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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Are Cold Compresses And Tylenol Advisable While Having High Fever?

I have a 21 year old son here at home. He began running a fever earlier today. It has reached it s highest at this time. It is currently 102.8. His fiance coincidentally has hand, foot and mouth right now. We re suspecting he contracted that from her. Is there a need to rush him to the emergency room or should we fight the fever here at home with cold compresses, tylenol, etc.?
Mon, 28 Nov 2016
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hi there,

Since the fever has just started, we would not do anything more in the emergency room than you would at home. Tylenol, or acetaminophen, is the way to go, 1g per dose, 4-6 hourly, not more than 4 doses total in a day. Cold compresses around the face area can be used for comfort, but if you intend to sponge the rest of his body, use tepid water so that it doesn't shock the body into retaining more heat.

Make sure he drinks 2-3 litres of fluids in a day, if he is dehydrated the fever will be higher. If there are sores in the mouth, make sure you treat it with numbing gels or lozenges so that he can drink enough water.

Get help if you can't keep the fever down despite the Tylenol and sponging, or if he is not able to take enough fluids to keep his hydration up. He should also get checked after three days or so if it doesn't turn out to be hand, foot and mouth disease, and the fever keeps recurring once the Tylenol wears off.

Hope this helps, and all the best to you and your son.

Regards,
Dr. Teh
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Are Cold Compresses And Tylenol Advisable While Having High Fever?

Hi there, Since the fever has just started, we would not do anything more in the emergency room than you would at home. Tylenol, or acetaminophen, is the way to go, 1g per dose, 4-6 hourly, not more than 4 doses total in a day. Cold compresses around the face area can be used for comfort, but if you intend to sponge the rest of his body, use tepid water so that it doesn t shock the body into retaining more heat. Make sure he drinks 2-3 litres of fluids in a day, if he is dehydrated the fever will be higher. If there are sores in the mouth, make sure you treat it with numbing gels or lozenges so that he can drink enough water. Get help if you can t keep the fever down despite the Tylenol and sponging, or if he is not able to take enough fluids to keep his hydration up. He should also get checked after three days or so if it doesn t turn out to be hand, foot and mouth disease, and the fever keeps recurring once the Tylenol wears off. Hope this helps, and all the best to you and your son. Regards, Dr. Teh