Qu for Dr's / pharamacists- DS age 2 refusing to take his prescribed meds for throat infection, would it be OK to not give him it since he is feeling a lot better now?

[ilikeyoursleeves]

DS (2.3 years) has a bad cold and is just over a fever of >40 degrees. We had him checked at the kids hospital as we were so worried about him when he had the fever and they said it looks like tonsilitis. They prescribed a penicillin but DS is point blank refusing to take it. I have managed to get 2 doses in him for 2 days (meant to take it 3xday), and today managed 1 but then he knows what we are trying to do now so is clamping his mouth shut, crying, spitting it out and being really quite upset about it. He is now over the fever and seems fairly back to normal apart from still not eating much.

I'm just wondering if I have to finish the course as it would really be a case of forcing it down his throat and I don't want to end up traumatising him and making him form bad associations with taking medicine.

Any Dr's out there who can advise me? Thanks

Please don't stop now you've started. He can grow a resistance to the antibiotic or it will come back but even worse, the antibiotic he has already had may just be enough to make it better but not enough to completely clear it up, which is why it will come back.

Penicillin does taste like shite, give him a tiny bit followed by a bit of juice until he has the whole dose that has been presecibed.

I'm not a doctor or pharmacist but my understanding was that if you are on anitibiotics you have to finish the course? I know it's awful having to force children to take medicine, I've been in tears over it many a time - ds has had all sorts of stuff over the years and there's been a lot of meds he's had to take.

I've got it down to a fine art now - horrid as it is - sit child on your lap, tuck arm closest to you under your armpit, hold other arm with your hand, then squirt meds in with syringe. Horrid, but it works.

what Belle said...you need to finish the course regardless of whether or not he is better.

have you tried a syringe?
or bribery, a whole choc bar if necessary?
or wrap a towel around him, pinning his harms and make him take it (I don't think I could do this but remember my mum doing it)

in the past I have added a drop of calpol to colour the medicine pink, which kinda worked

You need to finish it but I do sympathise - dd1 had this last year and it tasted awful - we tried it then checked with fil to make sure there wasn't a mistake - fil is a pharmacist. I used those big York jellied fruits afterwards to take away the taste. You might want to offer a new toy too when all is finished? I wouldn't normally suggest bribes but this stuff is really awful. we struggled with dd and she was 10!

Thanks all, I will go to the pharmacy in the morning and get a syringe to see if that helps. Poor soul, the stuff is totally honking!

Spoon it in with ice cream? Agree he needs to finish course.