Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog

Marilynn Marchione reports on surprising new research that suggest, “Giving babies Tylenol to prevent fever when they get childhood vaccinations may backfire and make the shots a little less effective” (AP for FinLaw, 10/16). The new research, which only studied the use of Tylenol to prevent fever, not its effect in reducing a fever, is the first substantial study about the potential link between the use of fever-reducing medicines and reduced immunity.

Although the research also suggests that the vast amount a children still received enough protection from the vaccines despite ingesting Tylenol, the “results make a ‘compelling case’ against routinely giving Tylenol right after vaccination… Tylenol or its generic twin, acetaminophen, is widely recommended as a painkiller for babies. Many parents give it right before or after a shot to prevent fever and fussiness, and some doctors recommend this.”

Developing a fever after a vaccination is not necessarily a bad thing, as it is natural part of the body’s response to the vaccination. Some other researchers suggest that although “there’s been speculation for a long time that the use of [fever reducers] might [have] an effect on antibody production after vaccination…this is far from proved [and] given that so few children develop high fevers after vaccinations, skipping the meds unless fever develops might be the way to go.”

As a products liability and medical negligence lawyer, I am intrigued be the results of this study. Since the results suggest that there is little to no risk of holding off on giving children a fever reducing medicine until after a fever develops, parents may want to consider waiting to give their children Tylenol or other fever reducers. Further research should clarify the actual risk of ingesting Tylenol after a vaccination.