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Children's health

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Original poster

Help!!!!! 2 yr old wont take calpol or ibuprofen and his temp is so high he's had a seizure!!!!!

50 replies

welshmoomin · 02/01/2009 10:02

My 2 yr old had febrile convulsion on NYE. Exteremely scary but not dangerous apparently. We've been told to administer calpol and ibuprofen at regular intervals to keep his temp down. Trouble is, he's just decided he doesn't like it - BIG TIME! Terrified he's going to have another seizure.

Does anyone have any tips on how we can get him to take it (especially at night when we can't disguise it in food/drink etc).

Thanks everyone

OP posts:

christywhisty · 02/01/2009 13:18

I have put this before on mumsnet so i hope people aren't bored with it, but there is a brilliant quote from Toddler Taming.

"The short fever fit does not damage the child only it's mother's nerves

I've got plenty of gray hairs (a mallon streak) from FC's.
DS 13 has had over 20 of them and I am still not sure he has grown out of them as the last one was when he was 10 but he has always been good at taking calpol/nurofen.

DD 11 had 4 of them when she was 3/4 and was a nightmare at taking medicine. She was much happier at taking tablets so I ended up cutting up a calpol melt (I know they are 6+ but have always dosed by weight.) I had to beg for a prescription for suppositories from the paediatrician at the hospital, but ended up not using them. We also had a prescription for rectal diazipam if the FC's went over 5 minutes and never used those either.

It tends to be when the temperature is shooting up that causes febrile convulsions not high temperatures

Only about a third of children who have a Febrile convulsion will go on to have another one and I think its only about 1 in 20 of those will have anymore after that and the majority of children will outgrow them by the time they are 5. My family have a very unusual history of febrile convulsions after the age of 5 going back several generations.

Paperchase · 02/01/2009 13:23

I'm a bit late to this, but I believe that tepid baths and spongeing is no longer recommended by the NHS.

Yes to suppositories and bribery.

I give a button before and another afterwards. No child thinks one button is enough, and once they have the taste of the first one they are willing to put themselves out that bit more for the second one. Especially - in the more stubborn cases - if you suggest and pretend to eat the button for them.

BlueBumedFly · 02/01/2009 13:24

DD does not like chocolate (I know weirdo) and when she is ill she stops eating... we do a rather good Mexican wave that makes her laugh so much we whizz in with the meds. Worst case scenario is we pin down after much tickling and pleading.... then she gargles it and spits it back out.... back to the Mexican Wave!

Paperchase · 02/01/2009 13:31

"DD does not like chocolate"

I have no idea what this sentence means. Is it English?

BlueBumedFly · 02/01/2009 13:33

Paperchase - I know, a strange language... but let me shock you further.... she does not like cheese either!!!

If she turns her nose up at Red Wine I am going to know she is no child of mine!

Paperchase · 02/01/2009 13:38

"turns her nose up at Red Wine"

See, now you're just talkin' like a crazy person.

NorthernLurker · 02/01/2009 13:38

My dd1 ate her way through an entire box of jellied fruits when on vile antbiotics this summer. We were a bit bracing and 'take your medicine now' for the first couple of doses then it occurred to us that she is 10 and very sensible and was makinng an awful lot of fuss - so we tried it and were both nearly sick! She could have as many sweets as she liked after that!

nappyaddict · 02/01/2009 13:41

how high is her temperature. i am in the pinning down and shooting it in camp too.

handbagqueen · 02/01/2009 13:41

Hi,

Haven't read all the posts on here, but I had exactly the same with my DD. The suppositries probably won't be any good as 2 year old will be aware of them and they may scare him/her.

with my DD I used to sleep her with me when she had a temp, with only a nappy on and put covers on take them off during the night as required, I used to take her temp with an in ear thermometer every hour or so over night and use cool flannels if removing the covers didn't cool her enough.

This went on until she was 4 and I discovered Calpol fast melts . These are calpol in a tablet form which dissolves - they are designed for 6+, but I used to cut them in half and sit with her when she sucked them to ensure she didn't choke on it and she though they were sweets so will take them willingly.

