Medication dosing
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
- Acetaminophen is very helpful for fever and pain. Please do not use acetaminophen for infants under four months of age without talking to our office first.
- Acetaminophen may be given every 4-6 hours
- Infant drops and the children's syrup may have very different concentrations. Please only use the dropper provided with the infant drops to measure the infant dose.
- Many over-the-counter cold and cough preparations also contain acetaminophen. Use of these products along with an acetaminophen preparation may result in a dangerous overdose.
- Acetaminophen is also available as a rectal suppository for use in children who refuse to take medicine by mouth or who are vomiting. The brand name is Feverall, and it is available in most pharmacies. Please use rectal acetaminophen only on the recommendation of our office.
| Weight | Dose | Infant Drops 160mg/5ml |
Children's Syrup 160mg/5ml |
Chewables 80mg | Chewables 160mg |
| 6-12 lbs | 40 mg | 1.25 ml | |||
| 12-17 lbs | 80 mg | 2.5 ml | 2.5 ml | ||
| 18-23 lbs | 120 mg | 3.75 ml | 4 ml | ||
| 24-35 lbs | 160 mg | 5 ml | 5 ml | 2 | 1 |
| 36-47 lbs | 240 mg | 7.5 ml | 3 | 1 ½ | |
| 48-59 lbs | 320 mg | 10 ml | 4 | 2 | |
| 60-71 lbs | 400 mg | 12.5 ml | 5 | 2 ½ | |
| 72-95 lbs | 480 mg | 15 ml | 6 | 3 | |
| 95+ lbs | 640 mg | 20 ml | 8 | 4 |
Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) dosing
- Ibuprofen is very helpful for fever and for pain. It should not be used in infants under 6 months old.
- Ibuprofen may be given every 6-8 hours
- The most common side effects of ibuprofen are abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Please give the medicine with food to try to prevent these side effects. If your child already has these symptoms, consider using acetaminophen instead.
- Ibuprofen is available in a variety of dosage forms and concentrations. Please be sure to use the dose appropriate for the type of medication you are using. In addition, use only the dropper provided with the oral drops to measure the dosage. This dropper is a very different size than the dropper provided with acetaminophen drops and other droppers available, and improper use could result in over- or under-dosing.
| Weight | Dose | Infant Oral Drops (50 mg/1.25 ml) |
Children's Oral Suspension (100 mg/5 ml) |
Chewables 50 mg |
Chewables 100 mg |
Caplets 100 mg |
| 12-17 lbs | 50 mg | 1.25 ml | 2.5 ml | |||
| 18-21 lbs | 75 mg | 1.875 ml | 4 ml | |||
| 22-32 lbs | 100 mg | 2.5 ml | 5 ml | |||
| 33-43 lbs | 150 mg | 3.75 ml | 7.5 ml | 3 | 1 ½ | |
| 44-54 lbs | 200 mg | 5 ml | 10 ml | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 55-65 lbs | 250 mg | 12.5 ml | 5 | 2 ½ | 2 ½ | |
| 66-76 lbs | 300 mg | 15 ml | 6 | 3 | 3 | |
| 77-87 lbs | 350 mg | 17.5 ml | 7 | 3 ½ | 3 ½ | |
| 88-98 lbs | 400 mg | 20 ml | 8 | 4 | 4 |