9 best antipyretics for kids and adults

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

The state of increased temperature, which turns out to be more than 37 degrees Celsius, is most often found in various infectious viral and bacterial diseases, as well as in diseases of the internal organs, which are accompanied by inflammation. These are pyelonephritis, inflammatory diseases in gynecology, bronchitis and pneumonia, and many other pathological conditions. It should be remembered that the syndrome of fever (as the therapy calls a rise in temperature), which occurs when exposed to bacterial toxins and antigens, should be distinguished from hyperthermia.

Hyperthermia is also manifested by a sharp and constant increase in temperature, and up to very high numbers, but arises in connection with the transfer of the set point of thermoregulation in the human brain to a qualitatively new, pathological level. This happens in severe neurological diseases, hemorrhagic strokes, when blood breaks through into the cerebral ventricles. Hyperthermia, in contrast to fever, is almost impossible to normalize with the help of drugs; here you need physical cooling of the body.

The usual fever, with which we are all familiar from early childhood, responds well to the use of antipyretic drugs. Consider the most popular of them for the treatment of fever in adults and children. Since there are many analogues on sale that have the same active substance in the composition of the drug, but have different commercial names, we will list all of them at once, in the title of the substance included in the rating.

Rating of the best antipyretic drugs

Nomination	a place	Name of product	price
Best antipyretics for adults	1	ASK	RUB 20
	2	Coldact Flu Plus	216 r
	3	Coldrex	225 RUB
	4	Ibuklin	134 r
Best antipyretics for children	1	Paracetamol and Panadol, Tsefekon, Efferalgan, Calpol	RUB 67
	2	Ibuprofen (Nurofen)	187 r
	3	Nimesulide for the older group (Nimesil, Nemulex)	258 r
Non-drug ways to lower the temperature in children	1	Rubbing with vinegar and alcohol solutions (vodka)	–
	2	Hot tea with raspberries and honey	–

Best antipyretics for adults

Almost all antipyretics, and a variety of drugs that lower body temperature, belong to a large group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. The founder and ancestor of this group of drugs is the well-known acetylsalicylic acid, or aspirin. All of these agents have anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic effects. That is why they are used in a wide variety of areas of medical practice to treat a variety of diseases and conditions. But it so happens that the most strongly painkillers (ketorolac, ketoprofen) practically do not affect the change in body temperature, and drugs that remove edema and pain (meloxicam) are also unable to cope with the general feeling of heat. Consider those representatives of NSAIDs, which are primarily intended to reduce elevated temperature.

ASK

Rating: 4.9

Speaking about the ancestor of the group of antipyretic drugs, or acetylsalicylic acid, leading the rating, it should be borne in mind that in order to relieve fever, enteric forms of the so-called 'cardiac aspirin' are not used to thin the blood, which elderly people take daily in a planned manner to prevent heart attack and stroke. These are aspirin drugs such as Thrombo-Ass, Cardiomagnyl, Cardiasc and others, which are used in an average dosage of 75-100 mg. To cope with the temperature, aspirin tablets of at least 500 mg are needed, such as Upsarin UPSA, just acetylsalicylic acid, Aspro C with ascorbic acid, Aspirin Express effervescent tablets, and other options found in pharmacies.

Consider acetylsalicylic acid, using the example of UPSA Upsarin, leading the rating. Aspirin, in addition to the antipyretic effect, is able to cope with headache and muscle pain, pain in the joints, with minor toothache and is indicated for ARVI. One effervescent tablet contains 500 mg of acetylsalicylic acid, which has antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, and the latter two effects are not as pronounced as antipyretic effects.

Upsarin is used inside, after dissolving an effervescent tablet in one glass of warm water. It is advisable to use the medicine after meals, and no more than one tablet within 4 hours. The maximum daily dose should not exceed 6 tablets, and in the elderly – no more than 4 tablets. In any case, self-treatment of high fever without consulting a doctor should not last more than 3 days. You can buy Upsarin UPSA starting at 150 rubles. for 16 effervescent tablets. This drug is produced by the French company Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Advantages and disadvantages

The mechanism of action of aspirin is associated with the suppression of the enzyme cyclooxygenase of both types. And this means that this medicine, like all other forms of aspirin, cannot be taken for too long – 2-3 days will be enough, and especially you need to be attentive to patients with erosive damage to the stomach and duodenum, with exacerbation of peptic ulcer disease. In this case, it is necessary for prevention to combine the intake of aspirin with the intake of proton pump blockers, such as omeprazole.

Any aspirin preparations in various forms can be prescribed only to patients over 15 years of age. The reasons for this will be discussed below. Also, hypersensitivity can occur to the drug: there is such a thing as aspirin bronchial asthma, when asthma attacks occur when taking aspirin. Also, this remedy should be prescribed only after consulting a doctor for those persons who have increased bleeding, bruising, or various forms of hemorrhagic diathesis.

