Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

To BEG for your help with this

81 replies

monkeymamma · 12/05/2014 22:43

Ds (2) will not under any circumstances take any medicines, including Calpol. He currently has a chest infection and is clearly suffering. The gp had prescribed an inhaler (fat chance) and 6 days of antibiotics.
Surprise does not work as he is constantly on the watch for attempts to get it down him. Reason does not work, nor does reminding him that the doctor told him he must take it. Chocolate/bribery doesn't work - he either has no appetite anyway, or just wants the chocolate but no medicine and has a massive screaming hysterical fit if we won't give it to him. Until now we have got by by mixing it in with his favourite drinks but that doesn't work now, he's wised up to it and all it does is make him suspicious of all drinks (therefore risking dehydration). He won't hold the syringe or spoon. If he gets a whiff of me mixing it in with anything he just refuses all food.
We are in despair. Please tell me you have a magic trick that will work...

OP posts:

IAmTheGodOfTitsAndWine · 13/05/2014 00:05

DoJo makes a really good point - we learned to do the blank face ourselves (DS is on the spectrum) as pinning him down at the same time as saying 'It's ok, it's ok' really confused and distressed him, because to him it was NOT ok and it made it much worse.

Now, if we need to pin him for anything, usually cutting his nails, we do it as quickly and calmly as possible and don't interact with him while we're doing it. Lots of cuddles after, though.

MooseyMouse · 13/05/2014 05:00

You have my complete sympathy. We used suppositories for paracetamol (which are WAY cheaper in France so ask anyone going to pick some up for you).

We occasionally had success by mixing meds with Coke and getting them to sip it through a straw.

One bit of decent advice was, if you've got to pin him down, squirt the syringe of meds towards the inside of their cheek rather that towards the back of their mouth (they're less likely to feel like they're choking).

It's really difficult but, in our case, they grew out of it aged around five and will now take meds. Ignore anyone who make comments about how you just have to "make them take it" - they have no idea!!!

sashh · 13/05/2014 06:08

Have you got a spacer for the inhaler? Completely pointless getting a small child to take an inhaler without. Adults struggle. Hell I sometimes get it wrong and I used to teach people how to take them as part of my job

If you have could you make some sort of game? Hold your breath, breathe in the inhaler, hold your breath again get a smartie or two.

YY to the suppositories if you can get them, if not then the GP can give them as an injection but you probably want to avoid that.

Does ds have a favorite uncle/aunt/older child/adult he adores other than you and dh? This person might be able to get meds down him as a special favour or as a 'look I have to take a nasty med can you do the same as me?'

Lweji · 13/05/2014 07:51

As far as I know, inhalers for young children are automatically prescribed with inhalers.

Lweji · 13/05/2014 07:52

Sorry, with spacers.

HortenMarket · 13/05/2014 08:04

There is an antibiotic called azithromycin which only needs to be given once a day for three days. GPs don't normally want to prescribe it because it is more expensive than others. Ear Nose and Throat specialists do use it a lot. You still have to give it orally but at least its once a day as opposed 3 to 4!

We had this prescribed when we had a similar situation as yours. If you keep failing with the current antibiotics you could go and ask for this one. Really depends on how sympathetic your GP is.

Fairenuff · 13/05/2014 08:13

fair i think associating his bed with punishment and nasty medecine at this age would be counterproductive

I agree. That's why I asked OP what was her usual sanction (or response if some posters prefer that word) to her ds not doing as he was told. OP said she put him in his cot.

MistyMeena · 13/05/2014 08:38

Pin down and syringe in cheek, job done. I regularly did this with my son when on antibiotics.

lougle · 13/05/2014 08:43

Antibiotic liquids are vile! It really is as simple as pin and squirt.

DoJo · 13/05/2014 08:43

But sometimes you do just have to make them, unless you are prepared to risk them being ill for longer, getting worse or needing further treatment. IMO it is easier to instil the idea of medicine being non-negotiable when you are still easily able to overpower them, so toddler age is ideal. Once they realise that it is happening whether they co-operate or not, it should be easier, but you can't not give prescribed meds because a 2 year old might be unhappy about it.

ImNotAFlower · 13/05/2014 08:55

I have been known to put medicine on ice cream as a "sauce"- you may need a big tub for six days worth though . Hope he is feeling better soon.

Gremlingirl · 13/05/2014 09:08

The pinning down is easier if you lay them down on their back with their head in your lap, between your legs and use one of your legs to hold their arms and upper body down, meaning you have full use of both your arms for the squirting. Mine are often so amused by the upside down ness of your face, especially if you pull funny faces at them, that they laugh and I can squirt the meds in then.

DragonMamma · 13/05/2014 09:15

We are another pin down and squirt, if all else fails. I do what PP said and hold their head between my knees and use one free arm to stop them wriggling. Then lots of praise and a couple of sweets afterwards.

They are now 6 and 3 and take meds no problem, as long as they get a sweet afterwards to get rid of the taste

saintlyjimjams · 13/05/2014 09:16

People saying 'does he always get his own way' obviously have no idea what it is like to have a child refuse medicine.

DS1 would never take medicine as he's severely autistic. Unless it was pink. He also wouldn't eat very much. Nor would he have x rays - as for pin him down and do it - the hospital tried that with x-rays and medicine and gave up.

DS3 is NT but has a phobia I guess about medicines. He will take tablets now he is older but will not take liquid medicines & never would. I have forced it down him only for it to come up with the rest of his stomach contents all over me 2 seconds later.

