When your child is in pain or has a fever, you need to choose a fever reducer/pain reliever. The most common medications are Tylenol and Motrin. For years, each claimed on their television advertisements that their product was recommended most by pediatricians. Over the last few years, both Motrin and Tylenol stopped making these claims. This leaves it up to you to decide which is the best fever reducer to give your child. If your child has an infection that is causing the fever, neither medication will cure them faster. However, the fever reducer will help your child feel better faster and it will prevent their fever from spiking which can be dangerous.
Age Restrictions For Motrin and Tylenol
Your child’s age could be the deciding factor when it come to choosing between the two medications. If your child is younger than two years old, Tylenol is your only option. This is because Motrin cannot be given to children under two years old. Tylenol should only be given to children 12 weeks or older. If your child is younger than that and has a fever, you should speak to your doctor before administering Tylenol. If your child is over two years old and has a fever, you can go with either product.
The Safety and Effectiveness of Tylenol vs Motrin
Researchers did a meta-analysis of 85 studies that compared Tylenol and Motrin. According to these studies, Motrin was determined just as effective as Tylenol. Many of the studies found that it was even more effective than Tylenol. Furthermore, both were found to be equally safe for children over 2 years old. Finally, the studies found that Motrin was more likely to have side-effects, such as flu symptoms. However, Motrin is the best option when treating inflammatory pain in children two years of age or older.
Tylenol vs Motrin For Pain
If your child needs to take medication for pain, Motrin is the best option. Unlike Tylenol, Motrin is an anti-inflammatory. This means that if there is swelling associated with your child’s injury, Motrin will help where Tylenol will not.
Tylenol vs Motrin: Benefits
One of the main benefits of Tylenol is that it comes in a suppository form called Feverall. This is great if your child is vomiting and cannot hold anything down. It is also great if your child is refusing to take the medication by mouth and they spit it out as soon as it goes into their mouth.
Motrin also has its own benefits. According to doctors, Motrin will last for 6 to 8 hours. Tylenol, on the other hand, lasts 4 to 6 hours. This means that you won’t need to medicate your child as often if you use Motrin as a fever reducer or for pain.
Alternating Tylenol With Motrin
There are some parents who swear by alternating Tylenol and Motrin. The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t discourage or encourage alternating the two medications, however, they do believe that alternating the two every 3 to 4 hours will give worried parents peace of mind. If you are one of the parents who are sure that alternating the two medications is effective, you need to be very careful. If you are using the correct dosages of each medication and you are giving them at the right time, it is safe. Unfortunately, it is easy to get confused and accidentally give your child an extra dose. This is why you need to keep a written schedule so that you can be sure that you are giving the correct dose. It is also important to understand that there are situations where it can be dangerous to alternate Tylenol and Motrin. If your child is dehydrated due to an illness or if they have certain medical conditions, it can cause damage to the kidneys. If you are thinking about alternating medications, you should first talk to your doctor.
Final Verdict
Overall, Tylenol is just as effective as Motrin. When choosing which is best for your child, you would need to consider your child’s age as infants can only take Tylenol. You should also consider whether or not you need to treat inflammation as well as the pain.
