To be baffled by British attitudes towards suppositories?

[AnotherGirlsParadise]

I spent a few years living in Paris, where suppositories are pretty much favoured over oral medications - they work FAST, even for a sore throat, and you don't have to deal with your DC spitting out a load of Calpol and not getting any better in the process. I recently brought a haul of children's paracetamol suppositories home after a visit, and the response I've had from other parents here has been frankly quite upsetting, ranging from 'inappropriate' to 'surely that's abuse?'

So, AIBU to think people should be a little more openminded? And for the record, a suppository is easily popped in, involves no more touching than using a wipe does, and doesn't distress the child in any way. It just seems to me that because it goes through the 'other end', it's all WRONG WRONG WRONG to some.

I think they should be prescribed routinely for migraines, because that often results in your digestion shutting down so painkillers have no effect. I went through a phase once of having killer migraines lasting for two days or more. Eventually a doctor prescribed ibuprofen suppositories and they had an almost magical effect. Not only did they help with the headaches but in fact the headaches stopped shortly afterwards. My theory is that it was something to do with me just feeling more relaxed knowing that, if I got another headache, there was an effective way of dealing with it.

I had to have two suppositories last year. I must say, shoving two tablets the size of a lil-let up my arse was not a pleasant experience.

Lifesaver for baby DD when she'd refuse her milk or any oral medication due to very painful tonsilitis. Her temp was so high she was shaking and starting. After a paracetamol suppository she was right as rain in a couple of minutes.

I went to my GP and the pharmacist to ask where I could find these suppositories and they looked at me as if I had two heads

Weird.

I've had to use glycerol suppositories on toddler ds, which wasn't fun for either of us but when faced with child screaming for an hour or more at 4am, you get better at it.

It's actually only occurred to me on reading this thread that if the Voltarol I was prescribed 12 years ago had been in suppository format, I might have escaped the 4 days of d&v, admission in A&E, two years of being almost unable to eat as my whole stomach became a giant ulcer, and being unable to eat junk food ever since, not to mention having to deal with all the pain that the Voltarol actually got rid of for two days until the puking trots started.

I do get that people are freaked out by the idea. It is unbelievable that doctors would be though. They prescribe glycérine suppositories for constipation all the time. It is the kindest and easiest way of dealing with constipation. And I know that they do that over there.

Ive had antibiotic suppositories in hospital I couldn't keep anything down so up it went I guess people don't like the thought of it is they are not used to it its hardly abuse though

NotCitrus an anti-inflammatory in any form is banned for me for life due to ulcers. I'm sorry you went through that. I needed surgery on mine but six weeks later was given the all clear for any foods though I take stomach meds even now.

Word of caution and I am saying this as a great fan of Voltarol suppositories:
if you are intolerant of anti-inflammatories in general or Voltarol/diclofenac in particular, don't have the suppositories either.

The active ingredient gets absorbed by the bowel wall, enters your blood stream and can still cause your adverse effects if you are prone to them.
NOT safer than oral tablets - faster, yes (and v good point about migraine and stomach not emptying rendering oral painkillers useless) and good when vomiting etc, but not safer necessarily.

Well there you go - the only place I've ever come across them was in England! DS1 had a tummy bug and I was recommended them by the chemist.

Very sensible indeed IMO.

Glycerin suppositories are the secret to a pain-free and easy first post-partum poo and I don't understand why women aren't told this when discharged from hospital!

Dh ended up having anti sickness suppositeries post chemo. The relief was almost instant as opposed to oral and intravenous methods.

littlebairn vaginal pessaries came to mind because I am using them at the moment for me and I didn't give them or suppositories a second thought but some posters are quite disturbed by suppositories so I just wondered how they would react to pessaries. I have no idea if there are any medical conditions that require vaginal pessaries for children, there might be?

I can totally see why suppositories are used in specific circumstances, especially where speed is important. For example I know that my nephew has had them for his epilepsy (and his parents tell me that he finds the process very distressing) but I'm not sure that they should be routinely available for toddlers/babies because it sounds as if they might quite easily be over used.

Of course that can be said for Calpol too (if you have a child that likes the taste of Calpol that is). It also seems wrong to use a suppository on a child that can easily take oral medicine where there is no particular need for an alternative. My dd didn't like to take medicine, but I can only remember one time when it was an issue and we had to force her to take antibiotics. No issues with ds. Never had to take an accurate measure of their temperatures either, in fact I'm not sure we even owned a thermometer.

Oh and I personally do find having a smear both intrusive and unpleasant. As I understand it that is fairly normal, just like most men don't enjoy having prostate exams.

it sounds as if they might quite easily be over used.
I would have thought they would be much more controlled? Plenty of parents might be tempted to top-up a dose of calpol if they think that most of it was spat out, but there's no actual way of knowing what went in and didn't go in.
Aren't they also better at delivering the medicine into the system as they bypass the digestive system?
It's not like they're without their benefits. My DS certainly found them far less distressing that oral medication. In retrospect I don't know why I didn't use them more.

