Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are the first choice drugs (and in the UK the only authorized ones) for the treatment of fever and minor pain (earache, arthralgia, headache). There are several more NSAID molecules which are currently used in paediatric practice, but for none of them there is evidence of a better cost/benefit or safety and effectiveness profile than for acetaminophen and ibuprofen (10-15 mg/kg and 4-10 mg/kg pro dose respectively ). These drugs have few side effects and a similar analgesic effect. Ibuprofen is slightly more effective on fever and is definitely better for headache. The association acetaminophen and codeine has an analgesic effect on severe pain such as post-surgical pain, which is double than for acetaminophen alone and several times greater than for codeine alone.