The positive aspects include an affordable price, a rapid decrease in temperature in typical cases, and a rather rare development of side effects – no more than one case in 10,000 doses.

Coldact Flu Plus

Rating: 4.8

This drug entered our rating as a combination remedy that helps not only at high temperatures, but also fights nasal congestion, and has an antihistamine, or antiallergic effect. It helps to remove tearing and itching in the nose, which often occur with viral and colds infections. This product contains Paracetamol as the main antipyretic component, phenylephrine in the form of hydrochloride, which is an anticongestant, fights nasal congestion, and chlorphenamine. Since Coldact flu plus reduces edema and hyperemia of the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract and nasal cavity, it is practically indispensable in the symptomatic treatment of colds, flu, conditions combined with general inflammatory and febrile symptoms such as joint aches, general weakness and weakness. Coldakt flu plus is available in the form of orange capsules and suspension for oral administration.

Capsules have a prolonged (long-lasting) effect, so they can be prescribed to adults and children over 12 years old, one capsule every 12 hours, that is, in the morning and in the evening. The duration of admission should not exceed 5 days. The suspension should be taken 2 teaspoon 3 times a day, and for children from 6 years old in one teaspoon three times a day. We remind you that without a doctor's prescription this remedy can be used as an antipyretic no longer than 3 days, and as an anesthetic – no more than 5. Produced by Coldakt Flu plus the Indian company Natco Pharma LTD. You can buy a package of 10 capsules at a price of 162 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of Coldakt flu plus include ease of use (only twice a day), complex action on pain, on fever and symptoms of ARVI and flu. But overdose symptoms are also possible if you take too many capsules. Also, this tool is not indicated for children under 12 years of age in capsules and under 6 years for suspension. Also, the drug should be taken very carefully by persons with congenital disorders of bilirubin metabolism, for example, with Gilbert's syndrome, with bronchial asthma. The drug is not indicated for pregnant and lactating women, for various diseases: diabetes, glaucoma, stomach ulcers, and severe diseases of the blood, liver and bladder. Therefore, it is best to consult your doctor when taking this medication for the first time.

Coldrex

Rating: 4.8

Coldrex is another popular antipyretic complex for adults, and contains as many as five components: paracetamol, caffeine, phenylephrine, ascorbic acid and terpinhydrate. At the same time, paracetamol reduces the manifestations of fever and reduces the feeling of heat, relieves pain, phenylephrine reduces rhinorrhea, improves breathing, caffeine generally tones the body, and ascorbic acid replenishes the needs of endogenous vitamin C, which is quickly consumed in colds. Coldrex tablets are also indicated in the early days, and even hours, to relieve symptoms of colds and acute respiratory diseases. It helps with chills, muscle and joint pain, nasal congestion, and other known symptoms.

This drug is prescribed no more than two tablets four times a day, and children from 6 to 12 years old no more than one tablet up to 4 times a day. It is not recommended to take the medicine longer than 5 days in the form of self-medication. This drug is produced by the well-known pharmaceutical company Glaxosmithkline, and you can purchase a package of 12 tablets starting from 160 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantage of the drug can be considered a good tolerance, if you follow the dosage regimen. This remedy can be used even during pregnancy and lactation, but only after prior consultation with a doctor. It is advisable not to use this medication in severe hepatic and renal impairment and should not be used in children under 6 years of age. Since the drug contains caffeine, during the course of treatment, it is advisable to refrain from drinking excess tea and coffee, as well as from taking alcoholic beverages.

Ibuklin

Rating: 4.8

Perhaps it is Ibuklin who has the widest spectrum of action with respect to various pains, which can accompany a high temperature, and if a fever develops against the background of a pain syndrome. The fact is that this is a fairly strong combination of two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – ibuprofen and paracetamol. In addition to fever for colds, it is indicated at elevated temperatures, with systemic lesions of the joints, with neuralgia, with chills, with fractures and injuries, which can also be complicated by a febrile reaction. This is a sore throat, back, and even a toothache, in which there may also be a temperature. Ibuklin is available in film-coated tablets, each of which contains approximately equal amounts of active ingredients. Ibuklin must be taken orally, and always before or after meals, but not more than 3 tablets per day. As usual, the course of treatment should not exceed 3 days for high fever and 5 days for pain. Only after consulting a doctor can you continue taking it. The drug Ibuklin in a package of 10 tablets can be purchased for 100 rubles, produced by its Indian company – Laboratory Dr. Reddis.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of Ibuklin include its strong analgesic component of the action, and the disadvantages include the ability to exacerbate gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer. Also, this drug can have many side effects, including anemia with prolonged use, shortness of breath, allergic kidney damage, skin rashes. Ibuklin can interact with many drugs, and before use, you must carefully read the instructions completely. Nevertheless, the drug was ranked as a fairly effective short-term drug.

