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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:
RunningOutOfIdeas · 22/07/2014 22:06

As a pp mentioned, an ice lolly can be a good way to get fluids in. Also sucking on a lolly before have the medicine can help to reduce the taste of it. So we go for ice lolly before nasty stuff and then any choice of sweet afterwards.

With DD1 we found it easiest if she had a chocolate button in each hand before the medicine went in. Then she was focused more on getting the chocolate in her mouth as fast as possible.

WoodliceCollection · 22/07/2014 22:16

I have in the past added pink food colouring to ABs (serial ear infection toddler) and pretended it was calpol just to get it in in the first place. Of course it doesn't work once they taste it. Chocolate for that, and syringe it as far back in the cheek as possible, is about as good as it can be.

WoodliceCollection · 22/07/2014 22:18

Oh just seen about the chocolate. Try jam or syrup on a spoon?

impomea · 22/07/2014 22:18

When ds2 was about 2.5 he refused to take the vile strawberry stuff.I paid him 20p for every spoonful Smile

steff13 · 22/07/2014 22:25

Here the pharmacist can add flavors to medicines. My kids have never had an issue taking medicines, but a friend told me she had success mixing amoxicillin with Hershey's chocolate syrup on a spoon.

Pooka · 22/07/2014 22:26

I mixed movicol and other medicines with neat ribena in the past; otherwise, is case of pinning down I'm afraid.

steff13 · 22/07/2014 22:28

Oh, just saw she doesn't like chocolate. Do they sell strawberry syrup there, or perhaps a spoon full of something like caramel ice cream topping?

Original poster
appealtakingovermylife · 22/07/2014 23:11

Some brilliant ideas here so Thank you all. I've been up and down the stairs all night to dd but she is now asleep and has been drinking-yay.
Am going to try some of your suggestions tomorrow, something will work surely.
Mn is an absolute saviour in situations like this, I'm relatively new to it but it really helps to know that other people are/have been in your boat:)
Thanks for your kind words, dd will soon be back to being a little madam and I can't wait.

OP posts:
Madcatgirl · 22/07/2014 23:14

Chocolate buttons after every dose. Ds2 has recurrent tonsillitis so we're veterans of antibiotic dosing and buttons is the only solution.

306235388 · 22/07/2014 23:33

Ds is allergic to most antibiotics and has to have clarithromycin - it is VILE.he will take it with a tiny bit on a teaspoon then covered with Ella's kitchen strawberry and apple tube - it takes a whole tube every dose and costs a fortune but is worth it!

Dd loves amoxicillin - odd child but hates calpol and vomits it straight back up - that's a bloody nightmare!

MiscellaneousAssortment · 22/07/2014 23:41

So many good ideas. I couldn't hold ds down once he'd got to 3 yrs and fought like I was killing him. It was awful :( I am a single mum so didn't have another person to help, and although I asked his nanny, she couldn't bring herself to help as she said it was 'cruel'. Argh!

One of those times when there really is a difference between being a parent and having to do things you hate because you have to.

Just damn good luck he took fluids in the night via a baby bottle in his sleep, and suppository paracetamol (only once when he didnt see me coming), and the fever started to come down, rendering him slightly more reasonable.

FrozenAteMyDaughter · 22/07/2014 23:45

DD was a nightmare with any medicine for a while. When she had a raging fever the doctor gave us suppositories and I got quite adept with them. DD hated it though so it didn't take long for her to start accepting the oral stuff again. But even the suppositories were way less traumatic for everyone than trying to pin her down and force it in with a syringe.

That is not much help unless you can get abs in suppository form though and I don't know if you can. Bribery works well with DD now at 4. Sweets and chocolate are no good though. With DD it is dolls only that work. Flucloxacillin course cost us a bomb but it was worth it. That stuff is seriously bogging.

Getting nursery to give the stuff is a great idea too. And with DD we get her to take it in front of people she wants to impress. Her uncles, the neighbours, random dog walkers. Anyone we can find really. Works a treat.

DikTrom · 22/07/2014 23:49

Maybe try to reason with her:
take this now so you can get better or don't take it and you may become really ill in hospital.

Alternatively, any form of bribery.

If all fails, then any method to get her to take it, including forcing her to take it, as you don't want to risk serious pneumonia.

Blu · 22/07/2014 23:50

It's gruelling, sorry you are having to deal with this. And it is foul tasting stuff. Sad

Shame she doesn't like choc as it is useful for this trick a it coats the mouth.

