ARGH!! This is a blimming nightmare. DD suddenly started refusing medicine. PLEASE HELP!!

[SpawnChorus]

DD (2.11) has a chest infection. She's had a raging (40+) temperature for the last four days which has been barely responding to Calpol/Calprofen. On Saturday we tried Medised and she didn't like it. We handled it v badly....spent over an hour cajoling her, pleading, threatening having to go to hospital (she's had a bad experience at hospital, so this was pretty mean of us ).

Since then she has been refusing point blank to have any medicine off a spoon or syringe. She is meant to be taking antibiotics (since trip to doc on Monday).

I've been managing to sneak ABs into her juice, but even that is beginning to be a nightmare as she can taste it.

We had to take her to A&E last night. She was extremely listless, pale, floppy and had a bad rash. She was checked over and given Calpol which she took quite happily . They said we could take her home but had to try to get her to take her Calpol.

So at about 3am she was boiling hot again, and we eventually pinned her down and syringed it into her mouth I feel terrible about it.

Please - what else can we try????

Dd2 hates taking medicine, she was on Anti-biotics a few weeks ago and it was hard work ,even with a syringe she would urge and gag. We managed to get it into her by putting it in her milk, she would'nt take it in her juice

Would she suck an ice lolly? you could make your own and sneek some medicine into them?

Marne - that is a great idea. I'll try it!!

I'm afraid that this is oe of those times when you will have to bite the bullet and realise that you HAVE to do what you did at 3 am for her own good
dd2 loves to take medicine (even the one that my 7 yr old says is foul) but she went though a phase of completely refusing.
I had to pin her down sitting astride her with her arms down at her sides and kept there by my arms and then had to force her mouth open, syringe down the side and rub throat to make her swallow.
I felt awful every time I had to do it but she was completely fine and smiling a second after each time and I knew that I was doing it for the best. She needed to have her antibiotics

Message withdrawn

I think you may have to be careful with some medicines as to what you mix them with/how you treat them. My dd1 used to be awful taking AB's and she had sooo many of them as every cold went to her chest or ears. But I have a vague recollection that some antibiotics shouldn't be mixed with milk - but I may be talking rubbish.

We used to 'pin her down' and syringe it in but in the end went down the chocolte button route - she wouldn't spit the AB's out while she had chocolate in her mouth.

I do feel for you spawnchorus - it's not good trying to get medicine down a reluctant and poorly child.

Yes - I asked the GP about mixing it with milk and she said that juice would be better.

Have just put a 'lolly' in the freezer...mwahahaha.

Re: pinning her down - I'm relieved to hear that this is considered reasonable in the circumstances. Might try it again while the lolly is freezing, a she's having no truck with her spiked apple juice for this morning's dose.

Thank you all for your tips...will be working my way through them today no doubt

Update:

Marne - you are a genius ...Medi-lolly worked a treat. Tee hee hee!

Pinned DD down for some Calpol, and she actually took it quite well. She could see I meant business, and she does actually like the taste. She's just being bloody-minded

Have bunged a couple more lollies in the freezer. Fingers crossed she'll keep enjoying them!!

Poor little thing looks soooo pale and rashy. And she's just had a nosebleed.

Glad it worked, i hope she's feeling better soon.