When my child has a temperature should I give him Ibuprofen, Paracetamol or a combination of both?

When your child has a fever both these drugs are entirely appropriate, and you can use either or both.

Studies show that both Paracetamol and Ibuprofen are safe and well tolerated in the appropriate doses. Paracetamol is often the drug that is reached for first by most parents, but some studies suggest that there may be an advantage in using Ibuprofen first as it may bring down fever more quickly and has an anti-pyretic (anti-fever) action that lasts longer: the duration of paracetamol is 4-6 hours, whereas that of Ibuprofen tends to be about 6-8 hours. A recent study in the British Medical Journal has suggested that using Paracetamol and Ibuprofen together brings fever down quickly (quicker that paracetamol alone, but no quicker than Ibuprofen alone) and gives by far the best result in keeping fever down for longer compared to Paracetamol alone and Ibuprofen alone.

Whichever your choice of anti-pyretic, do remember that you can give Paracetamol every 4 hours up to 4 times a day, and Ibuprofen every 6-8 hours up to 3 times a day. You can often alternate the two medicines so that your child gets regular cover without being at risk of an overdose.

If you are having difficulty in controlling your child's temperature despite your best efforts with regular good doses of Paracetamol and Ibuprofen, you may wish to take your child to your doctor's office for a check over.