Ask Me Help Desk

Ask Me Help Desk (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/forum.php)
-   Child & Teen Health (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=69)
-   -   Can I mix medicines? (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=122376)

  • Aug 23, 2007, 10:01 PM
    nauticalstar420
    Can I mix medicines?
    My son is 2 and he has had a pretty nasty cough lately. I just gave him some Triaminic for the cough, and then realized he had a 102.5 fever. Can I give him Tylenol/Ibubrofen to bring down the fever after he's already taken the Triaminic?

    Thanks for your answers in advance. :)
  • Aug 23, 2007, 10:10 PM
    cpalmist
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by nauticalstar420
    My son is 2 and he has had a pretty nasty cough lately. I just gave him some Triaminic for the cough, and then realized he had a 102.5 fever. Can I give him Tylenol/Ibubrofen to bring down the fever after he's already taken the Triaminic?

    Thanks for your answers in advance. :)

    latest thing I saw on CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News was that MD's were saying no med for small kids. Messes 'em up.

    As a 59 yr old guy, I have found great value in Vick's. I had a major coughing spell a few weeks back (working with tile grout and just nasty dusts) and the cough stuff I had was not cutting it. My Mom (84 yrs of wisdom there) had told me to put a thick coat of Vicks on the soles of my feet and put on some socks.
    Dang! It worked like Magic! And far better than I can remember any OTC cough stuff as my cough that was wracking my body almost immediately went away and my temp dropped and that was the end of that cough and fever!

    Read the label carefully but dang! It works like I would hope everything worked.

    Please rate.
  • Aug 25, 2007, 01:51 AM
    templelane
    Tylenol contains codeine please don't give him that ever. Also never give asprin (I know you didn't mention it) to under 16 as it can raise the risk of developing a serious illness, Reye's syndrome.
    HOME

    As the above poster mentioned it is best not to give medicines to young children. If you feel there is no alternative you can get specially formulated baby versions of things like ibprophen.
    http://www.calpol.co.uk/en/article.asp?id=117

    Read the labels and you'll be sure you are safe.

    As for the decongestant in Triaminic you can use it with painkillers. However if you continue use over a couple of days to a week he will experience rebound congestion. This is where the body adapts so starts to overdo what the medicine is suppressing. It is not serious, just not pleasant. It also contains an antihistamine which is also safe with painkillers.

    I have just read the liquid form also contains a cough suppressor but not the antihistamine (different barands in my country but the drugs are all the same). If your child as a chesty cough (phlem/mucus) then do not use cough suppressors as this can cause pnemonia which can be fatal. The body is trying to shift out the rubbish for a reason. If it is a tickly cough it will be fine. Don't worry if you gave him a couple of doses and it is chesty, just don't give anymore.

    If you are confused about anything I have written just post back and I'll explain further. Also if you post drug names rather than the brand it'll help people in different parts of the world answer as everywhere has different brands - they are called the generic names.

    With such a young child it is always better to check any medicines with the doctor/pharmacist before given them.

    Hope this helps
    FYI - I used to be a pharmacist assistant so that's how I know this stuff, it's all I used to say in the winter months!

    Hope your wee one gets better soon.
  • Aug 25, 2007, 10:45 AM
    nauticalstar420
    Thank you very much for such a detailed response! You really know your stuff! :)

    Whenever I give him things like Tylenol or Ibuprofen it is always the baby version, the liquid with the dropper.

    He does have the chest congestion cough, should I give him anything for that at all? Or just let him cough it up? My mom always just let me cough it up, but he sounds so miserable, I just wanted to help him. :p
  • Aug 25, 2007, 10:55 AM
    J_9
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by templelane
    Tylenol contains codeine

    You are quite mistaken. Over the counter Tylenol does NOT contain codeine. Here in the states it is called Tylenol III with codeine and is only available by prescription.

    NS,

    Children's Triaminic is fine. Give the Children's Tylenol then 4 hours later give Children's Motrin.

    If the fever is not gone in 24 hours he will need to be seen by a doctor. It takes approximately 24 hours for the location of an infection to be identified.
  • Aug 25, 2007, 10:57 AM
    J_9
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by nauticalstar420
    He does have the chest congestion cough, should I give him anything for that at all? Or just let him cough it up? My mom always just let me cough it up, but he sounds so miserable, I just wanted to help him. :p

    He needs an expectorant to loosen the phlegm. If the coughing keeps him up at night you can give him a cough suppressant/expectorant.

    There is a terrible summer cold going around right now. I'm just getting over it myself. Had a 101 fever earlier this week.
  • Aug 25, 2007, 11:03 AM
    nauticalstar420
    Thanks J_9!

