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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

aibu to force amoxicillin down 3yr old dd?

83 replies

appealtakingovermylife · 22/07/2014 17:21

Posting here for traffic as am desperate
Dd is 3.5, been to doctors today as she was wheezy/coughing and generally unwell, started over the weekend with a cold.

Doctor said she has a nasty chest infection and prescribed amoxicillin. I told him that we've had terrible trouble in the past, getting dd to take this.

He said that is what she needs and I got it from chemist.
As predicted, dd was hysterical when she saw it, I tried to reason with her as she understands and talks very well, but no getting through.

So I put her on my knee and tried to get it in her mouth via a syringe which we use for calpol etc but she spat most of it out.
Tried hiding it in a yoghurt just now and she had 1 spoon and refused to eat it.
She is also refusing to drink anything unless I hover over her and make sure she does. Normally loves her juice and water so getting worried.

Any tips please?
Thanks if you've got this far:)

OP posts:
RevoltingPeasant · 22/07/2014 19:06

We had amoxicillin when we were kids and it was lovely. They did a bubblegum flavoured syrup which was actually nice.

That was in the US though.

YolandiFuckinVisser · 22/07/2014 19:09

I used to put the dose in a small glass of one of those really thick, sickly sweet chocolate milkshake drinks (like frijj etc), mix it in well and present as a special treat. Mine fell for it every time.

JimBobplusasprog · 22/07/2014 19:19

There's a topsy and tim book that might help where tim has to take medicine.

babyfedleaning · 22/07/2014 19:22

Banana flavoured Ambrosia custard?

cansu · 22/07/2014 19:44

I have terrible trouble with my dd who has sad and is pretty obstinate. I mix small amounts in yoghurt or fruit purée pots and this seems to help.

cansu · 22/07/2014 19:44

Sorry that should be asd not sad!

Chorister · 22/07/2014 19:45

My DD is very prone to tonsillitis and throat infections, she has been getting them since she was 8 months and they still happen at 6.

She HATES banana medicine, but will take it if I put a glass of fizzy juice in her hand to drink straight after.

If your wee one is a good talker and understands then you need to be firm, you need to take this to get better, you can have a (insert bribery here) once you take it and you will feel better really soon and be able to (go to the park, see a best friend or something she can't do while she isn't well).

It's awful, but needs must, and some illnesses can't be made better with bed rest and calpol.

Original poster
appealtakingovermylife · 22/07/2014 19:48

Wow, thank you all so much for your help:)
Tried a few things and managed to get a small amount down, in between the choking/screaming.
My dd doesn't like chocolate, seriously, I don't know where I got her from. Have tried bribing with haribo though and she just won't eat a thing.

We live about 10 minutes away from Alder hey children's hospital and have explained to her that we will seriously take her there if she doesn't take her meds and has a drink, I'm very concerned she will dehydrate,it's so hot.

She has had a few sips of juice but not much.
Am going to monitor the situation and see how she is.
Its going to be a long night xx

OP posts:
shoofly · 22/07/2014 19:59

Ds1 had a number of chest infections and was horrific to get abs into. I mentioned it in despair to a very kindly Dr. who was just about to retire - he said that his sons were the same - he then mentioned a paed suspension of antibiotic. Instead of trying to get 5ml or (god forbid) 10 ml of disgusting stuff this was more concentrated and you only had to get 1 or 2ml in a tiny syringe in - that with chocolate buttons is the answer. I really wish I knew what it was. I have explained it to every Dr. we have seen since - without exception none of them know what I am talking about but have dutifully looked it up in their book - for this reason he has had it a few times since. Last time he needed it (scarlet fever) - lovely Dr. looked it up and said that's interesting and good to know but unfortunately the ab he needs for scarlet fever isn't available in that form. He prescribed 10ml 4 times a day for 10 days. Poor DS did his best but it was so hard to get into him (he's 8) we only managed to get 2 doses into him before he was rushed to a&e with a severe allergic reaction to it (penicillin)

Trazzletoes · 22/07/2014 20:00

I feel your pain OP. DS has to take iodine sometimes. It's the most disgusting thing known to man. I have had to pin him down on the floor (at age 3) to get him to take it. Nurses have been in tears themselves trying to get him to have it.

Sometimes, needs must. And some things taste so gross that there's no reasoning with a pre-schooler.

If she's not had enough water during the day, is it worth waking her in the night to try and have some? Will she drink warm milk? My 2 can't get enough of it. Tbh I'd even give them free access to Fruit Shoots in your situation.

I hope she's feeling better soon.

Thenapoleonofcrime · 22/07/2014 20:02

Suppositories are used across Europe for this reason! I must admit, I've never used one on the children though.

chestnut100 · 22/07/2014 20:05

The poster who mentioned erythromycin; my god it was hellish giving that to my 2 year old. Had to give in in the end, utterly impossible. What has worked with amoycilin is mixing it in milkshake? My son thought he was in heaven getting 3 milkshakes per day!

meerschweinchen · 22/07/2014 20:06

If you're worried about dehydration, would she eat ice lollies? I remember a period of living on them when pregnant! It's certainly the weather for them at the moment, if nothing else. Water would obviously be a lot better, but it might help a little.