Best antipyretics for children

There are special requirements for antipyretics for children. Firstly, this is their dosage form – it must be convenient. Most often it is a syrup, for older children – chewable tablets. The drugs should have a quick effect, on average – after half an hour. Children are often prescribed antipyretic suppositories, and they are very good if the child refuses to take liquid potion, is naughty, or has nausea. But the chewable tablets and different syrups should be chosen by the parents based on the individual reaction of the child, as colors and flavors can cause various side effects. It should be remembered that the child's body is still immature, and even a slight deviation from the existing standards for the use of funds can cause an allergic reaction. It is extremely important to remember that, without exception, children under 12 years of age are strictly prohibited from taking aspirin in any form or variety.

Paracetamol and Panadol, Tsefekon, Efferalgan, Calpol

Rating: 4.9

A fairly wide group of drugs is represented by paracetamol. Here are tablets, suspensions, and suppositories. Consider a typical drug containing pure paracetamol without any additional additives. It will be Panadol for children – oral suspension. 5 ml of suspension contains 120 mg of active ingredient. It is a viscous pink liquid with a strawberry scent that children are willing to accept. This drug has a mild analgesic and antipyretic effect, but practically does not fight inflammation, that is, it does not relieve local redness and swelling. But as an antipyretic agent, it is practically irreplaceable in children, especially young children.

Panadol is shown, starting from the age of 3 months and up to 12 years of age, upon reaching which stronger medicines can be used. Panadol is used for various children's infections, for measles, scarlet fever and rubella, for influenza and chickenpox, for common colds. In babies, when teeth are teething, Panadol helps relieve pain. Sometimes babies have a fever in the evening after vaccination, and Panadol can successfully cope with this reaction. The drug is prescribed according to the baby's body weight, according to the table. So, at the age of 1 year, with a baby's body weight of 11 – 12 kg, a single dose should be no more than 7 ml, and a daily dose should not be more than 28 ml of suspension. The instructions detail its own dosage for each age. It is imperative if the baby's temperature lasts more than 3 days, you need to call a doctor and not continue self-treatment. Panadol is produced by the famous pharmaceutical concern Glaxosmithkline, as well as by the French company Pharmacler. You can buy 100 ml of suspension at a price of 80 rubles.

Advantages and disadvantages

The most serious positive effect of the use of paracetamol is the ability to use it in babies at an early age, and the absence of such formidable complications as with aspirin, namely Reye's syndrome. It is also important that medicines can be used by children aged two months, but only as prescribed by a doctor, and from three months of age – and independently to parents. The negative aspects include the rare nausea and skin rash, as a reaction of individual intolerance, but if the recommended dosages are followed, paracetamol is usually well tolerated even in babies. The main thing is to carefully read the instructions to the parents, and not to prescribe the drug along with some medications, for example, chloramphenicol or barbiturates. Therefore, it is very important that the pediatrician gives his consent when the drug is first prescribed.

Ibuprofen (Nurofen)

Rating: 4.8

Pure ibuprofen, as a well-tolerated nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, is often used in children. A typical representative is an orange or strawberry suspension for oral administration, 5 ml of which contains 100 mg of the active ingredient. This drug is indicated for babies from the age of three months to reduce fever and relieve fever of a wide variety of etiologies. It is indicated for influenza, viral infections, including rotavirus, chickenpox, rubella, whooping cough, measles and other conditions. Also, the remedy is indicated as the prevention of a temperature reaction after vaccinations, during teething, as an adjuvant in diseases of the ENT organs, such as otitis media, and tonsillitis.

Nurofen is used, preferably during meals, by measuring, as needed, the suspension with a measuring syringe. The amount of suspension depends on the baby's body weight. So, for a five-year-old child who weighs no more than 20 kg, the dosage cannot be increased by more than 7.5 ml three times a day. More details about the dosage are written in the instructions. It is important that this means of short-term use – no more than 3 days without consulting a pediatrician. You can buy 200 ml of suspension at a price of 210 rubles, the drug is produced by the English company Reckitt Benkizer Healthcare International Ltd.

Advantages and disadvantages

Despite all the obvious advantages, good tolerance and rapid antipyretic effect, it should be remembered that this medicine does not affect the progression of the change in the course of the disease and the mechanism of the development of the disease. Nurofen only reduces symptoms such as inflammation and pain. That is why the remedy must be used for a short time, and if other symptoms appear, an urgent need to consult a doctor. In no case can Nurofen be combined with other means of similar action, for example, with Panadol, since this will not enhance the desired effect, but it can provoke a sharp increase in the likelihood of side effects. But Nurofen for children is still a reliable and well-tested drug that should be in every family where a baby was born, which is why it is in our rating.

