WIU to force ds to take medicine? Feel awful about it.

[RoadrunnerMeepMeep]

DD 6 has chest infection and been prescribed penicillin. At 6pm she refused to take it saying it made her feel sick, me and dh tried explaining how would make her better, she wouldn't get better without it etc. We tried bribing with ice cream, said we'd have to take her back to dr and he would make her take it, tried mixing it with juice so she would drink it that way but nothing. She flat out refused. An hour later I was ready to hold and force it down her throat which sounds awful I know but don't see what other choice there was? Either make her drink it or forget about having any medicine?

Dh wasn't keen on this anyway so he spent another hour trying to talk her into taking it. By 8pm I said to dh that I wasn't trying to be mean but that she'd had plenty of time and encouragement to take it so now wasn't going to mess around any more. Dh held her while I tipped it down her throat. She freaked out but only for about 2 mins, then she cuddled for a bit with us then went to bed with no problems. And she had medicine. However I feel like absolute shit for having to force her to take medicine and dh didn't help, afterward he said how horrible it was and he couldn't do that again. I felt really awful forcing her but can't help thinking I was being cruel to be kind. What does everyone else think? Was I being unreasonable/the worlds worst parent?

well actually I gave that advice last night when Op posted the thread. Suerly then she can contact an out of house DR if she worried.

Waste doctors time and risk the infection developing, risking serious (and some irreversible) complications, because 'forcing medicine' is bad.

this . A course of antibiotic is at most 7 days long why drag it out back and forward to drs child gets sicker madness just get it down them I say.

as somebody who had a sick childhood I had to do things I didn't want to do or take stuff I didnt want to take and yes sometimes I was forced it honestly did me no harm,

But why contact OOH doc, when all she needed to do was ensure that the child took the meds? It is a waste of resources.

We simply cannot delegate unpleasant parenting decisions to others.

And for each child who has developed 'issues' there are plenty who have gone on to just get well and forget about it.

I would give your dd 2 options from now on:

1. You take it sensibly, we will syringe it in so you don't have to taste is so much plus pinch your nose (again it numbs your senses) and afterwards you can have a sweet.

1. We hold you down again and force it.

Not having it is non-negotiable and your dh should realise sometimes you just have to get on with it.

Not unreasonable, she needs those meds to get better, however don't just discount her saying they maje her feel sick, I'm allergic To penicillin and it makes me sick as a dog. I also have a friend who complained his antibiotics were making him feel more ill for the first day of the course, we all told him to man up snd quit whining. The next day his housemate found him unconscious on the floor and he was rushed to hospital due to a severe allergic reaction.

The pills might actually be making her feel ill, and if that's the case there are different antibiotics they can give instead, so you might have to keep sn eye on that and go back to the gp if necessary.

"And for each child who has developed 'issues' there are plenty who have gone on to just get well and forget about it"

precisely and probably for one child who died from seriouse complaints resulting from a chest infection others have not.

It is fruitless calling me on this over and over, I have given my advice/opinion you and many others disagree, we could go round in circles. i dont see the big issue. op will do what she sees fit for her family and that is the end of it. There is a conflicting view point from one person on the internet no big deal.

Out of hours dr's are for people who are genuinely very ill, not for parents who cannot manage their children, or more truthfully, don't want to be the "Bad Guy", that is a massively irresponsible use of emergency resources.

ET- It is not conflicting advice you are giving, but incorrect advice.

Also, taking the child into hospital so some poor nurse or doctor has to force medication upon the child is also a very bad idea and put the doctors and nurses in a very unpleasant situation.

In most cases, parents transfer their anxiety onto their children. Stoical parents with the view of "This is unpleasant, but it will soon be over + bribery if needed", have children who get on and take their medication/ have their treatment.

Over dramatic, pandering parents have children that are the same.

It is conflicting. The Op also has no idea as others have already pointed out why the medicine is making her dd feel sick.

so she either forces her

or she doesnt

see how she is and see GP on monday

see how she is and see OH over the weekend if she worsens.

Why force something that may have a reasonable alternative, is the way I see it, thats not wrong, it is conflicting though.

Like I said calling me on this over and over is not any use to the OP and detracts from the OP.

I stated it once about 14 hrs ago, the OP can chose to ignore it or consider it, every other poster calling me on it now is of no help or use really.

I am not and have not lambasting the OP or anyone else into thinking the way I do, every one is entitled to what is best for them.

But is suggesting not giving a prescribed drug which is exactly what you are doing really a sensible thing to say? Doctors generally now only prescribe antibiotics if they feel they are really needed, in most cases if a GP is pretty sure it will clear on its own they will advise waiting,

On the other hand with a chest infection 48 can easily be the difference between being hospitalised and not.

I know how you feel, but you have definately done the right thing. I think she might have been worse if she ended up in hospital with a drip in her arm because shes developed pneumonia! My dd is like this with ear/eye drops i have to hold her down whilst dp puts them in, its bloody awful.

im sugegesting not forcing with a follow up with a DR is all. Anyway i have a new steam mop and im off to test that out cant really be arsed going round in circles anymore

Op hope your dd is better soon and you manage to do what is best for her one way or another.

Not going to argue with you any longer, ET. I just hope that the OP follows the advice on this thread, and that her DD is well soon.

Roadrunner
How is she today? Maybe a good idea to have a chat with her in between medicine taking times, when she is not upset and tell her about how the medicine works and how important it is to take it to get well.

I've had to do this with DS when he was smaller (2.10). He had a foul virus, some kind of adenovirus that caused his abdominal lymph nodes to swell and a quite high temp - he got to a point where he didn't want to take even the calpol/calprofen (he was alternating) and he needed his temp brought down, so I had to try all sorts of tricks to get it down him. At one point, I enrolled DH to help - just to hold him while I got the syringe into his mouth - and he a) gave up halfway through and b) refused to have anything to do with helping ever again. Pathetic!! Really annoyed me.

Anyway. After DS got over that particular illness 2 years ago, he was ok with taking other medicines - and has remained fine, even asking to have medicine when he's feeling a bit rubbish. He prefers his antibiotics (for chest infections) which comes in lurid pink, so I've taken to colouring the Calprofen with pink food colouring to ease his mind about it - he knows it tastes different and comes in a different bottle but he'll take it quite happily now.