To force my child to take medicine...

[WankingMonkey]

I have not done this. But this is the advice of the doctor

So yesterday my son was given antibiotics for a strep infection. He took the first dose, then realised how vile it was (and it is vile, I tried a little to see). When it was time for his next dose he saw the medicine and ran from me. I eventually got him to take a little but that was it.

I called the doctors back today to ask if they have any other kind of the medicine as it says sugar free on the bottle so I thought they might possibly have a nicer tasting version. Doctor says no. She told me to try hiding it in yoghurts, bribing him with a piece of chocolate if he takes it, and so on. I have tried these and he clicks on straight away about it being hidden in food/drink and point blank refuses to take it for treats. So the final advice the doctor gave was to 'pin him down and force it down him' which sounds fucking horrendous.

She says he really has to finish his course. And a minute or two discomfort is worth it to make him better, which I sort of agree with but I just don't think I can bring myself to actually force medicine down his throat...won't that make him sick? He will hate me too.

I don't know what to do here, and any other advice is very welcome

[Igottastartthinkingbee]

No advice I'm afraid but I've recently been through this, fortunately a second doctor thought she didn't really need the meds so I didn't have to carry on. So just hear to offer solidarity! Two year olds are the worst patients!!

[Kiwi32]

I have no tips but just to reassure you-liquid antibiotics age 2 are the reason I cannot tolerate fake banana flavour. I have remembered that all these years but I have no memory whatsoever of my mum pinning me down and forcing it down my throat like she was worming a cat. And she 100% did this! So even if it's awful, they will still love you, promise!

[PersianCatLady]

Why they can't make kids' medicine taste halfway nice I really don't know
I cannot believe that I have just read this comment.

Imagine a kid finds a bottle of medicine that is a lovely bright colour and contains a week's course of maximum strength ABs.

The kid thinks that it looks like an exciting drink.

He starts drinking the medicine and...................

1. it tastes absolutely foul and he spits out what he has in his mouth and leaves the rest.

1. it tastes quite nice and he drinks the lot.

Now can you see why it is better for the medicine to taste foul.

[Sparrowlegs248]

If you are trying the syringe trick again, don't give it all in one go (or he'll spit it back at you.......) you have to do it a little bit at a time.

I'm.current syringing ranitidine into my 7week old baby. It too tastes vile, and he doesn't like it at all bless him but is becoming resigned to it.

[lalalalyra]

persiancatlady I totally disagree, only because of circumstances. I have to subject my child to that every day for the foreseeable future, instead of just having to be a responsible parent and make sure I lock the medication away just like I have to do with the sweets that she can't have or the bread that makes her sick.

There was another one she used to have which stunk to high heaven, yet didn't taste of anything. I think that would ve just as good a deterrent as the taste. At least then I could prepare it in the syringe, not let her sniff the bottle and she didn't hate it. No one would have swigged it from the bottle though - it smelt like something had crawled in there and died.

[lalalalyra]

And the change from "banana" flavour when I was a kid was for dental reasons, not safety.

[hazeyjane]

The making it taste foul thing falls down a bit though because full sugar Calpol tastes like ambrosia, I'd swig it from the bottle if I could! Some of ds's meds taste ok (the tablets at the moment taste like sweets)....being contrary he still bloody hates them!

[UnbornMortificado]

I also use the James Herriot method

Toddlers are strong DD2 once jabbed my nose so bad I ended up with a black eye. It hurt a lot.

[corythatwas]

Was just coming on to make that rejoinder about Calpol. Paracetamol is actually pretty bloody dangerous. But most kids love it. And it's sold over counter. So obviously, parents are expected to keep it locked up - and usually manage to do so.

[Graphista]

It's one of the worst things we have to deal with as parents.

I've had to do spacers, medicine, eye drops, jabs fucking horrendous! Spacers the worst as you gotta keep em on for ages, plus that was from age 6mo where you can't explain to them they just think you're trying to sufficate them! meds etc done in seconds.

Tip I learned from a colleague (if you think 2 year olds are difficult to do this with try dealing with elderly parients with eg dementia). Sherbet! Bad tasting medicine is usually bitter, sour tastes counteract bitterness, that's probably why cola/juice/fruit purée/haribo work.

I used to wrap dd in a towel when still very little, syringe to cheek right at back, spoonful of sherbet right after! As she got older she knew it would taste rotten but 'the worse it tastes the better it works' and make a joke of it 'either it's this or we chop your leg off'.

My current battle with her is physio and she's bigger than me now!

[PersianCatLady]

I have to subject my child to that every day for the foreseeable future, instead of just having to be a responsible parent and make sure I lock the medication away just like I have to do with the sweets that she can't have or the bread that makes her sick
I totally understand your point and it must be so annoying when you are a responsible parent but there are an awful lot of irresponsible people out there.

Some people even have to be told to keep those washing liquid capsules (Persil etc) out of reach of children because kids have been poisoned by those.

When I worked in a pharmacy people used to come in all the time and tell us that they had left their medicines in the library / on the bus etc and their only concern was getting them replaced. Most people couldn't have cared less about the fact that they had left prescription medicines someone where anybody including children could get hold of them.

Unfortunately nowadays because a few people can't behave in a responsible manner, every body else has to suffer the results.

I am sorry to hear that your DD is not well and has to take medicine every day and I hope that in the future she will no longer need to.

[BearHunting]

Yes, full sugar Calpol is delicious.

