OK to give Tylenol/Motrin EVERY NIGHT for teething? Any alternatives?

[Anonymous]

DS is teething and lately the only way to get him to sleep is to give him a dose of Tylenol. We've tried various teething toys and "momsicles", which help him stop crying but unfortunately he'll only SLEEP if we break out the drugs. I'm not too happy about this. Is it safe to keep giving Tylenol and/or Motrin night after night? Any other options out there?

[Anonymous]

I would give tylenol or motrin during the week, then try going without on the weekends. It did seem for awhile though that dd just couldn't get any sleep without tylenol or motrin due to teething. At one point, I was staying up until 2 am with her several nights a week because I didn't want to give tylenol or motrin, and she just couldn't sleep. When I finally started giving it as needed, we could both get some sleep.

[Anonymous]

I am doing the same thing with our 10 mth old. I'd say 5 days a week, the ONLY thing that works is tylenol. Sometimes twice a night. I can't wait till these babies pop out. Looks like he's getting four.. I can't imagine that if feels all that good!

[Anonymous]

We were having the same issue and would try not to give in until we got desperate at 3 in the morning. After about four nights in a row I just decided we weren't doing it that night, and she slept well from 3 on anyway. So I wasn't sure if it was the motrin or what.

The pediatrician seems to have no problem with motrin/tylenol several nights in a row, but I don't like doing it. If you've done it for a few nights I would at least try to give it up one night and see how it goes.

[Anonymous]

I give my daughter a 1/2 dose before bed when a tooth is popping through. It usually works. But for her molars we had to do a full dose.

[Anonymous]

I alternated between motrin one night and tylenol the next-I think the baby has to be at least 6 months for motrin. I had to do it about 3 times/week for a couple of weeks. I gave it before bedtime, and that seemed to hold her through the night.

[Anonymous]

I did it. The poor thing was so uncomfortable!

[Anonymous]

Can someone please state what is wrong with giving the correct dose of Tylenol or Motrin each day? In other words, is there documented physical harm to the child's organs or something?

[Anonymous]

I give my baby Motrin now, b/c she's almost 10 months - before it was Tylenol - when she is in a lot of pain, even if it's a few nights in a row. Why put him or her through that pain? These are not dangerous drugs when given in moderation.

This is my rule: If my baby wakes up once, I don't give it to her. But if she wakes up a couple of times (like 1x/hour), I know she is suffering and can't get into a restful state. It is very important for them to sleep soundly, so that's why I think giving Motrin is worth it at that point (more so than Tylenol b/c it lasts much longer and is more effective at treating their inflamed gums). During my baby's worst week, when she cut 4 teeth at once, she got Motrin for maybe 5 nights straight. Otherwise, it's usually just a night here or there.

In the past, I've found this thread helpful, even though I don't use Motrin or Tylenol nearly as often as some of these moms:

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/61596.page

Also, some people alternate Tylenol and Motrin on different nights, on the theory that the baby wasn't getting the "worst" of each medicine. That never made sense to me, but it might make you feel better.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone please state what is wrong with giving the correct dose of Tylenol or Motrin each day? In other words, is there documented physical harm to the child's organs or something?

I would like to know this too! Wouldn't there be a warning on the box if it was unsafe to use a few night in a row? My Dr. gives me a box of infant Tylenol almost everytime I visit (they give DD some when she's had a fever or shots and I take home the rest). I've never been warned against using the pain reliever.

[Anonymous]

We give tylenol for teething pain, but sparingly. Normal dosage will not harm a baby, even if given "around the clock" but long term frequent use of analgesics can cause liver damage. Tylenol for adults, for instance, recently had to revise its warning label on adult versions to acknowledge greater long-term risk. These medicines can also exacerbate reflux or other stomach / digestive issues. Finally, some people choose homeopathic or more natural remedies for themselves and wish to do the same for their children, because they think painkillers and drugs in general are overused.

I personally give painkillers when DS is teething because I know he is in pain. But we also try hard to distract him, give him teething toys, etc first. When that does not work and it's obvious that teething is the culprit, we'll use tylenol. (He's too young for ibuprofin).

Good luck OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone please state what is wrong with giving the correct dose of Tylenol or Motrin each day? In other words, is there documented physical harm to the child's organs or something?

I would like to know this too! Wouldn't there be a warning on the box if it was unsafe to use a few night in a row? My Dr. gives me a box of infant Tylenol almost everytime I visit (they give DD some when she's had a fever or shots and I take home the rest). I've never been warned against using the pain reliever.

I think there is a warning to stop use after five days but that may be because the drugs could mask a serious illness. That said, these drugs are toxic to your liver (tylenol) and kidneys (motrin) in the right quantities. So I think a few nights is OK but you should find another solution if this is a constant teething pain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone please state what is wrong with giving the correct dose of Tylenol or Motrin each day? In other words, is there documented physical harm to the child's organs or something?

I would like to know this too! Wouldn't there be a warning on the box if it was unsafe to use a few night in a row? My Dr. gives me a box of infant Tylenol almost everytime I visit (they give DD some when she's had a fever or shots and I take home the rest). I've never been warned against using the pain reliever.

Re: after shots .... there was a story in the news a couple months ago that tylenol with shots reduces the shots' efficacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We give tylenol for teething pain, but sparingly. Normal dosage will not harm a baby, even if given "around the clock" but long term frequent use of analgesics can cause liver damage. Tylenol for adults, for instance, recently had to revise its warning label on adult versions to acknowledge greater long-term risk. These medicines can also exacerbate reflux or other stomach / digestive issues. Finally, some people choose homeopathic or more natural remedies for themselves and wish to do the same for their children, because they think painkillers and drugs in general are overused.

I personally give painkillers when DS is teething because I know he is in pain. But we also try hard to distract him, give him teething toys, etc first. When that does not work and it's obvious that teething is the culprit, we'll use tylenol. (He's too young for ibuprofin).

Good luck OP!

OP here. I suspected something like this. But my question remains--how much is too much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone please state what is wrong with giving the correct dose of Tylenol or Motrin each day? In other words, is there documented physical harm to the child's organs or something?

My Ped said it was fine nightly for up to 2 weeks, then give them a couple of nights off to give the liver a break from processing all the medicine. I would assume alternating off it a couple of nights during the week like some PP's said would do the same thing.