Child refusing medicine/inhaler, what do you do?

[Flllightattendant]

Tried bribery, blackmail, getting a bit cross, etc etc.
He point blank refuses and I am worried about it. He is supposed to have an inhaler twice a day. He never will take calpol and I have to put ab's in his milk and lie about it, which I never do otherwise.

Why is he like this? He is nearly 5. Will he grow out of it?

I would sit him down and tell him that they are to make him feel better and he should take them.

Try a star chart.

The other thing I did with DS was I refused to let him do nice things on the basis that you must be really poorly to refuse your medicine and if you are that poorly we can't risk it.

Only had to do it once, (he had to miss a trip to piss play) it worked a treat.

Thanks Bree

I can sort of understand where he;s coming from...he says it tastes like mouldy carrots, and well, it does...(the inhaler)

What is piss play btw?

It is really soft play, but I reckon the toddlers pee in the ball pond, so in our house amongst the addlers it is known as piss play.

Totally relate...we went to a place last summer, there had been an 'accident' in the ball pit thing, according to a scrap of paper left on top...

Later we found a piece of poo on the floor nearby.

We didn't go there again.

I don't think he will grow out of it, you have to explain him why he has to take it.

DS is 5 and also has asthma, and multiple allergies, I believe that the reason why he is so diligent with the medicines and what he eats is because we never ever stray from the rules: You can't eat x, y or z. And you have to take the medicine as you are told.

Consistency has helped us a lot (and the odd scare who has left everyone shaking). I feel sad for him but I know that allowing some lee way here and there may have serious consequences.

My ds did this when he was younger. We were advised to decorate the inhaler with stickers etc. He has to take it or he could become ill. Why not speak to your asthma nurse via the GP?

Do they have a special nurse then?
I was just given the prescription and sent home. This was about 3 weeks ago.
I had to ring the asthma helpline from some website, hadn't a clue what I was meant to be doing.

I think I have been inconsistent at times. It is probably because of that.

There is an asthma nurse that visits my GP and I think there is an asthma clinic at the hospital also. I found it really difficult to get my ds to take his inhaler and he ended up in hospital. No-one had shown me what to do when I was given the inhaler initially. The nurses there were really firm with him - he was 2 at the time and they just made him do it really.

Thankyou...last night we had a successful attempt at bribery, after all that! I think the spacer helps with the taste, not so intense. One puff, one piece of chocolate!
He slept better...

I'm sorry you were left to it as well cornsilk. I will investigate local clinics etc.