What to Take for Fever

What to take for a fever might include over-the-counter (OTC) medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil) and home remedies such as ice packs, extra fluids, or a lukewarm bath.

A fever is an increase in body temperature that is a natural and beneficial response to an infection, helping to mobilize the immune system to fight whatever bacteria, virus, or other microbe has entered the body. A fever also may develop as a symptom of inflammation.

This article discusses treatment options when you or your child have a fever.

What Is Considered a Fever?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a fever as any temperature at 100.4 F (38 C) or higher.

Fever is not an illness, but instead a way your body fights an illness or infection. The heat of fever works to:

  • Increase immune cell activity (white blood cells and other "fighter" cells)
  • Put stress on infected cells directly and pathogens (bacteria, viruses, and other microbes)
  • Combine with other stressors to provide a nonspecific immune defense.

Unless a fever becomes dangerously high or lasts for a prolonged period of time, it's sometimes best not to try to bring it down, given its role in helping to fight infection. But if a fever is causing discomfort, there are several remedies you can use.

When to Treat a Fever

If you have a very high fever or one that lasts for more than two days (or your child has a fever that lingers for five days or more), see a healthcare provider. Newborns and babies under 3 months should be seen by a pediatrician for any fever of any duration.

How to Treat a Fever
Age Temperature Treatment
0–3 months 100.4 F (rectal) Call your healthcare provider or go to the emergency room.
3 months–3 years Under 102.2 F Comfort care
  102.2 and over Call your healthcare provider for advice on treatment, which may include a fever-reducer.
4–18 years Under 102.2 F Comfort care
  102.2–104 F May give age-appropriate dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Call your healthcare provider if the fever isn't lowered by medication or lasts longer than three days.
  104 F or over Call your healthcare provider.
18 and over Under 102.2 F Comfort care
  102.2 to 104 F May take acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or aspirin. Call your healthcare provider if the fever isn't lowered by the medication or lasts longer than three days.
  105 F or over Call your healthcare provider or go to the emergency room.

Home Remedies to Treat Fever

A fever under 104 degrees F in adults is not considered dangerous and self-administered comfort care can be adequate treatment. These strategies on their own or in combination may be effective:

  • Drink plenty of fluids: Dehydration is a common side effect of fever but can be prevented by drinking plenty of water, fruit juice, or an electrolyte-replacement beverage such as Pedialyte or sports drinks. Infants who are breastfeeding should be nursed more often.
  • Avoid alcohol: Since alcohol can cause dehydration, it should be avoided during an illness.
  • Dress wisely: Even if you feel cold or have chills, too many layers of clothing or extra blankets can prevent your body temperature from dropping to normal. Don't bundle up more than necessary to be comfortable.
  • Beat the heat: Stay out of the sun, hot outdoor temperatures, or overly heated rooms, if possible.
  • Rest: Refrain from strenuous physical activity.
  • Apply non-frozen cold packs to strategic areas: Place them under an arm, on your forehead, or on the insides of your wrists. A cool, wet washcloth can be effective as well.
  • Take a lukewarm bath or sponge bath: Limit soaking in the tub to 20 to 30 minutes; get out sooner if you start to shiver. Sponge small children with lukewarm water for up to 20 to 30 minutes as long as they're comfortable.

Never use ice or an ice bath to try to lower body temperature. The same goes for using rubbing alcohol on the skin. Neither strategy is effective and both can be dangerous.

Mother checking her sick sons temperature
Milan_Jovic / Getty Images

Over-the-Counter (OTC) Remedies for Fever

Although there are several medications that can help bring down a fever, they should be used with discretion and based on how elevated the temperature is and the age of the person with the fever.

In adults, a temperature over 100.4 degrees F is considered a fever, but a fever reducer isn't recommended unless the fever is over 101 degrees F. A child between 3 months and 3 years of age does not need medication for a temperature under 102 degrees F.

Before giving fever medication to a baby or a child under 2, call their pediatrician for guidance.

Over-the-counter fever relievers include:

  • Tylenol (acetaminophen): Approved for children over 2 months, teens, and adults
  • Advil or Motrin (ibuprofen): Approved for children over 6 months, teens, and adults
  • Aspirin: Generally safe for adults 18 years and older

Although both acetaminophen and ibuprofen are effective at reducing fever, a review of 10 studies concluded that ibuprofen reduced fever faster than acetaminophen.

Never give aspirin to children or teens under 18 (unless instructed by a healthcare provider) due to the risk of Reye's syndrome.

Carefully follow the instructions on the medication package or a healthcare provider's guidance for the proper dose and safe intervals between doses. Note that for children, the dosage of a fever reliever is based on weight and age.

If you are taking a multi-symptom cold or flu formula, be aware that it may contain acetaminophen. You risk an overdose if you take additional acetaminophen, which can cause liver damage.

Prescriptions for Fever

There are no prescription-strength medications for fever, but a healthcare provider may prescribe a medication to treat the underlying condition that is causing the fever. Once the condition is treated, the temperature will return to normal.

For example, you may be prescribed an antiviral medication if you have influenza and are in a high-risk group. An antibiotic may be necessary to treat a bacterial infection such as bacterial pneumonia or strep throat.

Always take the full course of a prescribed antibiotic, even if your fever comes down and you start feeling better.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for Fever

Aspirin was derived from willow bark before it was synthesized in the lab and is still sometimes regarded as a natural remedy for fever. However, there is no good scientific evidence to support its use for fever.

Other herbs purported to treat fever include meadowsweet, yarrow, black haw, cramp bark, birch, black cohosh, Indian pipe, and feverfew, but there isn't scientific evidence confirming their effectiveness.

Use extreme caution when taking any of these herbal remedies, especially for children. Some have naturally occurring derivatives of salicylic acid, which is the component of aspirin that can cause Reye's syndrome. Talk to your healthcare provider or your child's pediatrician first.

Summary

A fever is a symptom or sign that your body is fighting an illness or infection. Treatment may include simply letting the body fight the infection on its own. But if a fever is uncomfortable, remedies such as OTC medications, fluids, cold packs, or a lukewarm bath may help relieve symptoms.

If you have a very high fever or one that lasts for more than two days (or your child has a fever that lingers for five days or more), see a healthcare provider. Newborns and babies under 3 months should be seen by a pediatrician for any fever of any duration.

16 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Additional Reading

By Kristina Herndon, RN
Kristina Herndon, BSN, RN, CPN, has been working in healthcare since 2002. She specializes in pediatrics and disease and infection prevention.