Lots of parents think that giving a child acetaminophen or ibuprofen prior to seeing the doctor will compromise the visit. This is not true. Fever reducing medicine won’t make it harder for the doctor to figure out what’s wrong. In fact, reducing a child’s fever usually makes it easier for the doctor because the child is more likely to cooperate if her temperature is lower during the visit.

The same thing is true for asthma medicine or any other drug your child is taking. Unless the doctor or nurse specifically tells you not to give a medicine before a visit, you should do what you can to control your child’s symptoms.