How can I get Movicol into my dd?

[normaleggy]

DD (5) has had constipation issues for a couple of years now, GP has advised me to up her daily Movicol dose to 4 or 5 sachets, but I just can't get her to drink it. She only drinks water during the day and has a drink of milk at bedtime. The Movicol makes the water taste foul so she will not drink it that way, she doesn't like squash or juice so I can't hide it in there either. I have mixed it and added it to milk but she finds it quite filling to drink 4 fairly big glasses of milk a day.

I am at my wits end, this just seems never ending.

Movicol expert here - I feel your pain I really do. It tastes horrible. My DD has been on Movicol since 7m so she's used to it, but I have had struggles in the past.

Is there no juice at all she'll drink? Not even fresh orange or apple juice?

I would be tempted to reduce the amount of liquid you dissolve the powder in, so there's less to drink. So if you are supposed to dissolve four sachets in approximately 250ml water (it's something like 60ml per sachet isn't it?) make it 200ml.

The gastro consultant who sees my DD also recommends putting it into jelly or food for reluctant drinkers. Dissolve the powder into a really small amount of water and leave it to dissolve until it looks syrupy. Then make into jelly or stir into puddings or whatever they'll eat!

Good luck

Thanks Squal, no she won't drink any juice at all, I managed to get her to drink a little bit of squash with some in yesterday, but she is refusing today.

The food is a good idea though, I do put it in the milk that goes on her cereal but I hadn't thought of putting it in other food.

Ds2 went through a stage of refusing the movicol even in squash.

I'm afraid you just have to be tough, they get used to the taste quickly enough. Don't offer anything else til the movicol is gone... Bribe if you have to.

The lack of drinks is probably contributing to the constipation, you need to take the hard line about that. Movicol won't be effective in milk.

Bring her to the supermarket and let her pick a juice or squash herself. Offer a small reward like a jelly if she finishes the dose.

Also, movicol only needs 63ml of liquid per sachet, you can get the whole days dose into one drink, then let her have a non movicol drink for the rest of the day. Keep nagging, every sip of liquid will help her and once she gets used to drinking more it will become habit.

That's why I mentioned reducing the liquid - OP I was wondering whether you were mixing it into too much liquid? You said four fairly big glasses of milk? 60ml isn't a lot at all, so definitely use less liquid rather than more.

Bribery is also good. My DD is too young for reasoning and bribery, but believe me I'd be doing it in your shoes

The constipation isn't a dietary issue, she drinks plenty of water and eats a lot if fruit and veg. She had an anal fissure a couple of years ago and was withholding her poos which she got into the habit of doing. This has left her not really knowing how to poo properly and suffering from constipation as a consequence.

I was told that milk is fine as long as you mix the Movicol up in water first then add it to the milk which is what I do.

I use as little liquid as possible but find that I need to put a certain amount in so that she can't taste it.