please help URGENT HOW DO YOU GET THE MEDS DOWN?

[whitebeachesandcoconutoil]

MY LO IS NEARLY 3 AND WE HAVE A NIGHTMARE GETIING MEDICINE IN SINCE HE WAS BORN-HE WAS ON A LOT WHEN HE WAS BORN. WHEN HE IS NOT ILL WE PLAY DOCS AND NURSES AND 'GIVE' EACH OTHER MEDS BUT WHEN ILL HWE JUST CANNOT GET IT DOWN HIM.
HE HAS HAD A TEMP OF 39-42 SINCE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON WE MANAGED TO GET 3 DOSES IN OF CALPOL AND ONE DOSE OF NUROFEN BY HIDING IT BUT HE SOON SUSSES AND THEN NO MORE. WE TOOK HIM TO EMERGENCY DOCS LAST HIGHT THEY THINK VIRAL I EXPLAINED ABOUT THE NIGHTMARE THE MEDS AND THEY SUGGESTED SPONGING DOWN WHICH I HAVE BEEN DOING ALL NIGHT.
I HAVE JUST GIVEN HIM A SUPPOSITORY PARACETEMOL WHICH WE WERE GIVEN BY DOCTORS BEFOREAS HE IS SUCH A NIGHTMARE AND HE SCREAMED THE PLACE DOWN.
LAST NIGHT WE DID IT AND HE ACTUALLY MANAGED TO PUSH IT OUT! WE HAVE TRIED WRAPPING HIM IN A TOWEL AND SYRINGING IT IN HE JUST SPITS IT OUT [EVEN IF I SQUEEZE IT SLOWLY TO HIS CHEEK] I AM GETTING REALLY DESPERATE I HATE HIM GETTING SO UPSET WHEN HE IS ILL BUT I KNOW HE NEEDS MEDS BUT WE ALL JUST END UP IN AREAL STATE. PLEASE DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEAS PLEASE.
SORRY I HAVE JUST REALISED IT WAS ON CAPS LOCK!!

[pooka]

So srry - the only way I ever managed was with a syringe, which you've obviously tried.

Hmm.

Hope someone else has a brilliant idea, because I can't think of anything else. Sorry.

[soremummy]

If all else fails put it in a drink of juice or something for him I know I will get shot at for this but needs must and if it is a BANNED drink or a special one that he can only have on special occassions then go for it. It worked with mine when I put a small amount into fresh orange juice

[used2bthin]

When my DD is refusing her meds the only thing that seems to work is holding her tipped back slightly and then using the syringe to put it to the back of her mouth so it sort of shoots straight down her throat. It takes a lot of force sometimes. Sounds like that is what you have tried though? You have my sympathy, it is really hard when they are fighting you.

[yawningmonster]

this may sound a bit cruel but our ds had to have a lot of medicine also due to a medical condition and we would syringe it in and then puff a mouthful of air on his face..the doctor said it would trigger the swallow reflex and it did so dh would hold him, I would syringe into screaming mouth and blow, it was awful but he is now almost 4 and on the odd occasion he needs meds he will take them happily.

[glamourbadger]

One of my twins needs foul tasting medication. I mix it with a fruit smoothie for breakfast (I use the supermarket own-brand ones - cheaper than innocent). They are full of sugar so not ideal but I can't find any other way of getting it into her! Worth a pop, make a big fuss over their "special drink".

[FluffyMummy123]

Message withdrawn

[whitebeachesandcoconutoil]

thankyou all of you- yes it is truly horrendous when he is ill i hate the guilt we feel when we have had to force it down him.
i do hide it in juice,yoghurt, but he does suss it out[how i dunno] i have given him 2 suppositories this am which he does NOT like and makes me feel rubbish and have just managed to get some nurofen down too -now i only have this afternoon to sort out! but thanks to all of you maybe we should lobby the pharmaceutical companies to invent a patch!