    His fever has been around 101. It is gone for now, I'm hoping it won't come back but I'll just have to wait and see.

    At the beginning of the cold his fever was 104.2. I called the on call nurse center for the hospital we have to go to (military) and they said just give him some Tylenol, and if we brought him in we'd be waiting for hours because fever isn't a high priority.
  • Aug 25, 2007, 11:04 AM
    nauticalstar420
    Quote:

    Wondergirl agrees: Rub Vick's Vapo Rub on his chest and neck and cover that with a turtleneck shirt. At night do the same thing. My mom even smeared Vick's under our nose so we could breathe better. I LOVE VICK'S!!
    Thank you very much! I think I'm going to go get some Vicks today! :)
  • Aug 25, 2007, 11:13 AM
    templelane
    Sorry J_9 I have to Google the names for the generic drugs because we have different brands over here. That's why I mentioned it in my post as I got two different formulas for the Triaminic alone. Sorry about that! *blushes*
  • Aug 25, 2007, 11:13 AM
    J_9
    I love VICKS!! I too have used it on my feet with a pair of warm woolies, really works wonders.

    Fever, especially in a young child is not priority as it is necessary to fight infection as well as help boost the immune system.
  • Aug 25, 2007, 11:16 AM
    nauticalstar420
    I apologize templelane that was my fault. I believe the generic name for it is Diphenhydramine :)
  • Aug 25, 2007, 11:18 AM
    nauticalstar420
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by J_9
    Fever, especially in a young child is not priority as it is necessary to fight infection as well as help boost the immune system.

    The reason I got so scared by the 104.2 fever was because someone told me when a fever gets too high it can cause brain damage :eek:

    I actually didn't know fever helped fight infection, I always thought fever was a terribly bad thing.
  • Aug 25, 2007, 11:25 AM
    J_9
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by nauticalstar420
    I believe the generic name for it is Diphenhydramine :)

    Hun, that is the generic name for Benadryl. The generic name for Tylenol is Acetaminophen
  • Aug 25, 2007, 11:30 AM
    J_9
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by nauticalstar420
    The reason I got so scared by the 104.2 fever was because someone told me when a fever gets too high it can cause brain damage :eek:

    In an adult it can. In children we see more febrile seizures than brain damage. Yes, that can be scary, but it does not result in permanent damage in most cases.

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by nauticalstar420
    I actually didnt know fever helped fight infection, I always thought fever was a terribly bad thing.

    The fever calls the white blood cells to the area of infection. Heat kills bacteria, so fever helps kill bacteria. It also aids in building up our immune systems because then next time our white blood cells see that bacteria, or virus, they stand up and say "Hey, we have already fought you guys once, we know how to get rid of you this time too."

    It is remarkable what our bodies do. Once we have a virus or an infection of sorts, that stays in the auto programming of our defense mechanisms.
  • Aug 25, 2007, 11:30 AM
    nauticalstar420
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by J_9
    Hun, that is the generic name for Benadryl. The generic name for Tylenol is Acetaminophen

    I meant for the Triaminic not the Tylenol, but apparently that's not it for Triaminic either! :p
  • Aug 25, 2007, 11:32 AM
    nauticalstar420
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by J_9
    The fever calls the white blood cells to the area of infection. Heat kills bacteria, so fever helps kill bacteria. It also aids in building up our immune systems because then next time our white blood cells see that bacteria, or virus, they stand up and say "Hey, we have already fought you guys once, we know how to get rid of you this time too."

    It is remarkable what our bodies do. Once we have a virus or an infection of sorts, that stays in the auto programming of our defense mechanisms.

    That is really neat, I never knew that. I always thought fever=bad. Thank you for telling me that, now I won't get so freaked out whenever he has a fever. :p
  • Aug 25, 2007, 11:33 AM
    templelane
    I'm still getting used to people calling it Acetaminophen and not paracetamol on here! Argh I'll never win! Also I refuse to say epinephrine it's adrenaline!

    You say tomayto I say tomaato :)
  • Aug 25, 2007, 11:33 AM
    J_9
    That depends on which Triaminic you are using. Most of it is Pseudoephedrine.
  • Aug 25, 2007, 11:34 AM
    J_9
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by templelane
    Also I refuse to say epinephrine it's adrenaline!


    Epinephrine is synthetic, man made, Adrenaline is naturally occurring in your body, it is one of the chemicals responsible for the fight or flight syndrome.
  • Aug 25, 2007, 11:38 AM
    nauticalstar420
    You guys really know your stuff when it comes to meds, and thank goodness for that! Now I know who to ask when I have questions about meds. :p

  • All times are GMT -7. The time now is 05:21 AM.