BTW, for those of you saying "but it undermines the 'inside your pants is private, no-one should touch you there' rule", sometimes health considerations require you to be more nuanced about this sort of thing. My son was born with a hypospadias which needed repaired - lots of doctors prodding (and eventually operating on) his penis. I've had to explain that in the general run of things, areas covered by your pants are private and no-one should touch you there, but sometimes doctors have to in order to make you better - but mummy should always be there, and the doctor should always explain what they're doing and ask if it's okay to touch.

I had to use progesterone suppositories in early pregnancy - took a little bit of getting used to, but really no big deal after a couple of days. And as someone else said upthread, giving medicines orally is a nightmare for drug designers - you have to provide some sort of delivery system that will cope with stomach acid, etc. (And I've also had to pin down a pre-verbal child to give antibiotics orally, not one of my favourite memories - but since the alternative was having a very, very sick child, it had to be done).

I agree with Bertie Botts, I think in the vast majority of cases, as a parent you don't ever need to take a child's temperature at all, let alone rectally.

My mum never took my temperature, she just felt us, and that's what I do too.

I have taken DD(6)'s temperature once (under her armpit). It just confirmed that, yes, I was correct, she did have a temperature.
I have never taken DD2's (aged 3).

I'm not a doctor, I don't need to know what their temperature is to an accurate degree, and tbh the numbers mean nothing to me - I don't even know what number denotes a high or a normal temperature, I'd have to look it up.

But, I know what a high temperature feels like, I can tell by touching their skin. I know when my kids are feverish or in pain. I would say that for most parents, that is all you need to know.

I am a bit obsessive with temperatures, but we use a in ear thermometre, my DD also has an armpit one in her medical kit and we play with that one too...

I tended to find that if DS was ill enough and feverish enough for me to try and take his temperature he was also sleepy so not really able to protest too much at an armpit reading. If they're sleeping you can do a mouth reading no bother.

my youngest had constant UTI's from birth until aged 6 when after 3 op's she was finally 'cured'. She used to get so unwell with such high temperatures that I relied on paracetamol suppositories to control her temperature.Anything oral would be vomitted up immediately. When a child is that poorly,they really are not that bothered about the process of having it inserted,they just want to feel less awful. When she was still in nappies it was easier as it could be done as part of her nappy change.I agree that it is not commonly suggested in the UK and it was a while before a GP suggested it to me. I had by then had months of worrying everytime she was poorly that she was not having enough paracetamol because of the sickness.

It's interesting, because although some British people find suppositories disgusting or even violating, clearly not all of us do, as this thread shows.

I'm British and I honestly don't see the problem at all, it doesn't even make me uncomfortable. I wonder where it comes from.

Its an interesting debate - you (well I) do kind of assume that medicines are just medicines everywhere you go. The medical reasons for using suppositories cited above (e.g. faster and better access to bloodstream and bypassing digestive juices etc) make me wonder why we don't use them more in the UK. Certainly I'd have no issue using them on my baby - I'd say it wouldn't be much more intrusive than applying nappy rash/barrier cream.

My baby loves calpol, but when she's ill and screaming then me sticking a syringe in her mouth is the last thing she wants!

One query though, if 'stimulating' the baby with a thermometer causes instant poo-explosions then doesn't putting a suppository do the same thing?

Would anyone mind looking at the packet to see whats included in the ingredients? I do have a moment whenever I give the baby calpol as to the amount of E numbers included in it... poor babies you try to give them fresh/organic/natural food... then, oh you're ill - have a load of sugar, and sweetners and E numbers!

I'd guess that if more people asked for suppositories for babies/toddlers from GPs then they'd become more readily available here? Perhaps we should all do this? Similar to extended rearfacing car seats. When I had ds 7 years ago then finding an ERF seat was like getting blood out of a stone and everyone I met thought I was mad for having one, now they're more common and stocked by some mainstream shops - why? People are becoming more educated and demand is increasing, so shops see a market and try to cash in.

I use painkilling suppositories nearly every day & I have nothing but praise for them, far fewer side effects than oral medication & easy to use. (Apart from the time I got overwrought & hysterical with pain & was sobbing to DH that I "can't find my bumhole!")
You don't have to actually put your finger up there, they slip up quite happily on their own.
I wish more medications were available as suppositories. I'd definitely use them.

Bottoms are intended to be a one-way sphincter, thank you very much!

leeloo the poo explosion thing was said in the context of babies with constipation and presumably a faecally loaded rectum .

As a nurse, I give adult patients suppositories all the time. About 50% immediately crap it back out again, whether in bed or on a visit to the toilet. Total waste of time, money and effort. I cannot imagine children resisting the urge to poo before the thing has been absorbed. YABU.