Fever,Causes and Cure.

Fever is not a disease; it is asymptom of a disease.

Bear with it for a couple of hours; if the temperature is hovering around 102 F, apply cold press on the forehead, have clothes removed and lie in a ventilated room.

Then you can visit your Doctor,discuss with him including your diet habits and take mild medicines if necessary.

Never agree for a heavy Antibiotics course unless it is very essential.

Have tests done to determine causes.

Check for urine infection as well.

Never indulge in self medication or by the over the counter(OTC) drugs.

You can make the diagnosis of fever by taking your temperature with a thermometer. In an adult, the thermometer is placed in the mouth or rectum (use a rectal thermometer).

Feeling of motion when your body is still. Feeling lightheaded or that you are about to faint. Balance problems, such as being unsteady on your feet or feeling as if you might fall. Feelings of anxiety or panic.

In general, a fever can be treated with any nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent — called NSAIDS — such as ibuprofen (Motrin) or withacetaminophen (Tylenol). Both medications help control pain and fever. Alternating doses of each will also work and prevent accidental overdose. At times, a combination of both acetaminophen and ibuprofen will be needed to stop the fever.

Aspirin is not the first choice for fever reduction. It may be toxic in large doses in adults or cause Reye syndrome in children.

• Ibuprofen comes in 200-mg tablets purchased over the counter at a drug store. You may take one to two tablets every four hours to decrease your temperature. Use the lowest possible dose.
  • Side effects of ibuprofen include nausea and vomiting, which may be prevented if the medication is taken with food. Rare side effects include diarrhea,constipation, heartburn, and stomach pain. People with stomach ulcers or kidney disease, pregnant women, and those with an aspirin allergy should avoid ibuprofen.
  • Common brand names of ibuprofen include Advil, Motrin, and Nuprin. Read the product label for specific ingredients described as ibuprofen.
  • Acetaminophen also prevents a fever from occurring. It comes in 325 mg tablets or 500 mg tablets over the counter. Again, one to two tablets every four hours should be used to eliminate a fever.
    • Side effects are rare, but some people are allergic to the medication. Extremely large doses (overdose) may cause liver failure. Therefore, people with liver disease and chronic alcohol users should avoid this medication.
    • Common brand names of acetaminophen are Aspirin Free Anacin, Feverall, Genapap, Panadol, Tempra, and Tylenol. Read the product label for specific ingredients described as acetaminophen.
  • A fever can cause you to become very dehydrated. Drink lots of fluids. Attempts to cool the skin may only make you more uncomfortable. This may also cause shivering, which will actually increase your body temperature if the fever is being caused by an infection. Further therapy depends on the cause of the fever and the accompanying symptoms. Basic cold symptoms can be treated with over-the-counter medications.
  • If the fever is caused by exposure to hot weather or overexertion, the technique is different from treating any other fever. Neither acetaminophen nor ibuprofen will be effective. The person needs to be cooled immediately. If the person is confused or unconsciousness, seek emergency medical help immediately. While waiting for help, remove the person from the hot environment and remove his or her clothes. The body should be cooled with a wet sponge, and a fan should be directed over the person.
  • http://firstaid.webmd.com/fever-in-adults-treatment

The treatment of a fever depends on its cause. In most cases, except hyperthermia, acetaminophen or ibuprofen can be given to lower the temperature. Fluids may be given by mouth or intravenously to prevent dehydration, if necessary.

• Viral illnesses usually resolve on their own. Medications to help with specific symptoms can be given. These may include medications to lower fever, help with congestion, soothe a sore throat, or control a runny nose. Viruses that cause vomiting and diarrhea may require intravenous fluids and medications to slow down the diarrhea and stop nausea. A few viral illnesses can be treated with antiviral drugs. Herpes and the influenza virus are examples. If the person is able to drink fluids and the symptoms are mild, he or she will be able to go home.
• Bacterial illnesses require a specific antibiotic that depends on the type of bacteria found or where it is located in the body. The physician will determine whether the person is admitted to the hospital or sent home. This decision is based on the illness and the person’s other medical conditions.
• Most fungal infections can be treated with an antifungal medication.
• Drug-induced fever is eliminated when the medication is stopped.
• A blood clot requires admission to the hospital and blood thinners.
• Any person with an illness that inhibits the immune system will be evaluated closely and usually admitted to the hospital.
• Environmental heat exposure requires aggressive cooling in the emergency room. The person’s clothes will be removed, a cooling fan and cool mist will be used, and his or her vital signs will be monitored closely. Hyperthermic people will be admitted to the hospital.
• Related:

It has become second nature for most of us to self medicate our headaches, joint pain, and athletic injuries with over-the-counter pain medications. Many of us may have even been directed to do so by a physician. But how safe are over-the-counter painkillers?

It’s easy to forget that just because we can buy painkillers like Aspirin, Tylenol (acetaminophen), and Motrin (ibuprofen) over-the-counter, that they can still be dangerous. For the most part, these drugs are safe to use as directed. But many of us feel if a little is good, more must be better… and that’s where the trouble begins.

From LA Times – The ubiquitous but little-understood painkillers:

Used correctly, over-the-counter analgesics can help with acute aches and pains. Even more enticing, growing evidence suggests that some of them might also help fight Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, as well as heart attacks and some cancers.

But there are real risks. It’s easy to overdose, with dangers that include stomach upset, organ failure, strokes, even death. And the safe upper limits may vary from one person to the next, depending on body size, genes and prior health conditions.

When it comes to over-the-counter painkillers, acetaminophen (brand name Tylenol) is one of the most problematic, since only a very small amount over the recommended dose can have serious complications. And complicating the issue even more, Acetaminophen is in many over-the-counter cold medicines as well.

What about Motrin and Advil (ibuprofen — also known as NSAIDs)? Are they the safer choice? Not necessarily, especially with long-term use. This is from a 2005 article in Science Daily:

Everyday more than 30 million people take over-the-counter and prescription NSAIDs for pain relief, headaches and arthritis. Currently, there are about 20 NSAIDs available by prescription only. Many, including ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin and ketoprofen are available over the counter.* Although NSAIDs and aspirin provide great benefit in terms of pain relief and cardioprotective effects, there is an increased risk of gastrointestinal complications ranging from stomach pain to ulcers. Moreover, these drugs are responsible for severe and potentially deadly gastrointestinal problems. Each year, the side effects of long-term NSAID use cause nearly 103,000 hospitalizations and 16,500 deaths. More people die each year from NSAIDs-related complications than from AIDS and cervical cancer in the United States.

I learned this the hard way (a few years ago) when my mother was hospitalized (and nearly died) from complications due to long term use of ibuprofen.

Did you know that there are athletes that routinely take ibuprofen to prevent pain and injury? It turns out that this could be doing more harm than good. From an article in the LA Times – Over-the-counter painkillers can add to the pain:

After the race, runners who had taken ibuprofen showed signs of mild kidney impairment as well as mild endotoxemia, a potentially dangerous condition in which bacterial toxins present in the large intestine get into the bloodstream, Nieman and colleagues reported in 2006 in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity.

The drug also failed to help performance or recovery, the researchers reported in that paper and others. Both groups of runners reported equivalent amounts of pain during the race. Their times were the same. And afterward, their muscles were equally sore.

Most ironic, runners on ibuprofen actually had 50% more inflammation in their bodies after the race, even though athletes often choose to take the drug to fight inflammation.

http://www.blogher.com/how-dangerous-are-overthecounter-painkillers-are-you-risk