November 21, 2022, 8:02 pm | Read time: 4 minutes

This might sound familiar to many parents, especially during the infection-prone season: The child has a fever, but paracetamol and ibuprofen fever syrups are hard to find this year due to supply chain issues. Many parents prefer syrups over other forms because they have two advantages: They can be dosed precisely by the milliliter, and they are suitable for very young children who may not be able to swallow tablets yet. But what can be done to get fever syrup for sick children?

Fever-reducing medication isn’t always necessary

First of all, a fever-reducing medication isn’t always necessary. “If the child is otherwise doing well, it’s not a must,” says Berlin pediatrician Jakob Maske, spokesperson for the Professional Association of Pediatricians (BVKJ).

Fever is generally not a bad thing; it’s a normal immune response to an infection. However, if the child’s overall condition worsens, fever-reducing medications with active ingredients like paracetamol and ibuprofen can provide relief.

If the fever syrup with the desired active ingredient is unavailable, you might get lucky and find a product with the other active ingredient. But this strategy often doesn’t work. So what now?

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Overdosing harms the liver–worse than the child’s fever

“Then it might be wise to switch to another form–suppositories or tablets,” says Jakob Maske. As with fever syrup, the same rule applies: No more active ingredient should enter the child’s body than is recommended based on their body weight. “An overdose harms the liver–and that’s much worse than the child’s fever,” warns Maske.

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Don’t cut suppositories–tablets can be split

But what if the infant needs a suppository with 75 milligrams of paracetamol, and parents might still have suppositories with 125 milligrams from an older sibling in the home medicine cabinet? The suppository should not be cut, as the active ingredient may not be evenly distributed, says Maske.

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However, parents can certainly use split tablets if half of the tablet corresponds to the dose the feverish child needs.

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How to administer tablets to toddlers

Suppositories are very unpopular with most children. Tablets can also meet with resistance. Pediatrician Jakob Maske knows some tricks: Tablets can be given whole on a spoon with some yogurt or liquid, or crumbled into a yogurt bowl or drinking glass. Parents should ensure that “the child drinks or eats everything to ensure they receive the full amount of medication,” says Maske.

Industry focuses on flavor for fever syrup

Suppositories and tablets aren’t the only alternatives if fever syrup is unavailable. If you’re lucky, there’s a pharmacy nearby that makes its own fever syrups with ibuprofen or paracetamol.

Pharmacies are allowed to do this during supply shortages, according to the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices. However, it’s labor-intensive, and not every pharmacy can manage it.

There’s a difference between pharmacy-made fever syrups and those the children might already know. “The industry focuses heavily on flavor for fever syrups. The pharmacy-made syrup doesn’t taste as good in comparison,” says Maske.

So parents may need to do a bit more convincing, just as with suppositories or tablets.

With material from dpa