Does anyone have any clever ideas for how I can get DS to take Tamiflu?

[iwouldgoouttonight]

He's just turned three and has been really ill the last couple of days - fever, coughing so much he makes himself sick, and laboured breathing. The doctor said its swine flu and prescribed Tamiflu. We gave him the first dose mixed with chocolate spread to hide the bitter taste but he must have still been able to taste it a bit because he is now refusing chocolate spread. Tried it in some buttercream on a bit of cake but he wouldn't eat all the cake so must have tasted it again.

The first couple of doses do seem to have made a huge improvement to him though - he is now talking to us instead of the horrible writhing about on the sofa screaming, poor thing, it was horrible, and neurofen and calpol seem to wear off quite quickly.

Was thinking about mixing the tamiflu with sugary water and putting it into one of those neurofen syringes and squirting it into his mouth, but worried that will put him off taking medicine and we really need him to keep up the calpol, etc to keep his temperature down.

Anyone had experience of this? (hadn't looked at the swine flu threads before and now wish I hadn't with all the worrying stuff about children shouldn't be taking tamiflu at all!)

Hi there,
I got tamiflu into my 21/2 year old with a neurofen syringe just as you describe. Tried the first couple of doses in a spoon on jam but she soon sussed that out. She was quite happy with the syringe though and didn't seem to taste the bitterness. I used about a teaspoon full of sugar with 5mls of water. I also gave her a treat (chocolate button etc) which she held in her hand and popped in straight afterwards to neutralise any lingering taste. She actually quite looked forward to taking it in the end!
Hope your son is on the mend soon

For my 3 year old dd we mixed the tamiflu oral suspension with lots (and I mean lots, approximately a small petit filous size) of M&S Belgian chocolate syrup. Only with that amount it worked, with sips of water in between and bites of a bread stick. We also kept explaining that it was really important she took it, I think that helped as well. Few times also bribed with presents if she took it all.
Hope he feels better soon.

Thank you. Think we mustn't have put enough chocolate spread the first time so he could still taste it and now he's wise to it!

Will try with more chocolate (maybe a different sort) and the syrpinge).

syringe.

Argh! Still have three doses to give him and it is so upsetting, he now won't take anything we offer him on a spoon because he knows we've drugged it! And the syringe thing worked once but now he clamps his mouth shut and if any gets in he just spits it all out. DP tasted a tiny bit when it was mixed with sugar and water and he said it still tasted vile.

I know you'd supposed to finish the course but considering DS much hardly be actually taking any anyway as he spits most of it out, do you think we should just stop as it is distressing him so much? All his symptoms have gone now apart from a mild cough.

I wouldn't bother giving him any more personally. He is getting better. He is unlikely to relapse with it now so why put you all through the horror? Obviously if he has complications or he is still very ill then you have to struggle on but if not, stick to the Calpol and ditch the Tamiflu.

FWIW my DS1 would never take medicine, to the point he would be sick if we did manage to get some passed his clamped lips. In the end if he had to take antibiotics for example, we asked for tablet ones so we could put it in a sweet. It didn't taste so bad. DS was a bit older when we were doing this though - 4 yrs, nearly 5. Only problem is getting the tablet form in the right strength and I don't know if you can with Tamiflu.

Good luck though - I understand how hard it is if they won't cooperate!!

I would give up and just give calpol , i have a dd2 who wont take anything, she often gets colds and high temps and its a night-mare getting anything into her.