Hope she feels better soon.

Picasso31 · 22/07/2014 20:08

Try teaching her to swallow tablets. Start with small sweets, tictacs are good then get bigger tablet sized sweets. Most kids from around 3 can swallow tablets and quite a bit of research out there shows they prefer tablets or capsules as they don't taste, antibiotic mixtures are disgusting. That way next time she could have capsules. Lots of patients think their kids won't be able to swallow tabs but when they try find out they really can.

SaltaKatten · 22/07/2014 20:10

We used to have to make icelollies with any meds for our youngest as she would projectile vomit any medication.
For amoxycillin you'll need something quite strong to disguise the taste, perhaps fairly strong orange squash.

puntasticusername · 22/07/2014 20:23

dangly I've never heard about blowing in their face! Thanks, definitely going to try that one!

Good luck tonight OP

scarletoconnor · 22/07/2014 20:28

I'm convinced Cadburys invented 'pots of joy' deserts specifically for antibiotics.
My ds can smell antibiotics a mile of we've never been able to hide them in anything until we discovered pots of joy.
Its basically cadbury chocolate in yogurt form they're kept near the yoghurts in supermarkets

scarletoconnor · 22/07/2014 20:32

Oh just read she doesn't like chocolate. Medicine dummy it all the way. Pin her down put the medicine in the medicine dummy squirt it in her mouth thay.
My ds tolerated that before we discovered the poys of joy. I think it misses all the taste buds with the dummy because he barely seemed to notice

whois · 22/07/2014 20:43

Would it help if you tried to get her to hold her nose to reduce the taste, or is she past the stage of reasoning?

Poor thing, chest infections are brutal.

crazykat · 22/07/2014 21:21

I must have strange children as they love the banana medicine. There isn't enough chocolate at cadburys to get them to take erythromycin though.

I've gone back to the GP before when dd1 wouldn't take erythromycin and they prescribed a different antibiotic.

Mixing it with pure squash has worked for us in the past as the sweetness of the undiluted squash masks the bitterness of the medicine. I mix 5ml squash and 5ml medicine in a shot glass without then seeing, and give them the special 'drink'. The novelty of having a 'drink' from a tiny glass seems to help too.

crazykat · 22/07/2014 21:27

For tying to get your dd to drink, have you tried putting ice in her drink or giving her crushed ice in a cup with a spoon? This usually gets my DCs to have liquid when they're not well as its something different.

Morrisons have also got a make your own ice lolly set for £1, just fill up the base with juice or water and put the stick bit in and freeze. The stick bit also catches any liquid that drips off the lolly when eating it with a built in straw to drink it and stops sticky mess.

FruitBasedDrinkForALady · 22/07/2014 21:37

Haven't read all the posts, so sorry if I'm repeating, but DD (4) is a nightmare to take medicine other than calpol. I've two methods. One is to time the dose of calpol with the antibiotic and put it in the same syringe. The pink and sweetness can/sometimes tricks her takes the edge off for her. Then a locum GP prescribed a one a day antibiotic. It's a miracle in a bottle! It's stronger than amoxicillin, so it's only 3 days' dosing (another bonus) but when they are sick like that, it's the lesser of two evils to get 3 stronger doses into her, than fewer than half of a lower strength. I can't remember the name, but I'm sure if you ask about it, the gp will be able to tell you if its suitable.

Hope your little one is well again soon.

Shizzy · 22/07/2014 21:39

Is it the banana flavoured one? I mix it into a little bit of milk and my 2.11 DD drinks it from a cup. I've told her it's her special growing up milkshake and if she doesn't drink it, she'll never grow. Cruel but effective with my DD. I don't associate it with whatever illness she has so she doesn't think of it as medicine.

Edenviolet · 22/07/2014 21:45

We had this with ds1 when he was 2 and kept getting nasty utis but refused the anti b and we had to resort to wrapping him in a towel (he screamed) and syringing it in bit by bit and trying to hold his mouth shut gently (he wanted to spit out) he would struggle and choke on it but the majority went in. Had to do the same wrapping up/holding down with dd in the initial period after she was diagnosed with diabetes as she didn't want jabs the first few times. Was horrible.

Ds2 isn't keen on medicine either but will take it if we are out and he's in the buggy oddly I think he's so busy looking at stuff and if I say "ooh look at that" and as he looks I just syringe it in and he's swallowed it before he's realised what has happened !

BlackeyedSusan · 22/07/2014 21:56

amoxycilllin was no problem for ds... banana milk shake...

the other, nasty pink vile stuff, required concentrated neat blackcurrant, and a spoon of sugar to go down.

squirting in and stroking their throat seemed one way some of it went down before this sugar concoction was discovered. I did end up wearing quite a lot of it though.