Tylenol/Motrin

[packrat]

Is there some new study or a big lawsuit going on about Motrin? I was just on the phone w/my bff and mentioned I picked up Tylenol and Motrin for Trapper b/c we''re pretty sure he''s been having growing pains during the night. She said her mom (Dr I work for) told her just the other day or pretty recently anyway, that Motrin can have some pretty serious side effects-she couldn''t remember what, but thought it was named after a kid. I looked it up and found Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Reye''s Syndrome. Dr. has always recommended alternating Tylenol/Motrin, and in December Trapper had a 104 fever, so I''d called one of our providers and was told to do the alternating as well. She said it had something to do w/aspirin too-but aren''t aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen all 3 different things? I was under the impression it was aspirin that shouldn''t be given to kids?

I just wondered if any of you had any knowledge to pass on? Now I don''t want to give it to him, and just do Tylenol.

I''m confused!

 

[luvmyhalo]

I haven't heard anything about Motrin causing any bad side effects. I've always alternated Tylenol and Motrin for my 3 yr old under the advice of her Ped. Aspirin is the one they can't have until 19 (I think) because of Reyes syndrome. I really hope there's nothing to be worried about with Motrin, it works fast and lasts longer than Tylenol!

 

[Lilac]

The only thing I''ve heard about this is to not give any aspirin to kids. I always thought Motrin and Tylenol were ok for children. I do know ibuprofen and aspirin are *somehow* related because I am allergic to aspirin and was told by my doctors to stay away from Motrin, Advil, etc. because they''re related in a way (but again - I always heard Motrin/Advil was fine to give to kids while aspirin was not).

If you''re concerned, maybe call your childrens'' pediatrician and ask what they think you should do.

 

[packrat]

Thanks Halo and Lilac! The only thing I could really find was an article about how in 2004 a girl was given Motrin and the next day developed problems that was diagnosed as that Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. It was one of those articles like the "I am a non attorney spokesperson, if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Mesothelioma please call our hotline" commerials. I don''t know..I would think if it was a HUGE concern, it would be in the papers and people would be talking about it, right?

I''ll call up to the office tomorrow and find out the skinny on it.

 

[lover in athens]

SJS is a VERY rare, but serious dermatological disease. It's almost always associated with medications, but usually antibiotics (also antiseizure meds). A lot of times people who get it are diagnosed without knowing what the true cause is (and they are almost always on tons of meds, so almost any one of those meds could be designated as the culprit). It's extremely rare (but not unheard of) in kids. It's also one of those things that you absolutely cannot predict who is going to have it as a side effect from a particular medication (well, yet, anyway...there is some new research that we may be able to tell who is high risk for it depending on certain gene mutations that affect how we metabolize meds). I would definitely not be worried about this from a med like motrin!!

(as an aside, SJS is a more serious form of something called erythema-multiforme, which is usually thought to be caused by infections like herpes, etc; and a less serious form of toxic epidermal necrosis which is almost ALWAYS from meds).

as pointed out already, aspirin is not safe for kids because of reye's syndrome. reye's is not associated with other meds (as far as i know)...

hth...


ETA: just did a quick google search and it pulls up a bunch of stuff...i use motrin a lot with my son without fear of SJS, but if you're worried i would DEFINITELY talk to your pediatrician!

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 3/4/2010 11:05:18 PM
Author: lover in athens
SJS is a VERY rare, but serious dermatological disease. It's almost always associated with medications, but usually antibiotics (also antiseizure meds). A lot of times people who get it are diagnosed without knowing what the true cause is (and they are almost always on tons of meds, so almost any one of those meds could be designated as the culprit). It's extremely rare (but not unheard of) in kids. It's also one of those things that you absolutely cannot predict who is going to have it as a side effect from a particular medication (well, yet, anyway...there is some new research that we may be able to tell who is high risk for it depending on certain gene mutations that affect how we metabolize meds). I would definitely not be worried about this from a med like motrin!!

(as an aside, SJS is a more serious form of something called erythema-multiforme, which is usually thought to be caused by infections like herpes, etc; and a less serious form of toxic epidermal necrosis which is almost ALWAYS from meds).

as pointed out already, aspirin is not safe for kids because of reye's syndrome. reye's is not associated with other meds (as far as i know)...

hth...


ETA: just did a quick google search and it pulls up a bunch of stuff...i use motrin a lot with my son without fear of SJS, but if you're worried i would DEFINITELY talk to your pediatrician!

Just want to ditto this.

One of the meds that I take - Lamotrigine - which is an anti-convulsant has a fairly high incidence of causing SJS. It was one of the reasons that I was advised not to breastfeed - it passes into breastmilk and then into the baby and could potentially cause SJS in them.

With my doctors, I did a huge amount of research into it - and contacted the Epilepsy societies as they have more experience with it than the Bipolar ones - and we couldn't find a single case of SJS in a neonate. The conclusion was that the advantages of breastfeeding far outweighed the miniscule chance of SJS. Plus it crosses the placenta in a much higher dose than that in breast-milk and so Daisy had been exposed to it before birth for many months.

Even if you do get SJS, it's not as if you drop dead over-night. If you stop taking the meds as soon as you get any symptoms, it goes away. The important thing is to keep an eye out for the symptoms.

Cases with these kinds of drugs are incredibly rare, I can't believe that there is any real risk with something as commonplace as Tylenol or Motrin which are used by millions of parents across the globe.

 

[ponder]

My pediatrician said NO Motrin (ibuprofen) until at least 6 months of age. He said it can cause liver or kidney damage (I cant remember which) in very young infants.

 

[Sabine]

No Motrin before 6 months as pp said. And even after 6 months, Motrin can still be rough on little tummies. Tylenol is a bit gentler. But you do need to make sure not to go beyond the recommended dosages per day or else it can effect their kidneys I believe.

A lot of dr.s recommend alternating Tylenol and Motrin because then you can give them sooner than if you were just giving one med. I believe my dr. said Tylenol, then 3 hours later Motrin, then 3 hours later more Tylenol. If you were just doing one, you''d have to wait 4 hours in between. I would only do this for a major fever/illness though, not just for teething pain, etc.

 

[sparklyheart]

Date: 3/5/2010 8:39:10 AM
Author: ponder
My pediatrician said NO Motrin (ibuprofen) until at least 6 months of age. He said it can cause liver or kidney damage (I cant remember which) in very young infants.

Their little livers aren''t mature enough to handle the ibuprofen so it is bad news for babies <6 months. There is some research out there that says alternating Tylenol and Motrin can cause kidney/liver damage because they basically prevent each other from breaking down. Some doctors go with this, some don''t. I have a feeling it is a matter of quantity (i.e. are you alternating these two meds for a week vs. 1 day?). Either way, if you are unsure or uncomfortable, just call your pediatrician!

 

[packrat]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I don''t feel near as conflicted about it as I did. The kids rarely need pain relievers and rarely have fevers, and my go-to when they do if Tylenol anyway..unless it''s really bad like Trapper''s super high fever a few months ago, then I alternate. The only reason I''d even picked up both of them at the store was so I''d have it on hand when I need it, or if Trapper''s growing pains happened to keep up and he needed a little extra pain relief. (which they seem to have gone away again thankfully) It really caught me off guard when E told me that about the Motrin, so thanks for making me feel better about it!