What You Should Take Away From This Information

When it comes to medication -- or many other things in life -- you must always weigh benefits versus risk. All medications carry some risk, unfortunately. Your doctor (or child's doctor) will always weigh the potential benefit of a medication against any risks when prescribing it.

Acetaminophen is an effective medicine for pain and fever, particularly in children who should not take aspirin because of the risk of Reyes Disease. Ibuprofen also may not be as safe for kids as acetaminophen. High fevers can be even more dangerous to kids than any medication side effects.

Think about it this way... pollen and air pollution can both be risk factors or triggers for asthma and its symptoms. But you wouldn't keep your child (or yourself) indoors all the time, would you? Being outdoors has many benefits, and those benefits probably outweigh the risk of getting asthma, wouldn't you agree?

So, if you have symptoms that acetaminophen can help with, and your doctor suggests it as a treatment, then follow the doctor's advice.