Makes me wonder if antibiotics are just naturally nasty tasting things.

Because otherwise why give antibiotics an artificially nasty taste but not Calpol, when overdosing on Calpol (paracetamol) could cause liver damage?

[ipswichwitch]

I've had this issue with both DC, but DS2 would always spit it out, even wen using a syringe in the back corner of the cheek. I have to wrap him in a towel, and squirt it into the back of his cheek - right where the top gum meets the bottom, but only a tiny bit at a time. Let him swallow in between, and yes it takes a little time but using that method along with it only being a little at a time (about 0.5ml) means they can't spit it out.

It sucks, but the alternative is worse. 3yo DS2 knows I mean business now and tolerates it fairly well, and I always have a few chocolate buttons/haribo to give him as soon as it's over. I still have to pin him down to clean his teeth sometimes though

[carefreeeee]

There are nice antibiotics - Septrin has a yummy banana flavour.

We use it for rabbits at the vets - unfortuantely they don't appreciate the banana!

I think forcing him combined with big reward after is the best way - if he spits it out don't let him off. He'll hopefully learn it's better just to swallow it first time. Strep can be dangerous if left untreated

[UnbornMortificado]

I have a theory (no idea if there's any actual proof behind it) DD2 (the black eye giver) was a neonatal baby so lots of intervention when little, I used to have to pin her down for the nurses to do her blood gasses

Touch wood she's now pretty healthy apart from an inhaler and spacer, but anything medical can reduce her even now (she's 4) to absolute hysterics. Even calpol which is supposed to taste nice. I sometimes wonder if all the early medical stuff has caused some of this.

Has anyone else found that? I know very few kids like medication and being messed about with but compared to DD1 and my nieces she's a lot worse.

[verytiredmummy1]

How about a sticker on a chart for every dose with a toy at the end if he takes it all?

[PersianCatLady]

There are nice antibiotics - Septrin has a yummy banana flavour
I don't think that Septrin (trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole) is effective against the bacteria that cause strep.

[PETRONELLAS]

Both mine are awful for this. One even threw up over the hospital nurse who tried with calpol. I didn't read your OP as being reluctant or not thinking he needs the meds. It's so awful having an ill child who then gets distressed by the meds. Erithromycin (sp?) made my DS vomit...as I syringed it to the back of his cheek. Really good tips here about wrapping in a towel. Does the medicine taste orange/banana etc? If so try to find a smoothie or jam where hiding it would be less obvious. Jam was good for calpol. Smoothies for nurofen. And the holy grail of an ice lolly was almost effective. Hope he's soon well.

[GiraffesAndButterflies]

While you're doing your towel wrap etc etc, put the tv on his favourite programme first and then once you've done the medicine leave him to finish watching it (while also having his chocolate button or whatever). Hopefully it serves as a slight distraction, cheers him up a bit quicker afterwards and also gives you time to get your breath back!

And as he's only two if you're thinking "but he doesn't watch enough tv to have a favourite programme", now is where you abandon your principles and let him get hooked on Paw Patrol

[1981trouble]

Nurofen type syringe and squirt down side of the mouth. There is a trick to getting them to swallow but I can't remember it right now (and I'm confusing kids with cats and thinking about stroking throats!!)

Play with syringes and water and squire it into the mouth (this is maybe a future thing to avoid future issues but will still help now)

Make an absolutely massive thing if him doing it and being a superstar and getting 20 stickers/treats etc. Go absolutely all out with how great he is.

I've had to pin my kids down for eye drops before and it's horrible but it has to be done. 2 of mine have been on long term meds for years now and are used to taking it but we've had periods where they spit it out, refuse etc and it's tough buddy time.

[HerBluebiro]

The potential harm from a bottle of antibiotics vs the harm from calpol does not compare. And calpol tastes nice.

Few children are on long term antibiotics. Teeth can be brushed after taking them. It has to be better than all this mixing with ribena/mango/chocolate that we are all trying.

Long term antibiotics could be sugar free. Although fairly miserable for the child involved.

I had 9 months of antibiotics as a child once. Full sugar back in those days. Never had a problem with my teeth. No caries here.

[FlissMumsnet]

Evening All

Just a quick reminder that real life health professionals are best placed to provide this kind of advice.

Goodluck OP

[IwroteEKL]

Hope you managed to get it in, OP. My tip is to stabilise head. Insert syringe pointing towards back cheek (not straight down throat). Depress plunger but don't remove syringe from between the teeth until he's swallowed. He won't be able to spit up without head clamped between your knees and the syringe between his teeth/gums. Then a chocolate button.

[R1nderCella]

My DD had a chest infection, and was prescribed antibiotics. It wasn't the normal banana flavoured amoxicillin, it was a foul tasting one beginning with E I think. I tried everything you can think of, after the 1st dose... chocolate, milkshake, juice etc. Nothing worked. I called the doctor to swap it and they refused. My doctor advised me to pin DD down, pinch her nose and syringe it down her throat. I tried it, she cried herself sick and she still remembers what I did 6 months later. It was awful, my sympathies OP.

[PETRONELLAS]

MNHQ the HCPs know about medicine but several GPs and hospital nurses and 'even' the HV helpline had no suggestions for how to get my DS to take antibiotics. None. So asking for help in the 'how' is fine, isn't it. But the professionals decide the 'what'. It's a bit like reluctant toothbrushers. The dentist had no ideas, the MNetters saved the day with lots if practical tips and what to avoid etc.