Getting paracetamol into tricky 8yr old. Tablets?

[NotCompletelyUnfortunateLooking]

I'm desperately looking for ideas on how to get paracetamol into my DS...

DS is 8 and will NOT take Calpol or any medicine. He only drinks water (his choice not mine!). I've tried all the different flavours and types but it's the fact that it's a liquid that is not water, he can't get past it. He is not my first and I like to think I am not a pushover. When he was a baby he was very very resistant, and the last time I managed to manhandle him to get some down him was when he had a raging temp with covid aged two, and he was then sick anyway. Obviously I can have more logical discussions with him now, but we still cannot do it. I live in fear of him getting an ear infection or something and needing antibiotics, which thank god hasn't happened.

Illnesses are thankfully fairly infrequent, but every time he has a fever we have ended up just muscling through. And now he is burning up again and can barely lift his head bless him and I hate that he suffers more than he needs to.

We have tried fastmelts. Still no.

I asked at the pharmacy counter today if there are paracetamol tablets he can have. She produced some cheap ones and said half a tab from 6 years, but "Calpol would be nicer for him y'know" - yeah thanks for that lady and for listening to what I just told you 🙄. But, they are still fairly large in half and incredibly bitter. I don't want to put him off forever by setting him up to fail here.

I know tabs are not ideal, but surely some kids manage? Someone must have produced decent, small, lower dose paracetamol tablets, he can't be the only person for whom they would be useful?! Do they exist?

Any advice or solidarity would be much appreciated.

Calpol do a chewable version which we've used with our autistic kids (DS also only drinks water and is almost 12 now). No way would he take a tablet or have the liquid.

You can get ones that dissolve in water.

These: https://www.boots.com/calpol-six-plus-fastmelts-250mg-orodispersible-tablets-12-tablets-10307207?traffic=paid.shopping&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19965642474&gbraid=0AAAAA-AdmwQdS6XSidxg8w9hJr6adRP7i&gclid=CjwKCAjwgajSBhBEEiwASicJU0WJjdRpvSVfT75_MiBWpxrVAupFM3r1NFoRlrpg5fJAvDqMw01P9xoCXAwQAvD_BwE

God, sorry, long link!

I think your best bet is half a paracetamol tablet if the dosage is correct for his weight. Explain that it may not taste nice but it is only for a second. I don't see anything wrong with that. Does he take any vitamins etc in tablet form so you know he can swallow them?

Otherwise a suppository? GP can prescribe them if you can't buy them at your local pharmacy, not sure if they sell them directly for kids.

You can get soluble paracetamol tablets. Not sure what they taste like but might be worth a try.

Thanks. We've tried the fast melt ones you've linked - they kind of turn into a paste in you mouth and he can't swallow them ☹️

Half a tablet in some yoghurt, swallow as usual! Fingers crossed you manage to get some into him and he’s feeling better soon!

He won't even drink very dilute squash, so I can't see dissolvable ones working, but I will have a look and try.

He needs to chew them, not let them dissolve in his mouth. But maybe that's not possible.

Hopefully someone has a better answer, as I know DS wouldn't drink a soluble paracetamol solution.

Would he eat ice cream with it inside somehow?

I've just had a quick search and it seems 250mg paracetamol suppositories are available from pharmacies but are expensive for some reason!

Does it have to be paracetamol? Liquid Nurofen for children tastes exactly like strawberry syrup. The dosage is also lower so an 8 year old just need to swallow one syringe and chase it with some water compared to 1.5 syringes of Calpol with the weird paracetamol taste.

Thanks everyone I do appreciate it.

Yogurt would be really useful here I think but he won't eat it. He eats a reasonable range of food, but when there is something he doesn't like or new it is so so hard to get around that.

I did try ice cream with him earlier, but he asked me to crush the tab instead. Which of course made the whole thing taste disgusting so we couldn't do it. I'll try again keeping it "whole". Or maybe I can quarter it , some is better than none right?

My swallowed tablets from about 6, dd1 (asd) refused calpol so we had to really, she though was on other meds that she refused the liquid version of so learned to swallow capsules

Yep, tried nurofen/ibuprofen too 👎
He is a funny little fish.

Oh 8 is a hard age. DS2 - used to refuse when he was younger - but given it is hard (but not impossible) to spit with your mouth open i could get in him. “You need to take it and we can do this the hard way or the easy way” was often said. Such fun.

But pining a determined 8 year old down I don’t fancy.

Presume you’ve tried mixing it in yoghurt?

Was it a round tablet or oval caplet paracetamol you've tried? Half a caplet might be easier to swallow due to its shape. Practise with tic tacs

Ohh that is a good idea - also you could cover the bare end in jam maybe?

Cheap oval caplet. Purchased because the box specifically said from 6yrs.

Grind it to powder between two spoons, mix in a spoonful of yogurt and honey or jam and chase down with a glass of water

Does he have special needs or is he just being stubborn? How is he with toothpaste for exaple?

I remember using a pill cutter when we all had to take malaria tablets and they were really disgusting. Made small enough pieces to allow the kids to swallow them but it wasnt easy. Maybe try a pill cutter to make the size more manageable

I don't know for sure, but I can imagine the freak out at the idea of suppository, and I can't imagine this random virus is worth that kind of drama!

Any paracetamol tablet would be fine (except capsules/caffiene para) half and big drink of water and swallow it down. My autistic son has taken tablets since he was quite young, he’s asthmatic so took prednisalone tablets as he refused them diluted then just took anything else in tablet form. He took 2 the other night with no water, urgh. My 3rd son was also a Calpol refuser. If he’s drinking just make sure he’s well hydrated, how high is is temp?

Crush tablet and mix in to a teaspoon of Nutella, encourage him to swallow not chew.