18 month refuses medicine - tips?

[theguiltymother1]

So my 18 month old has Tonsillitis. She isn't eating at all at the moment (last 32 hours or so) and is drinking minimally, so much so we were sent to hospital for dehydration yesterday which was when the tonsillitis was diagnosed (annoyed a bit as had already been to GP who didn't spot it...) anyway she has been prescribed phenoxymethylpenicillin to be taken 4 x a day via syringe. I explained to the Dr that she won't take Calpol unless under force (we normally add it to milk / yoghurt) but currently she won't have a bottle (only sips of water from an adult cup!) and we have attempted 3 doses of the meds no with perhaps 20% going in. She writhes around, clamps teeth shut and then if it does go in immediately spits it out.

I was expecting this to happen because she's had antibiotics before and been like this but we have always been able to mix with yoghurt or milk or something and she would take it. As she is completely rejecting food this is not an option.

Does anyone know if there's an alternative? I've tasted the medicine and it's pretty gross. I can go back to Dr and ask for something else or does anyone have ideas of how to encourage her to swallow it.

At 18 months she doesn't understand that she 'needs to have it' and is just getting really really upset and gagging when I put the syringe near!

[Witchend]

Ds refused all medication for year. At times it has to go in by force. So What I'd do was told him with my hand under his chin, face slightly upwards. Squidgy it in with the syringe into his cheek. Put immediately a chocolate button in. Hold under the chin until it's swallowed.

When hew as about 6yo he started taking calpol with out issue. Last year (8yo) was the first year he took antibiotics without a fuss. (just a chocolate button)

[AlbusPercival]

Does she have a dummy? If so would one of these work

[NotCitrus]

Sit on a sofa or bed.Trap her legs between yours, or swing one of your legs over her lap, one arm holding her round her back and her arm down, lean on her other arm, squirt med into her cheek - it runs down round the back of the teeth and is impossible to spit out.

Or lie her down, squirt into cheek ASAP.

Sometimes I feel animal handling courses were the best preparation I had for being a parent...

[Yawnyawnallday]

Total refuser here who loves a curly straw. Or just a load of plain straws. The gunk in milk via a straw or many straws usually works for us.

[theguiltymother1]

Thanks for the tips, we tried the 'cheek' trick but it failed really, i think perhaps 50% went in. I went back to the Docs yesterday after tasting the meds (disgusting) and she's got something else now which appears to be better, I cant get it in with a syringe but she will take it in milk and i think that straw option may also work so will give that a try.

We tried the chocolate buttons....she liked to hold it but not eat it and it ended up squidged in to the sofa...oh well.

[Pingpang]

We tried putting it in a spoon when DD refused the syringe and just doing very very small sips. And don't put the whole lot in one spoonful, spread it out over 2 or 3 spoons. I do like the curly straw idea though!

[SharpLily]

I'm struggling with the same problem. There's no way to get it into her voluntarily and she refuses all food and drink if I try. I can get it in with a syringe by force but she just vomits it up again a few days later. I've run out of ideas .

[SharpLily]

Days? A few minutes later, obviously!

[SharpLily]

Anyone have any other ideas?

[BertrandRussell]

This is a bit radical.

Ask the doctor what will happen if she doesn't take it. I don't know about tonsillitis, but with ear infections, there is sound research that shows that they get better 24 hours sooner with antibiotics than without. Which is great- you want them to get better quicker. But if it's a matter of 24 hours and this awful stressful struggle then it could well be worth stopping the antibiotics and concentrating on getting her to drink. If she's vomiting the antibiotics she'll be losing more fluid too. But obviously ask the doctor first.

[RhubarbTree]

I had one of those! Wrap her in a big beach towel as if swaddling a baby then use a medicine syringe to put a tiny bit at a time into the side of her mouth. Rub her cheeks to encourage her to swallow. Hope it works for you.

[SharpLily]

I can get it into her but she only vomits it up again.

Bertrand, I avoid medication as much as possible and she rarely has anti-biotics. When she does have them I manage to get them in a bit of milk usually, and ask specifically for one a day jobbies on a short course. However she is prone to high temperatures and I cannot get any Calpol, Ibuprofen etc. down her, nor anything like cough medicine.

[nut3lla]

My 2 dc have had that revolting antibiotic for tonsillitis. I tasted it and it's vile. Both my Ds's vomited this up after me getting it down so I had to take drastic action! My oldest ds was admitted to hospital with tonsillitis/high fever & this was the advice of a nurse used to giving medicine. Not had to do this for a while & normally would never behave in such a way...
So what we do is mix the medicine in a calpol type syringe with neat diluting juice. Something nice. Usually do 2.5ml at a time mixed with same amount of juice. We then (usually it's a 2 man job but can be attempted alone) almost sit on the child holding their arms in so that they can't grab the syringe and throw it away, experience has proved they have super human strength when confronted with awful medicine! Squirt it into the cheek/throats area. Repeat 4 times a day! First time I did it I almost cried/gave up but after a stern talking to by doctors I realised it was something I had to do to make them better. Thankfully it doesn't happen often!

[BertrandRussell]

I really would ask. Particularly as she's vomiting it. 24 hours more illness is better than the stress of the 3 hourly battle. I had a calpol refuser, and I discovered that you can almost always deal with a fever without medicine.

Subject to doctor's expertise, of course.

[SharpLily]

I have spoken to the doctor about it and, after telling me it can't be that difficult because his own children have always taken medicine without a problem , he saw her in action . Now his suggestion is always just to take her to hospital. That's not solution that works for me.

For a fever I try the cold cloths etc. but unfortunately she fights them too :(.

[crystalballbroke]

I used to buy Disprol and mix it with juice/water, it's from 3 months and I could get it in Superdrug.

[crystalballbroke]

Sorry, I didn't read this properly, I thought you couldn't get paracetamol into them.

[SharpLily]

I can't, Crystal :). Does Disprol have less taste to it? That could work. I'm one of those 'supertaster' people and I think she is too - she can taste a tiny drop of Calpol in anything.

[crystalballbroke]

My youngest was fooled, he couldn't detect it if I mixed it with white grape hi-juice (from Asda) which is very sweet.

He would also tolerate those Disney cool gel pads which stick to the forehead.

Good luck!