Nimesulide for the older group (Nimesil, Nemulex)

Rating: 4.7

For children of the older age group, an active drug that has antipyretic and analgesic effects is Nimesulide (Nimesil). It can be used only in children over 12 years old – these are adolescents who are assigned one sachet 2 times a day, and adults. For some children, one sachet per day is sufficient, especially with mild fever. Indications for taking nimesulide are also any febrile and inflammatory reaction, toothache, sprains, viral infections and similar conditions. Nimesil is produced by the German company Berlin-Chemie Menarini, and you can buy a package of 9 sachets for 240 rubles. The bag should be dissolved in a glass of warm water and drunk, preferably after a meal.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of nimesulide include a mild effect and a rare development of side effects, but sometimes loosening of the stool occurs. This remedy is good because sometimes one sachet can be enough for a whole day, and Nimesil acts quickly enough. An hour after taking the drug, there is an improvement in the condition and the temperature drops, especially if it does not exceed 37.5 – 38 degrees. That is why Nimesil was included in the rating of antipyretic drugs.

Non-drug ways to lower the temperature in children

Finally, we should not forget about the traditional folk ways to reduce the temperature. These are all kinds of rubbing, as well as plentiful and hot vitamin drinks. These methods are now undeservedly forgotten, but they can be successfully applied on the first day of the appearance of the temperature.

Rubbing with vinegar and alcohol solutions (vodka)

Rating: 4.7

Various types of rubbing can be applied at a sufficiently high temperature, when it exceeds 38.5 degrees. For grinding, diluted vodka is used in half with water so that the strength of the solution does not exceed 20%.

When rubbing with vinegar, add one tablespoon of vinegar, preferably natural, such as apple cider, with a strength of 6%, to a glass of warm water. Rubbing must be carried out with a soft napkin, and it is imperative to conduct a light movement starting from the hands, with the obligatory capture of the armpits, avoiding the heart and groin area. If the patient is turned over onto the stomach, the buttock, back and legs can be completely treated. After rubbing, the patient must be left naked, for intense evaporation, which immediately lowers the body temperature. After the body is dry, it is necessary to cover the patient with a blanket again, and a cold compress can be placed on the forehead. This exercise allows you to quickly improve your well-being, up to several hours.

Advantages and disadvantages

For these methods, there is a common indisputable advantage – the absence of the introduction of a medicinal substance into the body. This guarantees no overdose, various side effects, compatibility issues, prescribing according to the instructions, and finally, it is simply cheaper.

The disadvantages are the need to prepare solutions, physically work with the patient, as well as the need to repeat this activity over and over again and control the temperature for this. But, nevertheless, in the first day of the temperature rise to high values, rubbing may be the most correct thing to do, since at high temperatures it helps to reduce it for sure. And then a doctor is called immediately, either an adult or a child. And all other appointments will be controlled by him.

Hot tea with raspberries and honey

Rating: 4.6

It is known that drinking hot tea causes profuse sweating, and sweating is a way to significantly increase heat transfer and reduce body temperature. The use of raspberry jam, tea with dry raspberries, lime blossom, lemon and honey saturates the body with vitamin C, and in the case of raspberries, it gives natural salicylates, which in a chemical and concentrated form are found in aspirin or in acetylsalicylic acid. It is important that an abundant vitamin drink not only lowers the body temperature through the work of the sweat glands, but also removes all kinds of toxins from the body, activates the kidneys, and, creating a load on them, increases urination. You can use this method of lowering the temperature by drinking 200 ml of hot vitamin drink three to four times a day, that is, one glass of a tasty and healthy drink for adults with an average body weight of 60 – 70 kg.

Advantages and disadvantages

The disadvantage of this method of lowering the temperature can be considered the limited use for the elderly, in conditions of congestive heart failure, various edema, as well as in disorders of the digestive system. In addition, it will not work to bring down a very high temperature just by drinking, but if you combine this method with rubdown, then it is quite possible to cope, even if it is at 40 degrees, and already on the second day you should call a doctor at home.

The ranking listed the most diverse and popular drugs that are used for antipyretic purposes. But it is imperative to remember that a temperature reaction is not always safe, and can only be associated with a banal cold. In some cases, this may be a manifestation of neuroleptic malignant syndrome, a symptom of acute inflammation of the abdominal organs and acute appendicitis, pancreatitis. Therefore, in no case when the temperature rises, the patient should not be left without the attention of the doctor for more than three days, and in the event that symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain appear, it is not necessary to call an ambulance and not engage dangerous self-medication.

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Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.