In not wanting colourings in my children's medicines?

[Natt82]

DS1 has an inner ear infection and tonsilitus. Been prescribed amoxicillin, on a 7 day dose. But yet again after just 1 dose he is bouncing off the walls - because of the bloody sunset yellow colouring in it.

Why do these medicines really need colours in them? He reacts to calpol too, so we tend to use disprol (banana flavoured very little colouring) or tixylix/medised (no colouring at all) but we dont seem to have a choice with antibiotics, they all seem to be illuminous yellow.

AIBU to not want my child to get hyper on the prescribed drugs?

YANBU, I don't understand the need for them either. We have only ever had one course of them, but the colour put me off!

It drives me up the wall. I have heard that it is because they would be a really disgusting colour without them and children wouldn't take them. Obviously we are all completely incapable of explaining to our children that they have to take it to make them better and it doesn't matter what colour it is.

medinol is paracetamol without colourings.

Is it possible to ask the pharmacist for medication without colouring?

[children well past that stage emoticon]

I only ask because my dad was a pharmacist, and when the GP prescribed pills (which dad knew I couldn't swallow without getting all hysterical, screechy and tearful - not to mention boaking) he'd dispense a liquid equivalent instead. (Brightly coloured and full of sugar, iirc. )

They're probably not allowed to do that these days, mind.

YANBU I have gone back into my GP's furious before when DP aged about 2 was given some flourescent yellow ABs which said on the label, may worsen asthma and excema (which he has and were obviously on his notes!) - he had one dose and was bouncing off the walls.

Why nothing is done about it I cant understand?

I thought the colours were pretty pointless until I had to pour out a dose, half asleep at night and not wanting to turn a bright light on. Result? I couldn't see how much was on the spoon with clear medicine and it went everywhere.

So yanbu in not wanting colourings, but tbh I find it handy as I can see what I'm doing.

How old is your DS and is it a liquid AB, I dont have any experience of paediatric AB's so not sure what you've got, is it possible if your LO is able to have tablet form

Yanbu in the slighest is totally ridiculous they have any colours in.

DS1 is 2yr 10m so no chance of tablet form - we dont even use a spoon, still using a syringe here (which we had to pay for, as he is apparently too old to get one free with his medicine )

I have mentioned it to the GP before, who just kinda shrugged. I didnt think to ask the pharmacist direct tbh, but doesnt he just decant the required amount from a big vat of the stuff premixed? We've had antibs several times over the last 3 years for one child or another, and its always this horrible yellow stuff. Flavouring I can understand to a point (though DS1 still hates it) but I really dont see the need for colouring.

Natt... It seems to be goodwill or not if you have to pay for syringes, my nice pharmacist used to give them free

BTW DS2 3.4 has been taking tablets for about 6 months now so is poss, he has been on medication since he was 5 moths old so I realise thatbheis the exception

This pharmacist said they were for under 1s only, and they were for correct dosage not to make it easier to give the medicine.

We'd have no chance with tablets knowing DS1. He's funny about swallowing anything (even liquid medicine was a pain until recently) and I know we'd have a full scale meltdown on our hands. Thankfully they dont have to have anything too often, its just annoying when they are ill and hyper! (and even more annoying is we always seem to have tonsilitus at the same time so I feel like rubbish as he's bouncing off the walls!)

I would recommend going back to the GP and getting a different brand (not AB) ( it may require a more specific presription)

DD2(22mths) is VERY regularly on ABs (long term health needs) and prophlatically on Flucloxacillin. The cheapo non branded stuff gets spat out in seconds and is vile pink colour but the more expensive (?smithklinebeecham) one is white and she takes it without a backward glance.

So maybe the different formula of a different manufactureer would work for him??

YANBU. I still remember the shock I got when I first had to give DS Calpol fpr the first time. He was about 3 months old and had had nothing but breastmilk his entire life. When I cracked open the sachet I was horrified ? I really had no idea it would be a virulent pink and it stuck in my throat to have to give it to him, but it was the middle of the night and he had a temperature and was howling.

TBH, I've since become somewhat hardened and complacent about it and still buy the darn stuff , but I do complement it with Medinol too ...

erythromycin is white, so is floxapen (branded flucloxacillin)
both branded and generic amoxacillin is coloured yellow, as is penacillin which is usually pink.

"but doesnt he just decant the required amount from a big vat of the stuff premixed?"

No, they don't, they come in little individual bottles in powder form ( either pink or yellow)

This is mixed with water and shaken to turn it into a liquid.

There is nothing the pharmacist or GP can do about it, it's down to the manufacturers TBH.

I see your point though, I wouldn't want my DD 'bouncing off the walls' due to AB's!!

Not sure if there are any alternatives to precribed AB's though.

So are erthromycin and floxapen both the same antibiotic as amoxicilin (apparently has to be this type to combat the particular infection he has?) If so, I might ring them in the morning and ask for a re-prescription.

Thanks cordonbleugh I did wonder how they did it - pink would probably be just as bad as yellow going on his reaction to calpol. He is naturally full of energy anyway (even the nursery/playschool comment on it!) but these make him almost uncontrollable, and he ends up going really silly and hurting us, his brother and himself through sheer hyperactivity.

No erthromycin and flucloxacillin are different antibiotics with different sensitivites to different bacteria ( albeit still fairly broad spectrum).

Amoxicillin will however have branded and generic varieties by differnt manufacturers who use slightly different formulas in the make up (although the same active antibiotic iyswim) it maybe worth contacting local pharmcies and explaining the problem to see if they can help before revisiting the doctor, as they would have a better idea as to the make up of their stock.

Thanks Doris. Will have a ring round and see if any stock any in a plain white - but tbh I have used most chemists in my area and they all seem to use the yellow so I dont hold out much hope. Especially considering I will probably just be branded a fussy mother with her pfb!

i work in pharmacy and have never seen a white amoxacillin they are nearly always yellow inc the branded version called amoxil, the closest to it would be floxapen (the branded flucloxacillin) they are both in the penacillin 'family'.
generic fluclox is usually pink so you should ask the gp for the branded one or you'll automatically get the generic pink one from the chemist.

there is also a drug called co-amoxiclav which has amoxacillin in it, it comes as a dispersible tablet which might be more suitable than a liquid medicine.
i would speak to the gp again.

I think the on-prescription calpol equivalent is white, as is the 6+ version so one might think the colour was unecessary.

Except that small children seem to quite like calpol and I rather suspect that its because it looks strawberry flavoured. And I'm also somewhat inclined to think that - although genuinely useful - one of the purposes of calpol is as a placebo and as such I wouldn't be suprised if the pink worked better. Wonder if anyone has studied this?

it depends on the brand of paracetamol susp the chemist buys, our under 6 one is pink (cherry flavoured) and over 6 is orange (both colour and flavour).
we sometimes get a white 6+ one which is pineapple flavoured but we get complaints as the kids want pink or orange.

i give my kids medinol, which is white, it's a lot cheaper than calpol and does the same thing