Good Luck - febrile convulsions are really scary.

christywhisty · 02/01/2009 13:42

Was it fuscillan (sp) Northernlurker. I did the same to DS when he was little. I tried hiding it in everything, but the taste was so disgusting that it could not be disguised.
Ended up going back to the doctors and getting amoxicillan which did the trick.

purepurple · 02/01/2009 13:44

what if you pin em down and squirt with a syringe while pinching their nose? surely they will have to swallow then?

BlueBumedFly · 02/01/2009 13:44

paperchase - pmsl!

NorthernLurker · 02/01/2009 13:46

It was amoxicillin I think - tonsillitis. Dd1 was amzingly good - a less compliant child would just have refused to have it. We even spoke to fil - a pharmacist about it and he tasted the suspension he had in - to make sure ours wasn't actually faulty! The conclusion we came to was that now a lot of sugar has been removed from childrens medicines the synthetic taste of what is left is just nasty! I will be asking for capsules for her if she needs abs in the future!

Original poster

welshmoomin · 02/01/2009 13:51

By Eck Christywhisty, 20 FC's!!!!! I would be a nervous wreck. Still can't believe how horrific they are. We actually thought he was going to die right there and then. Thanks for the quote, have not read it before. Had not heard about Clapol melt before either so will look into it.

DH is still laughing about the 'No child thinks one button is enough' comment too Paperchase.

Am loving the Mexican wave too BlueBumedFly, we tried something similar witch involved running around the dinning room table being airplanes but to the same effect - mouth wide open laughing - we bung in the meds - he spits it out and never trusts an airplane again ha ha. Will see if he prefers Mexican waves.

OP posts:

christywhisty · 02/01/2009 14:23

I did get used to the welshmoomin, also my sister had them all through her childhood so it was not such a shock, her last one was at 10 so I am hoping DS has had the last one.

They were usually the first sign DS was ill so nothing we could do to prevent them, same with my sister.

nappyaddict · 02/01/2009 20:58

My cousin's temperature can't even get to 38 and he has a FC

callmeovercautious · 02/01/2009 21:34

Welcome to MN Welshmoomin - great name btw

I have tried to read though but I did not see how you try and give the meds.

Sounds odd but DD loves calpol off a shiney tablespoon - she does not usually get "our" spoons to eat from.

I also second choc button/small choc coins as rewards. I hate myself for doing it but hey! at least she takes the meds!

mummynumnum · 03/01/2009 13:42

My dd has regular convulsions when has high temp. We have paracetomol supps prescribed by GP just in case we need to administer if asleep. they are faster working as well.

subtlemouse · 03/01/2009 13:49

Mine won't have chocolate either - standard bribe in this house is a spoonful of -yeuch- Marmite...

Joolyjoolyjoo · 03/01/2009 13:58

When ds was on ABs a few months ago, we had to try the pinning down, and it was awful - he choked and coughed half of it back up. I finally hit on the idea of smearing a little bit of chocolate spread on the syringe- and he loved it! It's nice and sticky, so stays on while you get the whole dose in to them!

Maybe marmite could substitute for those kids who don't like chocolate!!

BlueBumedFly · 03/01/2009 17:36

I am loving the idea of something on the end of the syringe.... hmmmmm, not chocolate or marmite, I wonder if she could chew a cheerio of the end.... ?

nappyaddict · 03/01/2009 17:56

joolyjoo - i have to pin ds down but not lying down i pin his arms back whilst he is sitting on the sofa iyswim.

Joolyjoolyjoo · 03/01/2009 17:59

Lol- I did try that, nappyaddict, and with that luminous yellow amoxycillin stuff it was like something out of the exorcist!! I swear his head spun round, and the walls were duly redecorated in a colour NOT of my choosing!

nappyaddict · 03/01/2009 18:01

damn why won't the chocolate spread thing work for my ds?

MaHumbug · 03/01/2009 18:15

put a dose of calpol/nurofen in a tiny medicine cap (like the ones you get on the top of night nurse)

add some fruit juice and tell them it's pinky ponk juice.

It worked for me.

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