Overmedicating our kids?

Our doctor had suggested giving Tylenol before an immunization; ibuprofen after, then repeat it for a full 24 hours. That seemed extreme to us so we didn't and the kids survived getting their shots.

Mother of four, have never given the pre-shot dose of Tylenol, have never had any of them complain about being in pain.

I was told that it was for fevers that can come after the injection (they are, after all, infecting our children when immunizing them). Never had one spike a fever, either.

I've fired several pediatricians for treating me like I don't know anything...the last one I fired was over a Strep infection in boy #2's bloodstream. I had him at the doc that morning, was sent home after a quick look in his ears and throat, told to give Tylenol and that it was probably just a virus. Was in the ER that night, getting antibiotics by injection. That time, I wish they'd gone with overmedicating. My child could have died. Now I have a doc who listens when I say, "Something is not right here," and he keeps looking until he finds it.

Over medication

It's not only children that are over medicated, it's our entire population. The sales reps for the large pharmas. have a lot of influence over Drs. due to gifts and incentives, with little regard for the patient. Ask a doctor for a natural cure to something and you get a blank stare. They have forgotten how to heal and know only how to medicate.

I took my last prescription medication six years ago. Since then, off all meds, I've never been better. Don't get me started on this...

jeff

I don't do any dosing until after the fact. My daughter only showed a fever with one round of immunizations. I gave her some then. She has showed signs of the injection site being sore, but that's not the same as a fever, so I worry less.

There was recently a study that said giving your kid a dose of sugar water before the injection reduces the pain.

http://children.webmd.com/news/20080204/sugar-soothes-kids-immunization-pain

I find I have to balance my desire for her to pain free with my desire for her not to be overmedicated.

I've given Tylenol before injections, but more to my redhead than the other two. The redhead feels everything more. Tylenol and Motrin both help the kids if they have aches and pains from illness or cold, and think they can keep it down. For cuts and sprains I give them aspirin.

Oh, BTW, a Happy Meal after not pitching a fit at the doctor's also helps after the fact...

Your mileage may vary.

Ann

Desert Author said:

I took my last prescription medication six years ago.

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I'm taking antibiotics for strep throat...right now, I'm very glad for that prescription med. They still have their place

tjwriter said:

I don't do any dosing until after the fact. My daughter only showed a fever with one round of immunizations. I gave her some then.

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My son has spiked a fever after several of his immunizations, so I always give him a dose of Tylenol before his shots and usually one more dose before bed. He's usually fine by the next day. I have no problem using Tylenol or Motrin when I think it's necessary. I'm more concerned with prescription medications they want to give kids. No, I don't count necessary antibiotics in that group.

WildScribe said:

My doctor suggested giving Tylenol before a vaccination, which I find crazy, personally. We certainly don't give Tylenol for bumped heads or scraped knees.

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Speaking as a microbiologist, and the veteran of way more vaccinations then most people ... immunizations cause pain and fever as the body's defenses recognize and attack the antigens in the shot. It's part of the process of developing immunity: can't be helped.

Taking a tylenol BEFORE the vaccination minimizes the pain and fever. It's your choice, and it depends on how your child reacts to vaccines, but it's easier to prevent it than to stop it after the kid is feverish and grumpy.

Edited to add: I always take NSAIDs before vaccines and still hurt and get a fever. But it's not as bad as it would be without them.

I didn't give Tylenol to my daughter, because she never had a problem with reactions. My son, on the other hand, runs a low fever almost every time. He had a flu shot a few months ago and was sick for a week. If I know he's getting any shot, he gets dosed. My pediatrician is terrific in suggesting, but not doing in the "You MUST do it this way because I know better than YOU." His reaction is always, "You know your child better than anyone. Trust your instinct. It's usually right."

I heart my pediatrician.

Desert Author said:

It's not only children that are over medicated, it's our entire population. The sales reps for the large pharmas. have a lot of influence over Drs. due to gifts and incentives, with little regard for the patient. Ask a doctor for a natural cure to something and you get a blank stare. They have forgotten how to heal and know only how to medicate.

I took my last prescription medication six years ago. Since then, off all meds, I've never been better. Don't get me started on this...

jeff

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Yup, that's how it is. You didn't use doctors thousand of years ago, not with man made chemicals anyway. Everyone looked inside, and helped themselfs, and nature did the rest.

truelyana said:

Yup, that's how it is. You didn't use doctors thousand of years ago, not with man made chemicals anyway. Everyone looked inside, and helped themselfs, and nature did the rest.

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Yes honey, but nature often killed them. I would probably be dead without my asthma meds.

Back to the OP question, I usually gave the Tylenol before injections just to minimize fever and pain.

truelyana said:

Yup, that's how it is. You didn't use doctors thousand of years ago, not with man made chemicals anyway. Everyone looked inside, and helped themselfs, and nature did the rest.

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If you're content to be a senior citizen at forty then have at it. However, most people are not.

Yes, but without those chemicals, polio, tb, whooping cough, rubella, mumps, and measles would not be the rarities they are today. I'd rather my kids have the immunizations over polio any day. Actually, I probably wouldn't have kids because I almost died from a strep infection when I was a kid and was on way massive amounts of antibiotics from what I recall...

