When to treat and bring a fever down, or not?

You’re in a real life situation, taking your own temp rectally or someone else’s, and it reads 102.4F. Taken orally, the temp would be about 1° lower.

Consider this a legitimate question. Do you try to reduce the fever with meds or other means (cool bath, wet towel wraps, etc.) or leave it to the body’s natural response to bring the fever down?

Either way, what's your experience?

Meds, drinking lots of water, vitamin C and resting.

This is not medical advice, but personally I would allow the fever in my body. There are quite a few studies that show fever stimulates the immune system. I've always used 104F as the cutoff for concern and not allowing the fever to go higher.

@Newbie35 Meds, drinking lots of water, vitamin C and resting.

@Miss_Sarah This is not medical advice, but personally I would allow the fever in my body. There are quite a few studies that show fever stimulates the immune system. I've always used 104F as the cutoff for concern and not allowing the fever to go higher.

Thank you, ladies! I believe both of your recommendations are excellent, because our bodies react to fever in different ways and not all illnesses with fever are the same. Personally, there are times when I've taken or given meds for fever (Tylenol/acetaminophen orally or by suppository), and at times I've allowed a fever to do its thing, and it usually did within a day or two. Like Miss Sarah, I also used 104F as a cutoff (if this elevated, I will take a rectal). Fortunately, this happened just a couple of times (once with each daughter) which needed an urgent care visit for meds and fluids.

Whatever it takes to not be sick anymore. Sitting still honestly isn't my Forte!

A cool enema will reduce a fever temporarily. Acetominophen is good also. A fever is the body's way of fighting the bacterial infection. The bacteria dies at a certain temperature. Unfortunately if the temperature gets to be too high the patient also dies.

As long as the fever isn’t dangerously high, I think Tylenol or Motrin, or alternating between the two, is nice to make the person more comfortable, make it easier to rest, etc

As a child any time we had a fever mom would give us acetaminophen orally or by suppository. If we was vomiting we got the suppository and she would take our rectal temperature every couple hours until fever broke . If not we went to Doctor or Emergency Room on weekends usually got a shot in the butt

102.4 is pretty high. I think the next step would definitely depend on how I (or the patient) was actually feeling, though. Reducing a fever can be useful temporary relief, but in this case it's not quite high enough to be dangerous on its own.

Like others have said, lots of water. Maybe some acetaminophen if I absolutely need to be productive in the next few hours.

This isn't medical advice either - some info off the web from the Mayo Clinic. There isn't a “one size fits all” answer - so you're better off asking your doc.

“A fever is a common sign of illness, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, fevers seem to play a key role in fighting infections. So should you treat a fever or let the fever run its course? Here's help making the call.”

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/fever/in-depth/fever/art-20050997

I would use acetaminophen suppositories 650mg. Insert 1 suppository rectally every 6 hours

Which would get absorbed quicker into the system? A suppository or an orally taken pill or gelcap?

Suppositories always work faster.

I have thirty yrs hospital experience and was not aware of most medicate supps. When I joined

this agust group. Hospital used cloral hydrate prr anus for seizures, also used IV valium.

one could smell cloral hydrate at the door. I also saw m and m, brown and white enemas.

This was mostly in ER

no wonder I’m a zityite