Neeraj, 36, an IT consultant based in Gurugram, suffered a high fever of 103 degrees Fahrenheit earlier this month. He was advised to take Dolo-650 three times a day for five days. However, after two days, the fever did not budge.<\/p>\n
On the third day, Neeraj had to be given an SOS medicine to relieve inflammation and pain alongside Dolo-650 and only then did his temperature begin to drop on the fourth day.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Just like Neeraj, hospitals across India have reported a surge in patients whose fevers are proving stubborn against paracetamol and its popular brand-name versions like Dolo-650, a tablet long regarded as the first line of defence against seasonal infections.<\/p>\n
Doctors have cautioned that the issue lies less with medicine and more with the changing nature of infections and how patients use the drug.<\/p>\n
VIRUSES ARE MORE INTENSE<\/p>\n
Most cases this season are presenting higher intensity, making it hard for a single medicine to counteract its infection.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome viral infections circulating this season are showing higher intensity and persistence, which means a single medicine may not always be enough to control the fever,\u201d says Dr. Prashant Sinha, Head of Emergency at PSRI Hospital, New Delhi.<\/p>\n
He adds that dehydration, poor nutrition, or taking too low a dose, or skipping the recommended six-hour interval, can also blunt paracetamol\u2019s effect.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot every fever is viral. Dengue, flu, bacterial infections or even typhoid can also cause temperatures that don’t settle with paracetamol alone,\u201d Dr. Sinha notes.<\/p>\n
Pulmonologist Dr. Vikas Mittal, Director of Wellness Home Clinic and Sleep Centre, agrees to this.<\/p>\n
\u201cParacetamol reduces the set point of body temperature in the brain, but high-grade or persistent fevers from aggressive viral strains or bacterial infections may only come down partially, if at all,” he says.<\/p>\n
WHEN TO CALL A DOCTOR<\/p>\n
It goes without saying that if you have fever, you can’t ignore it. It needs medical attention. Doctors suggest the following cases when a fever needs medical convention.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf fever persists beyond 48 hours despite taking the correct dose at the right intervals, or if it\u2019s above 102\u2013103 degrees Fahrenheit, seek medical attention,\u201d said Dr Sinha.<\/p>\n
Warning signs that warrant immediate evaluation include severe headache, chest pain, breathing difficulty, vomiting, rash, abdominal pain, or marked weakness.<\/p>\n
Dr Mittal added that children, elderly people and those with heart disease, diabetes or low immunity should get checked earlier, even for moderate fever.<\/p>\n
WHAT’S THE REAL CAUSE?<\/p>\n
Changing viral strains are one reason for longer-lasting fevers, but not the only one.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderlying infections like pneumonia, urinary tract infections or typhoid may also present with fever that doesn\u2019t respond well to paracetamol,\u201d explains Dr. Mittal.<\/p>\n
Doctors say the solution is to look past mere symptom control. Investigations such as blood counts, dengue or flu tests, and chest X-rays may be needed to pinpoint the cause.<\/p>\n
Besides medicinal approach, supportive measures such as hydration, adequate rest, and monitoring temperature and oxygen are still critical and essential for recovery.<\/p>\n
If bacterial causes are confirmed, doctors say, antibiotics could be prescribed. Stubborn viral fevers may require other antipyretics or hospital monitoring over and above paracetamol.<\/p>\n
Both specialists urged patients not to self-medicate with strong drugs or antibiotics.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery patient\u2019s condition is different and early diagnosis and rational treatment are key,\u201d says Dr. Sinha.<\/p>\n
Paracetamol still works for most mild fevers, but if the thermometer keeps climbing, don\u2019t keep popping pills. Find out what\u2019s really causing the heat and get medical help.<\/p>\n
– Ends<\/p>\n
Published By: <\/p>\n
Daphne Clarance<\/p>\n
Published On: <\/p>\n
Sep 16, 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Neeraj, 36, an IT consultant based in Gurugram, suffered a high fever of 103 degrees Fahrenheit earlier this…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":151781,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[64,63,101835,101836,101831,137,101837,101834,101832,490,101828,101829,101833,101830],"class_list":{"0":"post-151780","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-fever-diagnosis","11":"tag-fever-symptoms","12":"tag-fever-treatment","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-hospital-fever-cases","15":"tag-india-monsoon-health","16":"tag-medical-advice","17":"tag-medication","18":"tag-monsoon-fever","19":"tag-paracetamol-effectiveness","20":"tag-persistent-fever","21":"tag-viral-infections"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}