each and the fever broke for the 1st time in 2 days it only got as high as 102.7 but I was battling getting down and keeping it down. He is up and running around and laughing as I write this. Again, Thank you all.
D.

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T.Q.

answers from Chicago on

True

Yes you can. I have given it to my children. Tylenol works faster and Ibuprophen works longer. The reason you can overlap them is that the body gets rid of them differently.

You cannot, as far as I know, take either one of these with Aspirin. That would be a bad thing. Read the instructions and follow the recommended dosage for both the Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and Ibuprophen.

If you have any more questions, talk to a doctor. Besides, on something like this you should be talking to a doctor anyway!

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J.G.

answers from Chicago on

do the tylenol first it is faster on fevers the advil/ibuprofine is great for their tiny body aches.

J.

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L.A.

answers from Chicago on

I also was told to alternate the 2 meds to bring down a fever faster. I would be leary about using them at the same time.

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L.F.

answers from Chicago on

I would ask a pharmist (spelling). I do not beleive it is wish because the drugs do different things to different parts of the brain. My son has a reaction to both his eyes swell. Ask the people who know your local pharmist.

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K.C.

answers from Chicago on

I have heard that it is okay to alternate doses (ie. 1st dose Motrin, 2nd dose Tylenol, 3rd dose Motrin, etc.) Check with your doctor or pharmacist though first.

K.

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J.B.

answers from Chicago on

TRUE! give half doses of each. you can do full doses but i have always done half. you can also give your child motrin and 4 hours later the tylonal and 4 hours later motrin. you can back and forth like that as needed

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C.D.

answers from Chicago on

If your child is very sick and in a lot of pain, yes, you can give them both at the same time. It is very potent, so I wouldn't do this unless they are just totally miserable and it is an extremely high fever. For just a normal cold, I wouldn't use them together. You can alternate them if it is more minor.

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D.F.

answers from Chicago on

Whenever my son runs a high temp & I have to take him into the doctors, they say to switch between Tylenol & Motrin. I'm not too sure about Ibuprofen. I would check with your physician first.

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F.J.

answers from Chicago on

If they have a high fever you can alternate between Tylenol and Ibuprofin every 4 hours. Do not give at the same time. Just make sure you keep track of what you gave when adn how much. This helps when they have VERY high fevers!!

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N.P.

answers from Chicago on

False by how I am reading the question. BUT, it is recommended and practice that you can rotate Ibuprofen and Tylenol (i.e. 4 hours tylenol, next 4 hours Ibuprofen, etc.)

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K.Z.

answers from Chicago on

You should give them about two hours apart. That way when one dulls out you have the other to fall back on.

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J.G.

answers from Chicago on

True if your child's fever is high, 103+ and hasn't broken with alternating dosages. My daughter had feveral seizures and the ER doc and my ped confirmed that I can give them both to her if she is consistently running a high fever in order to avoid future seizures. Along with a luke warm bath and giving her popcicles to cool her internal temp. There are also these gel packs that stick to their forehead instead of fighting with a cool wet rag called "Be Kool" I get mine from Walgreens. Good luck!

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N.M.

answers from Chicago on

It is because of questions like this that i love mamasource! Found out new stuff today, and am grateful to know!!! Cold season's coming.... xo n

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M.O.

answers from Chicago on

Absolutely especially if it's high. What tend to work well is switching tylenol and motrin every 3-4 hours. ie: if you take tylenol at 12 take motrin at 3 or 4. This works well for pain relief as well.

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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

Our doctor told us to alternate between the two every 3 to 4 hours for high fevers. My daughters ran high fevers of 104-106 pretty much every time they were sick. Once it went down to 103 or lower I would stop alternating. I found Tylenol worked best for my one daughter, while Motrin worked best for my other daughter.As with any medicine it is best to check with your doctor.
Cheryl

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A.S.

answers from Chicago on

If they are having a really bad time you can alternate Tylenol and Ibuprofen like every 4 hours, which would be more often than you could just repeat doses of the same drug. Because they are different drugs the overlap is not so much of an issue.

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N.C.

answers from Chicago on

Hi D.,

Yep it's true. My dr always tells me to switch back and forth. They can have ibuprofen every 6 hours and tylenol every 4 so they are pretty much covered 24/7. I had to take my 1 year old son to the hospital emergency room about a week and a half ago and they gave him tylenol with codine and Motrin at the same time. I would start with the ibuprofen and then after a few hours give the tylenol. Remember to keep track of what you gave when so you know which is next.

Good luck!!

N.

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S.

answers from Chicago on

True!! I don't give at the same time but if I give Tylenol first, about 4 hours later I will give Motrin. Different medications with different uses. My ped told me to do this when my first child was one. This way they are never out of medication. I only do it for 1 day and then use just one of the medications and then the next day I double up again - if needed.

S.

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P.L.

answers from Chicago on

D. -

You cannot give them at the same time - however you may be directed by your physician to give them at alternating times ie 2-3 hours apart in the case of high fevers not responding well to one or the other. In any case - I would always check with your child's physician before doing this as there are timez that this cannot be done based on the individual child.

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N.S.

answers from Chicago on

Call your doctor!!!!! Everyone is different. My dr. Said never, ever give at exact same time, but to alternate every four hours. You would not want to cause a reaction or over medicate.

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B.W.

answers from Chicago on

We have found the best thing for our son's high fevers are to give him Motrin then Tylenol two hours later. You have to wait 6 hours to give Motrin again and his fever would spike again without the Tylenol. With both medications we are able to keep his fevers down. This was done on the advise of our doc.

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T.B.

answers from Chicago on

I was told by my daughter's doctor to do this when she was running a high fever for several days, but I never gave it at the same time I alternated the meds, according to the doctor's instructions. It really did help to control her high fever much better.

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K.G.

answers from Chicago on

ive been told motrin and tylenol

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A.W.

answers from Chicago on

My pediatrician told me I could do Ibuprofen every eight hours, and Tylenol every 4 hours. I would call to ask, just in case your Dr. wants you to do something like that, like if the Ibuprofen is not enough to keep the fever down. I think that is like a last resort if the fever won't go down with one or the other. I had to do it once with my daughter because the fever wouldn't go down. Good luck!

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