Does she like cheese/ ice cream? If so, give her a few mouthfuls , and when she has just finished a mouthful, in with the syringe, and then instantly in with more ice cream or cheese or anything string tasting that she likes.

But the trick is, get that in her mouth BEFORE the medicine.

Rokenswife · 23/07/2014 07:51

I'm a fan of wrapping in a towel. My son had conjunctivitis for two weeks and then ended up in hospital for a week with or orbital cellulitis so he was on antibiotics for what seemed like months. He then had to come home with a week's worth. He is suspected ASD and doesn't understand any explanations. He sees his medicine and runs away shouting 'mitsin!' 'Mitsin!'.

SpandexBallet · 23/07/2014 08:06

The only thing I would suggest is serious reasoning. DSD is 14 in September and we still have to pin her down to take anything. He parents were too scared to force her when she was little and now she won't take anything.
Got to the stage a couple of months ago when she had terrible constipation but wouldn't take and movicol or lactulose and wouldn't drink anything. Ended in a trip to A&E for an enima Sad

Whatever bribery works, do it, but if she's bright then I'd keep trying to explain why you are doing it.

kali110 · 23/07/2014 08:22

I used to love this medicine as a child! Got very upset when i got older and had to have the sickly strawberry

Golferman · 23/07/2014 09:10

We had the same problem years ago with one of our sons.we had to hold g down while I squirted in tube Ned with a syringe, was the only way to make Hon take it.

Lalalablah · 23/07/2014 09:18

Put it in chocolate mousse, works like a charm :)

Everard · 23/07/2014 09:20

Does amoxicillin only come in one flavour these days? I admit I am a bit out of date but when my 18 and 16 yos were toddlers, you could get a banana and a strawberry version. As I recall, one liked one and the other liked the other - I can't remember which! I found just taking a firm stance a la Kanga in Winnie-the-Pooh - 'you must take your medicine now', leaving no room for quibbles - usually worked. Oh yeah, and the promise of chocolate buttons afterwards.

Is it worth checking to see if the alternative flavour is available?

Original poster
appealtakingovermylife · 23/07/2014 10:48

Just had a traumatic experience again:(
Tried blowing, hiding in food/drink, reasoning/ bribery! And in the end I had to lay her on the floor whilst trying to restrain her hands, got a small amount in.
No amount of reasoning/promises of new toy etc is working.
This one is orange coloured, previous ones were yellow, if it's not calpol coloured she knows it's something else.
I'm at my wits end!

OP posts:
Original poster
appealtakingovermylife · 23/07/2014 10:52

I'm going to try wrapping in towel for next dose and her last dose today I'm planning on giving in the bath, food related things not working as dd is off her food and won't eat anything chocolate related at all.
Ds is 11, loves chocolate but has never had antibiotics, never ill.
Dd seems to have picked everything up since starting preschool.

OP posts:
Cadsuane · 23/07/2014 11:16

DD2 had a lot of UTI's when she was that age. She wouldn't take the antibiotic or calpol (she needed calopl and nurofen to keep any control of her temperature). What worked for us was putting the meds in Cherryaid. Just a small glass (maybe an inch or two) with a straw. She wouldn't normally get anything but water or milk so this was her special "your not well so here's a special treat" drink. Made a big difference and also got extra fluids into her.

Dakiara · 23/07/2014 12:04

My sympathies - I had a medicine refuser here too. I sat on mine by squatting on my knees over the upper torso so the arms were trapped either side of my thighs and couldn't be taken out but were not held down with any pressure so that she was not hurt.

I made sure she had her head propped up on a pillow as much as she would let me (reduced gagging this way) then syringed the dose slowly into either her cheek if she opened her mouth, or between her lips (it goes through teeth), holding her chin and cheeks gently so that she couldn't move her head sideways and spit it out. She was not happy with me, but always accepted a sweet afterwards to take the taste away. She preferred me to warn her beforehand as well rather than springing it on her. :-\

Still no clue why she hated it so much, but this worked when we had to resort to it. :-( She hardly had any though due to this, bar a couple of high temperatures and antibiotics, even during teething and after her surgery, she hated it That much!

popmimiboo · 23/07/2014 12:19

The French automatically do suppositories. I have always insisted on medicine instead for my DC but would probably give up and try suppositories if any of them had been so upset by taking medicine. DS did used to kick up a bit of a fuss and spit out but we always manged reasoning or bribery. Suppositories are not pleasant but only take a second to administer so surely can't be worse than pinning them down and causing them to choke or vomit!
Good luck OP, hope you find a way and she's better soon.