[Miaou]

I will probably get shot down in flames for this but we had the same issue with ds1 (just turned three). We have found a way of getting calpol into him - we give him the fastmelt tablets. They are supposed to be for older children but I think that is to do with them being tablets rather than the dosage, which is almost the same as a 5ml spoonful. We call them "magic tablets" so he doesn't confuse them with sweets, and we put it in his hand so he is in control of it going in his mouth. We've been doing this since he was 2.5.

I hope to god he doesn't need antibiotics though because there is no way I could get him to take it! ds2 has just had a course of ABs and fortunately he likes the taste

[spicemonster]

Have you tried a spoon (if that's not a stupid question)? My DS has had syringe fear ever since he was in hospital and I just assumed he'd be the same about a spoon but his CM gave him some calpol on a spoon the other day and he swallowed it like a lamb.

I sympathise - it's really traumatic isn't it?

[Hecate]

It is actually easier if they are screaming, because they have to swallow.

Getting meds into ours was a 2 person job. dh would have ds laying on his knee, one of dh arms under ds supporting the head and that hand securing ds arm, ds other arm pinned between him and dh and dh body pinning ds head in position, iyswim.

I would sit on the floor in front of them and hold his legs and use my body over him to make sure he couldn't twist around. I would blow onto his face while dh forced the syringe between his teeth and tried to avoid getting bitten. He'd angle it to the side of his mouth, as far down as possible and feed it in literally a drop at a time (it is practically impossible to spit out a single drop!) I'd blow at each drop. All the time we were telling him how much we loved him, and why he needed the medicine and how much better it would make him and what a brave boy he was....It could take 10 minutes to even get 5 mls in and it was so traumatic for all of us, but it was the ONLY way we ever found of doing it.

God it was horrible. But if the child HAS to have the medicine, you do what you have to do. No matter how horribly cruel it makes you feel . Sadly, if all else fails you just have to deal with feeling like the biggest shit on the planet, because they need the med.

This parenting lark can be crap sometimes, can't it? Sympathies to you, cos this is not a nice situation to be in.

[eidsvold]

what yawning monster said we do the blow in the face. The other thing I have done with something she hates - put it in yoghurt which she loves and gulps down.

[DontNeedAnything]

Miaou....please check your calculations.

1 fastmelt table is about the same as 10ml of the pink calpol. IMO this is too much for a 3yo, although not strictly outside the instructions on the pack (I think the doage says 1-6yo 5-10ml; I personally treat this as a sliding scale and do 5ml for 1-3yo; 7.5ml for 3-4yo; 10ml for 4-6yo).

In our house DD3 will only take orange flavoured meds. So I give her teh 6+ suspension - half the volume as she should be having of the pink. I calculate arefuoly and double check the dose.

Unfortunately this doesn't really help the OP as it sounds as though all meds are out of the question.

[DontNeedAnything]

Also to the OP; I have another (minor) suggestion...

Paracetamol is not actually that great at reducing a fever; Ibuprofen is much better. Paracetamol just helps to hol dit there.

If you are going to prioritise getting meds into him make it the ibuprofen, and if his temp is stable with ibuprofen don't put him through the trama of the paracetamol.

[ShowOfHands]

I agree about Ibuprofen being better.

Try to remember (I know you're panicking), the temperature is a good thing. It is the body working to fight the virus. Obviously if it is too high and is making him more poorly than he can cope with then find lots of other ways of keeping him cool and try hiding the medicine in a drink.

Fans/ice lollies/sponging down/stripped off/cold drinks etc

Hope he's better soon.

[whitebeachesandcoconutoil]

once again thanks we have tried a spoon but i may just try again we really do feel shit but as i agree he has to have his meds. tbh i am concentrating on the brufen cos it only5 ml to hide as opposed to 10 of para but can you beleive how hard it is to hide 5 measly poxy little ml it looks huge when you know the problems it causes.
anyway for now he seems ok but keep positive thoughts that he stays that way .i really mean a big thankyou though it makes me feel better that iam not the only one

[Miaou]

Ooops my mistake dontneedanything - I should have checked the packet before I posted!