There is a real controversy about alternating acetaminophen and ibuprofen in children with high fever.However, in recent years, antipyretic reuse is no longer recommended by medical authorities.
The latest edition of Nielsen Pediatrics still clearly recommends that to reduce fever most safely, the caregiver should choose 1 type of medication and clearly record the dose and time of administration.
The Canadian Association of Pediatricians' popular science website also clearly states that:Do not alternate between using acetaminophen and ibuprofen as this can lead to dosing errors.
In addition，The Australian NPS website (a government-funded, not-for-profit, evidence-based medical organization) also suggest that：Alternating between paracetamol and ibuprofen for fever:Not recommended.
The question arises, what if the child has recurrent fever and the body temperature cannot be controlled with only 1 type of medication?
We need to know that the purpose of using antipyretic is not to return the children's temperature to normal, but to relieve the children's discomfort. Actually, antipyretic usually works to bring the temperature down by 1-1.5 degrees.Also, since the fever itself does not harm the children, there is no need to be worried about even if the temperature is still above 38.5 after the antipyretic is administered.
As stated on the Australian NPS website, studies have not shown any benefit of combining or alternating medications to reduce a child's fever. Therefore, combining or alternating medications adds unnecessary risk to your child,neither combination nor antipyretic medication is recommended.
