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Doctors Prescribe Acetaminophen for Fever After Vaccination. Really?

Many doctors will recommend the analgesic drug acetaminophen (most commonly known by the brand name Tylenol) if your child comes down with a fever after being vaccinated. All you have to do is take a quick glance at the websites of medical practices to get a sense of how common is this recommendation.

I randomly selected the following five family medicine and pediatric practices in the United States: ABCD Pediatrics in Texas1; Family Medicine Associates in Massachusetts2; Gateway Pediatrics in Arizona3; Glens Falls Pediatric Consultants in New York4; and Northwestern Children’s Practice in Illinois.5 

Here’s what ABCD Pediatrics recommends if a child develop a fever after being vaccinated… “After immunizations, children may be fussy due to pain and/or fever. You may want to give your child acetaminophen, a medicine that helps to reduce pain and fever. Some examples of this are Tylenol, Panadol, and Tempra.”1 Family Medicine Associates suggests, “[If] your child is feeling sick (or is excessively fussy) after receiving vaccines, it is then worth considering giving him or her acetaminophen or ibuprofen.”2

According to Gateway Pediatrics, “If your child develops a fever of 101.5°F (38.6°C), you may give acetaminophen (2-4 months of age) or Ibuprofen (6 months of age or older).”3 Glens Falls Pediatric Consultants say, “Give your child a fever- or pain-reducing medicine such as acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol) or ibuprofen (e.g., Advil, Motrin).”4 Northwestern Children’s Practice notes, “It is OK to give acetaminophen (for example, Tylenol) at home if your baby has fever as long as he/she is still alert and waking for feeds.”5

Now, remember, these are family medicine and pediatric practices. These are physicians who see and vaccinate lots of children and so they should know what they’re talking about when it comes to something as basic as prescribing acetaminophen for fever after vaccinations. Parents should be able to trust that this advice is sound and will benefit their children or, at least, not harm them.

But is it sound advice? Not if you consider the effect of acetaminophen on the antioxidant known as glutathione (GSH).

Joseph Mercola, DO has characterized glutathione as the “master antioxidant”—the most powerful antioxidant in the human body, the “one antioxidant” that “keeps all other antioxidants performing at peak levels.”6 

Mark Hyman, MD calls glutathione the “mother of all antioxidants, the master detoxifier and maestro of the immune system.” He says glutathione is the “most important molecule you need to stay healthy and prevent disease.” Nothing less than the “secret to prevent aging, cancer, heart disease, dementia and more, and necessary to treat everything from autism to Alzheimer’s disease.”7 

Glutathione is a sulfur-containing protein molecule that consists of three amino acids: cysteine, glutamic acid, and glycine.7 8 9 10 It is found in nearly every cell of the human body, with the largest concentrations in the liver, which makes it “critical in the body’s detoxification process.”10

So, the short of it is that if you ingest or inject any substance into your body that is not good for your body, that is toxic to it and needs to be excreted to avoid causing too much harm, glutathione is key to this process. What glutathione does is binds to toxins and helps flush them from your body.11 12 

According to Dr. Hyman:

The secret of [glutathione’s] power is the sulfur (SH) chemical groups it contains. Sulfur is a sticky, smelly molecule. It acts like fly paper and all the bad things in the body stick onto it, including free radicals and toxins like mercury and other heavy metals.7

It makes sense that you would want to avoid diminishing the amounts of glutathione in your body. But that is precisely what happens when you follow a doctor’s recommendation to take or give acetaminophen.

Acetaminophen depletes glutathione levels, thus making it more difficult for your body to excrete harmful toxins.13 14 15 This may be the last thing you would want to do after vaccinations, as vaccines contain a wide range of toxic ingredients, including aluminum, thimerosal (ethylmercury), formaldehyde, monosodium glutamate (MSG), polysorbate 80, phenol, borax, and more.16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Of course, acetaminophen is also toxic itself. It is the leading cause of liver failure in the United States and one of the most common causes of poisoning.23 24 It accounts for “100,000 calls to poison centers, roughly 60,000 emergency-room visits and hundreds of deaths each year in the U.S.”25


References:

1 What to do after the shots. ABCD Pediatrics.
2 It’s Best Not To Give Your Child Acetaminophen Or Ibuprofen Before Immunization. Family Medicine Associates.
3 Caring For Your Child After Vaccinations. Gateway Pediatrics.
4 Immunization Schedule. Glens Falls Pediatric Consultants.
5 Vaccine Side Effects/Fever Management. Northwestern Children’s Practice.
6 Mercola J, Hofmekler O. Glutathione: This ONE Antioxidant Keeps All Other Antioxidants Performing at Peak Levels. Mercola.com Apr. 10, 2010.
7 Hyman M. Essential Glutathione: The Mother of All Antioxidants. DrHyman.com May 19, 2010.
8 PubChem. Glutathione. National Institutes of Health.
9 What Glutathione (GSH) is and how it affects your immune health. ImmuneHealthScience.com.
10 What is Glutathione? Essential Nutraceuticals.
11 Detoxification Is Essential For Your Health. How Does Glutathione Help Me For Toxins Cleansing? Immune-Health-Solutions-For-You.com.
12 Glutathione: The Detox Antioxidant. Paleo Leap.
13 What Depletes Glutathione? ImmuneHealthScience.com.
14 Dimova S, Hoet PH, Dinsdale D, Nemery B. Acetaminophen decreases intracellular glutathione levels and modulates cytokine production in human alveolar macrophages and type II pneumocytes in vitroInt J Biochem Cell Biol 2005 Aug;37(8):1727-37
15 Tylenol (Acetaminophen) depletes Glutathione (necessary for removal of mercury). Whale.
16 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ingredients of Vaccines – Fact Sheet. CDC.gov.
17 Vaccine Ingredients and Manufacturer Information. ProCon.org.
18 LaVigne P, Fisher BL. Do You Know What’s In Your Vaccines? The Vaccine Reaction June 6, 2015.
19 Parpia R. Monosodium Glutamate Used as a Stabilizer in VaccinesThe Vaccine Reaction June 6, 2016.
20 Parpia R. Polysorbate 80: A Risky Vaccine IngredientThe Vaccine Reaction June 6, 2016. Jan. 7, 2016.
21 Parpia R. The Puzzling Presence of Borax in Our VaccinesThe Vaccine Reaction Feb. 5, 2016.
22 Parpia R. Toxic Phenol Ingredient in VaccinesThe Vaccine Reaction Jan. 7, 2016. Apr. 4, 2016.
23 Osterweil N. Acetaminophen Is Leading Cause of Acute Liver Failure. Medpage Today Nov. 30, 2005.
24 Dimitropoulos E, Ambizas EM. Acetaminophen Toxicity: What Pharmacists Need to KnowU.S. Parmacist Mar. 19, 2014.
25 Tylenol. Drugwatch.com

12 Responses

    1. Most fevers don’t have to be lowered–they might be uncomfortable but help you heal. If a fever is really high or very uncomfortable, try gentle herbal remedies. A book I use all the time as a reference is “Naturally Healthy Babies and Children” by Aviva Jill Romm.

  1. Has there ever been a study of the vaccine/autism connection, which asks how many of these kids took Acetaminophen?

    1. I think that livon labs has a liposomal glutathione product. I haven’t used it, but I absolutely love, love, love their vitamin c (liposomal).. there is no bacteria or virus known to man that can stand up against it.

      so I would imagine the glutathione is good as well.

      http://www.livonlabs.com

  2. Why would you want to lower fever (except high fever inreally young babies when you need to be concerned of convulsion)

  3. Febrile seizures occur in infants and children which is why you SHOULD give/do something to lower their temperature. While yes febrile seizures occur without a real indication of underlying pathology, which is comforting, seizures ALWAYS have risks. Respiratory depression(decreased oxygen to your body), getting choked, falls, etc. Tylenol is toxic when ingested in high doses, not as a single dose. There are studies which are looking at of Tylenol will decrease the effectiveness of the vaccine, but if you are like my daughter, who has epilepsy, a fever can be deadly. Always remember you can also externally cool them quickly with wash rags, cold water or baths, take them outside of its cool, etc. But you will need something on board to keep the temperature from coming right back. Just please keep in mind that while there are some doctors who aren’t up to par, most of them are. But don’t let that stop you from learning about things yourself.

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