If Fever Helps Fight Infection, Should I Avoid Fever-Reducing Drugs? (2018)
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Re: If Fever Helps Fight Infection, Should I Avoid Fever-Reducing Drugs? (2018)
#2[flagged]
Re: If Fever Helps Fight Infection, Should I Avoid Fever-Reducing Drugs? (2018)
#3This isn't a scientific take necessarily, but did those studies look at the overall time of resolution of the illness and severity of the fever and related symptoms as well as the activity level of the patients?
Because for me, significant fever is always accompanied by some degree of malaise. Without drugs, the only way to relieve it is to conserve energy and immobilize.
My thought is that if you take the pain reliever so that you feel better and are able to do another task then this will likely increase the time needed to recover, since the body is not able to focus as much of it's resources on the immune system while you are doing something else.
If you take a pain reliever and it allows you to rest more effectively than you would be able to without it, maybe that would actually benefit the immune system though.
Re: If Fever Helps Fight Infection, Should I Avoid Fever-Reducing Drugs? (2018)
#4This isn't a scientific take necessarily, but did those studies look at the overall time of resolution of the illness and severity of the fever and related symptoms as well as the activity level of the patients? Because for me, significant fever is always accompanied by some degree of malaise. Without drugs, the only way to relieve it is to conserve energy and immobilize. My thought is that if you take the pain relie…
I usually only use them when I can’t rest due to pain or discomfort.
I’m going to bet the resting is more important than the not resting with a fever. But I’d love to know the scientific answer too.
Re: If Fever Helps Fight Infection, Should I Avoid Fever-Reducing Drugs? (2018)
#5I am disappointed by the results here as I do feel fever helps me a lot.
I need fever when I’m sick. I can feel my body as in a faulty state. It makes me rest, no matter what my brain says. It makes me think twice what I eat. I hold it for few days without any problem - yet i take these drugs if fever is too high o lasting too long (in this case the cause of the illness must be addressed urgently).
Re: If Fever Helps Fight Infection, Should I Avoid Fever-Reducing Drugs? (2018)
#6This was asked on ELI5 on Reddit recently and the consensus seemed to be that fever take’s collateral damage, and all the modern niceties, like ample access to guide, food and a warm bed makes fever less relevant in curing infections.
Re: If Fever Helps Fight Infection, Should I Avoid Fever-Reducing Drugs? (2018)
#7I am disappointed by the results here as I do feel fever helps me a lot. I need fever when I’m sick. I can feel my body as in a faulty state. It makes me rest, no matter what my brain says. It makes me think twice what I eat. I hold it for few days without any problem - yet i take these drugs if fever is too high o lasting too long (in this case the cause of the illness must be addressed urgently).
Why would you be disappointed with the results? The question was whether there's a medical need to avoid fever-reducing drugs, the answer is no. But as the article states there's also no harm in avoiding them:
> The best evidence suggests that there is neither harm nor benefit to treating a fever with fever-reducing medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
Re: If Fever Helps Fight Infection, Should I Avoid Fever-Reducing Drugs? (2018)
#8The article quotes some studies done on critically ill patients and looked at the mortality rate, but I feel like expecting ibuprofen to prevent death or get patients out of the ICU is too far-fetched. I wonder about the effect on illnesses like the flu and whether a fever reduces the time needed to recover.
Re: If Fever Helps Fight Infection, Should I Avoid Fever-Reducing Drugs? (2018)
#9[deleted]
Re: If Fever Helps Fight Infection, Should I Avoid Fever-Reducing Drugs? (2018)
#10This is from 2023: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230315132451.h...
"Mild fever helps clear infections faster, new study suggests
Research on fish shows waiting before reaching for medications may be beneficial for humans"
So basically nobody has a clue, but we are working on it.