I had what I thought (and my doctor who hands scripts out like lollies) some form of arthritis. I got plenty of arthritis medication, but after further research discovered that a candida allergy can mimic arthritis. But it was too late, the meds have already upset my stomach and now I can't take Nurofen even if I really need it because I get a terrible stomach ache.
It amazes me at times how doctors will hand out a script without seeing if the person really needs it or not, I was given Oruvail (a powerful arthritis medication) without hardly a blood test, and after a bone scan I was told "there's no damage but there might be when you're 30, keep taking Oruvail and we'll reassess it in a few years"
I decided to research myself and came across candida, went and got tested and surprise surprise I was quite allergic to it. I started treatment for it and I'm much better now.
My mum's spent thousands of dollars trying to help me, both alternative and traditional medications but I don't think she ever over-medicated, she was just trying to stop her little girl from being in pain all the time.

Tsu Dho Nimh said:

Speaking as a microbiologist, and the veteran of way more vaccinations then most people ... immunizations cause pain and fever as the body's defenses recognize and attack the antigens in the shot. It's part of the process of developing immunity: can't be helped.

Taking a tylenol BEFORE the vaccination minimizes the pain and fever. It's your choice, and it depends on how your child reacts to vaccines, but it's easier to prevent it than to stop it after the kid is feverish and grumpy.

Edited to add: I always take NSAIDs before vaccines and still hurt and get a fever. But it's not as bad as it would be without them.

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I am not a microbiologist, but I am CNM, RN, and mother of 4. I agree with Tsu regarding oral analgesics prior to vaccinations.

I do think in general we over medicate but in my professional and mother opinion, think that tylenol before vaccines is an appropriate step.

I also tell my patients to take ibuprofen before I put in an IUD.

I also tell my patients who are mothers to breastfeed their babies during vaccinations, PKUs, etc.

I also believe in warm baths after vaccines....other things besides analgesia can help.

I have also fired a pediatrician (he missed my kid's broken leg on an x-ray that even I could read, but worse he pooh-poohed my toddler's complete inability to bear weight....) and I have a pediatrician I trust and who trusts me. He listens to me when I am worried and I listen to him when he offers common sense advice and reassurance.

PS If you would like my name, complete credentials, and a more cohesive quote, feel free to PM me.

Personally, I think there is a big difference between overmedicating with prescription meds and giving Tylenol or Motrin when appropriate to help your child with pain or fever. According to the directions on the package, of course!

I'm a big believer in letting a fever run it's course. It's there for a reason. But when my boy is miserable, I'll give him the Tylenol rather than deal with him grouchy and miserable. It's one thing for me to deal with a fever but he's 3 and all he knows is that he doesn't feel good.

See... you know your child better than anyone. Trust your instincts, young padawan, they will not fail you.

I am the mother of 2. As an infant, my older daughter had a substantial fever and swelling of her arm after every DPT shot. The reaction became stronger with each of the of the booster shots. Once we realized that she had this reaction, giving her Tylenol before the vaccination, as well as after, was one way to help keep the fever within a reasonable range and to help keep her comfortable.

My younger daughter never had more than a scratch of fever and no arm swelling for any of her vaccinations, so we never gave her anything. I think there is a wide range of response to each type of vaccination, and where your child falls on the reaction scale should dictate the measures you take to keep them comfortable. What would have been overmedicating for the younger child was, to my mind, completely appropriate for the elder child.

Sorry, I haven't had time to read all the posts, but I'm in the UK and have been watching the docu series, Medicine Men Go Wild, it's been really interesting.
Two (twin) doctors, who specialise in tropical diseases have been going into different areas of the world where modern medication is not usually available, to see what they could either learn or teach.
It really has been enlightening, and from one I can remember they have only cured one baby so far, the other patients seem to have either got better under local treatments or nature has done the trick.

I don't really think it is a question of either/or ie modern v natural remedies, a mixture of the two without either being excessive can work just as well. Grey is my favourite colour, not black or white!

Just one of the things that has been highlighted is that we are developing a very low resistance to pain/discomfort and maybe as we continue to try and minimise this our resistance to it will diminish even further necessitating even more drugs - ever decreasing circles and all that.

If you do get a chance to view the series wherever you are, it is well worth a peek.

Ooh, just had another thought.
The baby that they cured was very sick with fever. The local doctor had diagnosed a lung problem and put eye drops in. These apparently stung like hell because everybody else had to have them as well - the mother included.
Then he cut the baby slightly on the chest and they applied an ointment (if memory serves)
Anyhow, the baby was going downhill and the twin doctors asked if they could help.
They diagnosed malaria and gave the baby medication and also gave the mother some vitamins.
They were careful to point out though, that although they had been scathing of the local doctor treating both mother and child, they were actually doing the same thing, and the malaria treatment that they used had actually only recently been authorised as it had been developed from a Chinese herbal remedy.
Basically what they did was only a stone's throw away from natural treatments and it worked.