Toddler with tonsillitis refusing antibiotics

I wish there wasn't this trend for refusing antibiotics for tonsillitis.

My ds had tonsillitis and was refused antibiotics by three GPs.

Then he developed quincy and had to go to hospital. Was very ill.

Tonsillitis can be very serious untreated. It's not always viral. It's a serious bacterial infection in some that can be potentially life threatening.

I have tried many different methods over the years, the most successful one has been bribery tbh. Yes you can try trickery or force, but a bribe is much more effective. 'Take this and Mummy will give you a lolly' works almost every time

Refusal is not an option.

1. That's how we have antibiotic resistance.

1. That's how infections worsen and could turn into sepsis.

1. There may come a time when a child's life depends upon taking medication.

Admittedly, I hated medicine as a child, but I decided aged 4 that tablets were a lesser evil and demanded those instead. Never had a problem with taking those - I now prefer injections or suppositories to the oral route wherever possible.

Dd3 will not take medicine. Not even calpol. However she can't resist cake. So I always soak the meds into a small piece of cake and she eats that. She's the stubbornest kid ever.

Sorry just seen your update that you have asked 111 for advice I've more written my post above for people that just decide to stop taking antibiotics without checking first.

Can you get it as a suppository? One of mine though otherwise compliant just won't take oral medicine so on the (rare) occasions we had to persist, we ended up with suppositories. Apparently the French do that as standard and think we're odd persisting with so much oral mediine!

If you've started the course, you must try your best to finish the course. Antibiotic resistance is dangerous and a growing issue due to people not finishing the course of antibiotics prescribed. Sorry, that dosent help your issue, but I've just seen some people saying don't bother with the antibiotics but it's important to not go against medical. Advice without speaking to a professional first. Maybe ask a pharmacist for some advice.

Check with the pharmacist if this is ok (some kinds can't be mixed with food) but you could try mixing with yoghurt or ice cream x

If she's not that unwell, I would just ride it out with calpol nurofen and fluids. I say that as a chronic tonsillitis sufferer myself. I made that decision once when my eldest was about 3 when he had antibiotics for an ear infection. I think I tried twice and nothing went down him, we even had 2 adults holding him still while he was pinned in a blanket. I figured it was better to not have any than an incomplete course.

With better tasting medicine and a more compliant younger child I've had luck with:
mixing with Ella's pouches, especially if you can sneak some in and pretend to open it in front of them;
Chocolate petis felus (sp?) or chocolate yogurt
Mixing with abidec vitamin syrup (its basically sugar, but familiar)
Mixing with chocolate milk

And let them watch the most irritating/absorbing/awful kids TV at the same time.

Good luck!

I never bothered to get antibiotics for my ds.
As long as he was eating, drinking, peeing and pooing and taking paracetamol if he had pain, we waited it out each time.

He has kinda grown out of it now, only has it a couple of times a year now and still doesn’t need antibiotics.
As a previous poster said, antibiotics only reduce the time they have it by 24 hours. I also really worried about antibiotic resistant bugs due to the overuse of them.

DD had a yellow antibiotic liquid, possibly amoxicillin or clarithromycin, which she gobbled down in yoghurt, or by itself actually. She seemed to think it tasted quite nice.

I was once given liquid flucloxacillin as an adult and it is truly vile. I couldn’t take it, it made me physically sick. I don’t know how you’d ever get a toddler to take it.

We had an awful 4x a day course for 10 days when my 1yo had a secondary infection on her lung. It was horrid getting it in her and the antibiotics made her vomit every day. It was bleak. I asked the gp if we could swap but they said we had to persevere. She got so skinny it was just horrid. I’m glad they’ve changed the script. Surely they could come up with a better tasting formula for babies given how important finishing courses is.

I had this issue and tried everything putting into juice to bribing and nothing worked. I went old school and held him down with the syringe squirting it bit by bit on the side of his cheeks and gave him juice to swallow it immediately for 10 bloody days. I felt bad but I knew it was for his benefit and he was back to his normal self within 48 hours.

I used to shove it in a yoghurt but it’s a nightmare. I have no idea why they can’t make it taste reasonable.

Doesn’t have to taste like Nutella - just not utterly rancid.

We had issues with the red penicillin, tried everything suggested here. Eventually we went back to the gp and asked for yellow amoxicillin (which lo had previously taken without any issues - that sorted it). I have read online the red solution is particularly vile

After being firm and quick with a few doses they get used to it.

Wrap them in a large blanket. Squirt the medicine at the side of the mouth but quite far back. Once they've swallowed give lots of praise and a sugary treat take thd taste away.

I'd also agree with a PP that tonsillitus can be serious as a child I was admitted for IV antibiotics and fluids twice as they got so swollen I couldn't swallow. Got them removed though.

When mines was a toddler i'd wrap him in a big towel, lie him down on the floor, squirt straight into the back of the throat and hold his head steady so he couldn't spit it out. I felt awful. I did manage to change it a few times to amomocillan (sp) which tasted like bananas instead of vile penicillin V.

I had to wrap up DS like a cat at the vet at a similar age and just get it in him. It was flucoloxacillin which as a PP said is absolutely vile.

*latter
*Previous sufferer
Also there are key symptoms of bacterial tonsillitus, v high temp that doesnt go, white streaky marks on throat, I am v fit and healthy but tonsillitis is a illness that literlly floors me, in my experience worse than the flu.
I genuinley thought I'd die when I had a severe infection before.
Op don't start and stop them no matter what. Wish your dc a speedy recovery

Mixes with with mint choc chop ice cream and petit filous yoghurt

@heythereamigo there is difference between viral and bacterial tonsillitus. The later ignored can v dangerous and as previpys suffer can make a person esp a child v v ill. Untreated i got quinsy throat and lost half my body weight in a couple of days. It's horrific

1ml syringe (left over from the fun days of colostrum harvesting). They are very skinny and easy to get right inside the cheek to the back of the throat a few times to make the dose up to however many mls