DD won’t take pencillin. Any advice?

[Refurbishmentino]

Have spent all evening in the out of hours GP. DD has a bad bout of tonsillitus (again - not the first time)and feels dreadful. She’s been prescribed pencillin, but she’s had it before for tonsillitus and she really struggled to take it because of the taste (she had food aversions at the best of times). She definitely can’t take the liquid as it makes her vomit. So we have crushed tablets. And they’ve made her vomit as well, and now she flatly refuses to take them.

Any suggestions on how I can get them into her without her being sick? I’ve tried yogurt, nutella, honey, biscoff. Nothing disguises the taste (I know as I tasted it - its utterly vile) and the taste makes her retch then full on vomit. Argh!!!

She is 10 year old BTW - so understands the importance of taking them to fight the germs

Can you not leave the tablet whole? I know it's not the same but for my dog , I get a a bit of sausage and make and insert to put the tablet in. Although, she would have to swallow it whole, so as to not taste the tablet?

Can you get her to swallow the tablets without crushing them? There is a great pill-swallowing resource developed by Great North Childrens Hospital that I can highly recommend.

https://www.nenc-healthiertogether.nhs.uk/parentscarers/medicine-children/pill-swallowing-kidzmed

I know not ideal or healthy but what about mixing it into a fizzy drink? The fizz might disguise the taste?

I would try and get her to swallow it whole.

My ds used to have also tasting liquid meds. We switched to tablets around 10.

Just leave the tablet whole and she can swallow it. Sorry but 10 is plenty old enough to take tablets. Both mine took tablets from 7/8 because of the issue of taste, so at 10 she can manage it. Pop it to the back of the tongue, drink of water and swallow/drink/swallow till it gets down. First time will be a bit weird but she absolutely will get the hang of it. Literally had antibiotics for my 10 year old a week ago and he took them with no issue.

This is stupid. Humans aren’t dogs. We chew things up until they are very mashed, so the tablet will be bitten into and it’s all she will taste. Do you have kids? Because hiding a tablet in a meat product does not work for humans.

Thanks for your suggestions so far. I will have a good look at the pill swallowing guide, thank you.

We originally tried the tablet in halves (as its a big tablet). She managed one half, but the second half didnt go down and the taste made her retch and vomit. And now she refuses. I think its become psychological.

She had to take antibiotics for a different condition not so long ago but it was amoxicillin amd came in capsules. She was fine with these, because they have no taste - so it didn’t matter if the tablet didn’t go down first time.

I asked the GP if penicillin came in casules, but it doesn’t sadly - and there didn’t seem to be an alternative.

She is asleep now (after vomiting up the small bit of tablet she got down) so we’re going to have the battle again in the morning 😩

Ask for the liquid but specifically the NOT the sugar free one. Hides well in full fat orange juice …

Thanks for your advice. But I tried it. She retched and vomited it back up. I am trying to find alternative advice to try to help that not happening again. I get that a 10 year old should be able to take tablets. She cannot. She has a total aversion to taking them now.

Which as it happens doesn’t matter anymore as I managed to encourage her to get half a tablet in this morning, by mixing with biscoff spread and she’s had an allergic reaction to the pencillin. So been told not to take anymore by 111 and need to wait for GP to prescribe an alternative. Hopefully its more palatable.