Antipyretics, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, are
commonly used to reduce a child’s temperature. They
are particularly useful if a child is distressed because of
a fever, but should not be used routinely for the sole
purpose of reducing body temperature. It is important
that you are aware that these medicines will not affect
the cause of the fever – but they may help the child to
feel more comfortable (NICE, 2007).Antipyretics can
also mask other symptoms and make diagnosis of the
underlying cause difficult (O’Connor, 2002).