Our child won't take medicine

barbiedoll

I don't mean to stir up a hornet's nest, but you can't really call doctors "morons" for prescribing antibiotics if a child is ill, doctors don't make the drugs, nor are they responsible for the flavour, formulation or consistency.

I know that medicines for children can look and taste horrible. When I worked in a hospital pharmacy, I used to have to make up a huge bottle of medicine for a 6 year old patient with tuberculosis. I had to crush a large amount of grey tablets, which were then mixed in a carrier solution. The tablets had a thick coating which was impossible to crush completely, so the liquid had a horrible, thick consistency, with tiny bits of tablet mixed within it. The whole thing looked like a bottle of liquid concrete and this poor child had to take around 6-8 spoonsful each day.....for six months at least!

When my son had an eye operation, I had to put steroid eyedrops into his eye, four times a day. These really hurt him and made his eye sting quite badly. After a few tears and wrestling matches, we had a chat and we agreed that, as I had to hurt him, he was allowed to hurt me back afterwards. As a result, he would lie back and let me put the drops in (which I suspect didn't hurt that badly after the first day or so), and then he was allowed to hit me on the hand or arm, when I would make a big deal of how strong he was and how painful my arm was. He didn't like hurting me so he promised not to hit me "very hard". I think it just gave him an element of control and we managed to get through the 7 day course without too much drama.

Maybe when your child has to take the horrid medicine, you could offer to eat or drink something equally horrible? Choose something that your child thinks is absolutely gross (brussels sprouts, a slice of lemon, Marmite, tea/coffee with no sugar?) and make a big deal of how horrible it is, with fake vomiting noises, lots of squirming and a huge "yuk" face. Maybe make it a contest, whoever makes the least fuss, gets a treat afterwards? Get both parents and whoever else is around, to join in and make it into a big game.
Anything is better than tears and tantrums.

indsty

I found it useful to "teach" my children how to swallow tablets/capsules from the time they were about three. We used small sweets such as jelly tots - into the mouth, have a drink and whoops it's gone ! No chewing allowed. Often capsules are available and have no nasty taste.

BAGGY

At this age it is all a bit distressing. Tell him it is 'make you better juice' then line up a spoonful of the vile stuff next to a spoonful of golden syrup or ice cream syrup. Say if he has the make you better juice he can have the syrup. The action of swallowing the GS clears the bitter taste away as it takes a bit of getting down due to it being thick. Apparently caramel ice cream syrup works best.

skintpaul

Can you make it a family 'event'?

parents / siblings could also take a false 'potion' (fruit juice?), to show its no harm..

Best wishes.

seven-day-weekend

Fireflyaway wrote: »

At 3 I think he will have enough understanding if you explain that he needs the medicine to make him better and although it doesn't taste great he needs it. Could you let him put the syringe in his mouth and push the plunger down? How about a sticker each time he does it? If you let him have some control he might feel more like doing it. I would also try and be firm and do it quickly. The more you make a fuss the more he will feel there is something to fear. Good luck.

I agree with this too. I said to my son when he was small and said the medicine tasted horrible,' yes it tastes horrible, that's because it is medicine and medicine make you better, here take it and then have a piece of chocolate to take the taste away'. He took it. No fuss. No drama. IMO, that just makes them think there IS something to fear.

helphelphelphelp

Can you get your child involved by doing it himself? Then he will feel he has some control over it. Will still have to take it but can control how much goes in with the press of the syringe. I always know when my daughter is getting better is she is willing to take her medicine!

liney

Children can often make themselves vomit when they get worked up so I think you need to speak to your child about the medicine when it is not time to take it.


Explain that medicine comes from the doctors to make them better, and if they don't take it they might get more poorly, and that medicine will be even more horrid! Ask them what they would like to take the taste away, and given them one after they have taken the medicine calmly, because "it will only make you sick if they make a fuss."


Mine would have a chocolate button in each hand while I squirted

mr_knight

My little girl has had to take some nasty tasting medicine and the only way to get her to is with a spilly spoon. Brilliant invention where she can hold her own spoon and take it when she is ready. I will sometime bribe her too and have a sweet or a tiny bit of fizzy drink (not normally allowed it) on hand as soon as she sswallows the medicine. Worked for us.


Hope lo is better soon, nothing worse than poorly little people.

ellay864

It sounds drastic but if he really needs antibiotics, is not able to take tablets and vomits up liquid, could they give an IV dose? When on holiday with my son needing them, we were unable to store liquid to keep in a fridge and dose 4 times per day so he was given them by injection as a one-off

carmina_piranha

ellay864 wrote: »

It sounds drastic but if he really needs antibiotics, is not able to take tablets and vomits up liquid, could they give an IV dose? When on holiday with my son needing them, we were unable to store liquid to keep in a fridge and dose 4 times per day so he was given them by injection as a one-off

Mine ended up in hospital having them through a drip, and painkiller suppositories. The nurses said it was unusual to meet a toddler who didn't like calpol, but even if he'd taken calpol there still would have been the antibiotics, which he associated with feeling awful because he is sensitive to the artificial yellow dyes.

Somebody said she gives her kids an ice lolly or ice pop to numb their mouth and throat first, then they can't notice the taste or the 'gloopiness' so much. It worked with mine, might be worth a try.