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.

He does not have a diagnosis, no. And he is indeed the most stubborn person I've ever come across. However, he does have his quirks, and this is a genuine issue. I honestly think he would pass out with panic before taking a spoon of medicine. He can just about have a calm conversation about it now, but that's big progress in itself.

Is he ok cleaning his teeth?

Temp has varied, topped out at 39.8 a while ago, although obvs a margin of error with the thermometer.

Thank you everyone for talking this through with me, I do appreciate it. I'll have a think about some of the suggestions and see if we can try one later. x

This is what I was going to suggest.Crush it so it's like powder and give him any kind of sweet dessert that he enjoys.Dont tell him you have added it!

What about suppositories?

He used to moan about the toothpaste, but we got past that and he's ok now (mostly, he does sometimes still moan when in that kind of mood!)

I wouldn't recommend suppositories, they were the go to for children back in France and I'm still a bit traumatized from my own experience.

But I would sit him down and explain the different options you have and get him to pick one. Be honest.

Does he like jam? Crush the tablet between 2 spoons, mix with big blob of jam and spread in sandwich/toast or swallow straight from the spoon.

The hayfever medicine gets mixed into his Weetabix! He does now know about this. But if you miss the breakfast opportunity then that's it for the day. And when he is poorly like this he's not really wanting to eat.

Can he use a drinking straw? Tablets go down much easier if you drink the water through a straw.

Random (or not 😉) question, but does he like sweets? Especially starburst?

If so, soften up the sweet, squidge it up flat like play doh, and encase the tablet in it. If using paracetamol (rather than ibuprofen) make sure none of the chalkiness gets on the outside.

Then it's a tasty sweet to swallow whole. Obviously no chewing and needs to be just gulped down.

I would find something he will happily eat and crush the tablet into dust and mix it in. Not a small amount so he can taste it but right through the whole thing.
or ask him to fill his mouth with a mouthful of water then with his lips closed ask him to wiggle a small bit of the tablet into his mouth and swallow. Do it in small chunks. That’s how my youngest used to have to take paracetamol.

My mum used to crush them up and put them in a teaspoon of milk. No idea why as Calpol existed, probably because it was cheap! But worked for me.

This - you can also get a pill crusher which will make it finer.
marmalade is less nice, but hides the bitter taste better.
one of mine has also managed to swallow pills in pudding rather then yoghurt. It’s a bit thicker & less wet?
she did eat a lot of pudding.

As an adult who really struggles with tastes and can only take tablets using the Starburst method above, I wouldn't bother with crushing. Paracetamol is so bitter it just doesn't work in my opinion.

Crush it up in a yogurt.
If he wants to swallow it, I found tablets go down easier with milk if he'd drink that.

If you need to get his temp down could you give him baby aspirin to swallow whole?

If you hide the hayfever tablets in Weetabix can you do the same with paracetamol?

What happens if he wants to make his own breakfast?

I taught my dc how to swallow tablets with the assistance of TicTacs and Smarties.

You've tried an oral syringe in the side of his mouth?

🙄

My child is similar, but doesn’t notice if you mix the calpol into jam and serve it on toast…

Then I'll put the dose in myself if he needs it.

Yes, I'll consider the weetabix trick again later, along with some of the other ideas here. He's dozing at the moment. He has previously tasted Calpol in it and rejected it. But the other problem is he is burning up and poorly so reluctant to eat anything let alone a bowl of cereal.

He will be fine regardless soon I'm sure. I would just really like to crack this issue for the future as well as for now.

Why the rude eye roll? It's down the throat so fast it's not like drinking it.

I'll leave you to it I hope you find a solution.

3 ASD kids here. One accepts the discomfort is worth it and will now take tablets. One has just moved from syringes onto fastmelts at the grand ol age of 16. The other will use about 2 pints of water, spray himself and the sink area in yet more water, retch a lot and might manage one tablet . Drinking with a straw is slightly better but not by much.

When they were younger it had to be strawberry Nurofen brand not Tesco own brand orange - we did a whole taste test experiment thing. Science, innit. That appealed. Then later did the same with different shaped tablets and capsules. I did explain suppositories but even the two pints of water/retching scenario was seen as preferable.