If your child has scarlet fever - what antibiotics have they been prescribed?

[TwoPintsOfGuinnessAndAPacketOfNuts]

DC was 10 prescribed phenoxymethylpenicillin tablets but can't swallow them without choking. They've now been given the oral solution but have thrown up /spat out the last 3 doses. Tried mixing with different things but nothing seems to work.

Also before he has them, try asking him to take some deep breaths before hand, through his nose and out his mouth, counting his breaths in his head, then big gulp of drink through the straw, followed by the tablet and another big gulp of drink with the straw. My niece did this and it helped to calm her down and take her mind off it.

Grind them in a pestle and mortar. And melt the nutella slightly first. Should help

@WhatLikeItsHard Thanks. Will try this method tomorrow with a quarter at a time I think.

We have same one as you. Im giving her sweets after every dose. No other way to get it into her. Shes 5.

The problem with quartering it is he will have to go through it 4 times for each tablet. If it's 3 or 4 doses a day that's 12/16 tablets to swallow in his mind.

If you can try the method and get him to take it in 1 go it will I think be overall less traumatic.

@lollipoprainbow I thought it would be obvious that the advice I was looking for needed to be a little more extensive than 'just get him to take it' but obviously not 😐

@FatAgainItsLettuceTime True. Might half it at first instead. I dont think we could get through 16 times in one day. I know if he could be successful just once then it would really help. It's the repeated failings that's getting him worked up as much as the act of taking it.

In happier times practice with tictacs up to smarties my dd can now take anything and ds throws them down his neck like a professional pill popper both have sensory/aversion issues so I knew this would be an issue

No real advice for now except mine would take pills/medication with fake squirty cream the synthetic sweet kind? I'm not sure you can even get it anymore though

My son had to have 10 courses of liquid phenoxymethylpenicillin in 2018. We discovered that there are different types/brands and one in particular is vile. Make sure you get the nicer tasting one.

The easiest way to take a tablet is to put your chin to your chest then swallow. Sounds counter productive but it makes it so much easier.

Actually, I dont think I will half it. He's got to swallow it either way and i dont think it'll make a difference. Probably will just say it's half. In his mind he's tried swallowing a whole tablet and failed, so why would it work now?

Sorry, just thinking out loud.

Thank you everyone for the helpful replies

Pen V tasted absolutely vile. But he's ten not two. So able to understand that he must take it.

Just read that he's got sensory issues. In that case I'd crush a tablet up. You can do it between two spoons and put it in yoghurt.

I don't know if it helps but I have issues with tablets (sensory issues) the only way I can take them is with fizzy drink, I load my mouth with the fizz then push the tablet in. Head back for flat pills, forward for capsules. If the pill doesn't touch the inside of the mouth I can swallow without vomiting.

@APoppyLicks That does help. Thank you. I'll put it on the list of things to try tomorrow :)

Not sure if this helps but have you tried custard? I find it incredibly difficult to swallow tablets unless they're the very smooth ones in a capsule- no medical reason, I think I'm just an extremely uncoordinated swallower. I always take pills with custard and it slips down a treat. Not sure if that would work for your DS but I can never detect the feeling or taste of the pill in it.

For some reason, very thick custard works MUCH better for me than any other thick food items I've tried like yogurt.

Sorry that was a stupid question, why would you have tried custard 😆 I'm not even sure why I tried custard but I find it effective!

I agree trying straw method. My sons friend has sensory issues and only way he can take his meds is with a straw. Seems to help it go down.

You buy giant chocolate buttons. Dc has one in each hand so they are in control. Take medicine and dc them stuffs in buttons and you get 2 more while he’s shoving the first two in and hand them to him so he then eats those. Job done. This worked with my Dd age 4 when she had to take the white powdery antibiotic liquid that’s truly vile for a urine infection. Good luck.

Not scarlet fever but I once had to take metronidazole and could not get it down for love nor money with water. Bizarrely went straight down if I took it with coke (the fizzy drink not the drug 😂). Normally I can dry swallow 2 tablets at once but the coating on it just seemed to be repelled by my throat.

It's a strong flavour but when my son had those antibiotics I mixed it with peppermint flavouring from the baking aisle. Followed by a bite of chocolate and a big glass of milk.

It was awful but it was the only way he could take it and keep it down.

I've got 2 bottles too. Yellow and pink for DS nearly 8. Both taste horrid

phenoxymethylpenicillin here, for a throat infection.

DS 6 has a shot of apple juice straight after to wash the taste away.

The phenoxymethylpenicillin sugar free (all we could get) is vile. When younger we had the yellow amoxicillin but now this pink stuff is so bad it makes my DC vomit.
Really counter productive of whoever designs kids' medicines.