Sympathies OP. Both ds1 and ds3 are much better now they're older, although ds1 cannot swallow tablets (and can't be taught to) so we get everything in liquid form for him (or capsules which we mix in juice).

I just tended not to give them anything. Most medicines for minor illnesses aren't absolutely necessary. If a medicine was absolutely essential then I would talk to the doctor about the different forms it was available in and try the one I thought we had some chance with. Sometimes GP's are reluctant to prescribe a different form than usual because they're more expensive.

saintlyjimjams · 13/05/2014 09:18

Pin and squirt worked a bit wth ds1 although he was very good at not swallowing, never with ds3, as soon as it hit his stomach - hello dinner on my lap....

SleepRefugee · 13/05/2014 09:20

My DD was dreadful in this regard until she was about 2 1/2. No amount of bribery worked, she disliked yogurt, custard and chocolate (yes, really), and would rarely finish a drink given to her, so "hiding" liquid medicine was not an option.

We resorted to paracetamol suppositories when she was very little (had to purchase - expensive! - as GP wouldn't prescribe).

She had terrible teething trouble, so it was a bit of a nightmare!

What worked for her other than suppositories was orange-flavoured Ibuprofen mixed with a little bit of mango smoothie or similar and given to her as a "special treat" on a spoon, as it didn't alter the taste so much.

On a few occasions, we had to just pin her down and squirt meds into her cheeks, followed by lots of cuddles.

She takes meds without a fightnow at 3 1/2!

PinkSquash · 13/05/2014 09:27

We had to pin and squirt antibiotics for DS2 when ge was a baby, horrible but necessary. DH hated doing it but I was the evil practical one and u had to get on with it. He refused all medicine until recently at almost 2.5yrs and he takes it well.

Antibiotics are vile and I had it made worse as he had penicillin that I'm allergic to. Made it fun when he spat it out.

BitOutOfPractice · 13/05/2014 09:27

Hello op. No more advice to give but just wanted to say I hope your ds is better soon

MrsWedgeAntilles · 13/05/2014 09:35

We've been here. Its horrible but you just have to make him. DS has been using nebs and inhalers on and off since he was 18 months old and we've had one situation where it was life and death that he took the neb.
I hated forcing him to take them but it helped that I knew first hand what could happen if he didn't. Swaddling him in a big bath towel and holding him like a rugby ball really helped as well.

I second letting him play with the spacer and the syringe - we went through a phase where the spacer was a light saber and my little padawan would only take liquid via the oral syringe :)

Good luck, this too shall pass.

Bardette · 13/05/2014 09:45

Just a quick point on the pin and squirt method, make sure his head is tipped forward, chin on chest, not tilted back, to reduce chance of choking.

Damnautocorrect · 13/05/2014 09:48

Mine was the same, I tried pin and squirt he'd throw it up. Honestly there was no way at all, gp said force him which then led to him throwing it up and refusal of even calpol. I hid it in strong drinks (not ideal with anti b's I know). But I figured something was better than nothing. I did have to get the orange one (penicillin??) swapped for amoxicillin though after much huffing from the gp about forcing him.
But thankfully it passed at 4!

Original poster

monkeymamma · 13/05/2014 19:47

Thanks again for all the suggestions and support! Ds is so much better today (the antibiotics work so amazingly fast!) and we've got almost all of today's doses down him. I figure when it's a liquid suspension there must be some leeway in dosage/allowance for spilling etc. I managed to surprise him this morning while he was watching peppa pig. Dh managed miraculously to smuggle his 2nd dose in via undiluted apple juice at lunchtime. We've just tried the same technique with his 3rd dose for today and only managed half :-( hopefully we can get all 3 doses down him tomorrow. I'll be on my own tomorrow so pinning him down won't be an option. He's very big (99th c at birth) and although I am heavier than him I don't think I'm stronger! And he's really really fast and slippery (think bathing a cat), I've tried to imagine some of the pinning down techniques here but just don't think it would work. My legs wouldn't be strong enough to hold him down!

horten last time he was sick we were prescribed azithrymicin and it was AMaZING (ds and I are both penicillin allergic and react to erithymicyin so gp has to find alternatives). However gp (different one) last night wouldn't prescribe it in spite of me begging her. She said not suitable as it's antiviral but I bet is cos it's expensive and our antibiotic allergies are a pita.

dojo and IAm I'm practicing my blank face for tomorrow :-)

Thanks again so much for the help and fingers crossed we get through the next fourteen doses...

OP posts:

PacificDogwood · 13/05/2014 21:26

Glad to hear he's getting better and you've found a way to get his medicine in to him.

Just for the record, no antibiotic is antiviral. Azithromycin, like Erythromycin and Clarithromycin, works for most bog-standard bacteria and some atypical ones which can cause nasty pneumonias etc. Much as the twice daily dosing and short 3 days course are very convenient, it should really be reserved for serious/life-threatening infections.

listsandbudgets · 13/05/2014 21:43

My friend's dd was like this. She used to get round it by mixing the calpol with a fruit yogurt. Not sure if that helps you but maybe worth a try?

listsandbudgets · 13/05/2014 21:47

Oh sorry just seen your last post. Glad you got them into him.

My ds is very strong too. I really worry about hurting him sometimes as he struggles so strongly to stop me doing things that he does not want but need doing - eg changing his nappy, fastening safety straps on pram and car seat. You have my sympathy

Flip

1 2 3 4