Getting antibiotic into DS2 who has Down's Syndrome.

[PTA]

Please, please, please! I need all the help I can get!

DS2 (5.5yrs) has Down's Syndrome. He has a very nasty infection in his armpit, sore, hot and weeping. It flared up very quickly but he's been a bit under the weather for the last few days so he's been brewing something.

Dr has prescribed a topical cream (no problem applying it) and a liquid antibiotic which is foul! DS2 is supposed to have 5mls four times per day but he will not take it. If I manage to get the syringe into his mouth, he won't swallow it but spits it out. I can't use a spoon as he pats it away as soon as he sees it.

Help! How do I get him to take it? Bearing in mind the Down's I can't reason with him the way I did with his older brother. Can I mix it into anything that will help dilute the taste but not the effectiveness?

TIA.

Have you tried squirting it into the back of his cheek? He's less likely to spit it out as it's harder to do. It should be OK to mix it, would he take it with a little yoghurt?

Thanks Lady Sybil,

We got away with that one when he was younger (recurrent chest infections) but he won't swallow now. He'll hold it in his mouth then spit it out.

I'll try the yogurt. I managed to get some into him in his orange juice but I do worry that the medicine will not be so effective when mixed with some thing else.

Maybe enquire if it is available in tablet form and if the tablets are crushable - much easier to hide in a spoonful of something. Ask your local pharmacist (as not all tablets can be crushed - some are designed to disperse slowly in the stomach)

I mix mine with a bit of those Fruit Pot things. I put a bit of the fruit pot into a small bowl, add the medicine and shovel it in.

I have also mixed meds with orange juice but it is best to check first if that is allowable.

Good luck

make up some strawberry milkshake and make small ice lollies?

would he trade swallowing if he was shown the nice jelly baby sweet for after to take the taste away. Perhaps if you demonstrate pretend taking some and then grab for a sweet.

does he like the small smoothie pro biotic drinks?

:)

Ice cream is the best way to get nasty anti-bees in. Tspn of ice cream, then meds then more ice cream. The cold numbs the taste buds so the taste of the meds doesn't register.

We have this problem with dd2 (6 with ASD), now she is bigger i can't get near her with a syringe without getting a black eye and being spat at. A fe months ago she has strep throat and was given 2 weeks of antibiotics, i tried everything (making ice lollies, spoon full of jam, hiding it in drinks), i had wasted a whole bottle trying to get some into her, in the end i took her back to the gp and explained 'that there was no way she was going to take it', gp said 'if she doesn't take it she will need to go to hospital and given it via a drip', he then checked her throat and it had almost cleared up by itself (so luckily she didn't have to go to hospital).

Is there any chance that the cream may clear it up without antibiotics? sometimes antibiotics are not the best thing, most of the time our boddies will fight of infection without them (of course if he's really poorly then he will need antibiotics).

I havn't been able to get meds into dd2 for the past 2 years and we have got through several infections (although they have lasted longer than they would have if she would take the antibiotics).

Ring the out of hours GP and say he won't/can't take it and please please please can you have an alternative from the same family of antibiotics? There's always an alternative of some sort, think of all the children who are allergic to penicillin.

the out-of-hours faxes the emergency pharmacist, you pick it up and hey presto. Failing that, turn up to reception to ask your own doctor, tomorrow morning 9am.

Will he take Calpol? We've managed to get both ds and dd to swallow revolting ABs mixed with a bit of 'pink medicine'. Obv need to be careful with dosage, but I checked with a gp and it's fine to mix it this way.

If not, can you ask for suppositories?

(Maria, ds and I allergic to penicillin - the alternative is the really dreadful stuff!)

I have a 4 year old ds with asd / learning difficulties and I dread having to try and get meds into him. Last time I just about got away with calpol hidden in a small yogurt. Thankfully he hasn't needed antbiotics since he was a toddler, he's allergic to penecillin too - I don't know how we will cope if he gets sick?

Hope he gets better soon!

Sorry I haven't been back on but it's been busy with end of term stuff (Scotland).

Thanks for the suggesions but I've tried them all except the ice-cream as I don't really want to start giving DS2 ice-cream four times a day and he still won't take it. Luckily the infection is clearing up really well with just the cream, which is easy to apply as he thinks it tickles.

This antib is flucloxacillin and it's vile! 5mls in a bathtub and you'd still detect it. He had erythromycin tablets the last time and I was able to get some into him before he chewed one. He then became very suspicious of any food that he could not pick up or feed to himself.

I think I need a suppository or a patch if they even make such a thing! Even then the patch would need to be somewhere he couldn't reach it! He doesn't like plasters on cut or even fun/reward stickers on clothes.

Thanks again for all the suggestions and if you have any more then please let me know.

Is it a sweet kid's version with fruity flavour or whatever, if not ask your doctor for some. I got away with adding it to yogurt, but a friend also suggested adding it to melted ice cream, then refreezing.

No Sputnik, it's just horrible, very hard to describe but it has a very bitter aftertaste that nothing will take away.

I've only tasted a wee bit (showing DS2) and even after loads of orange juice I could still taste it.

The thing is, he now knows that there is medicine in the house and is really suspicious of all food and drink in case we are trying to slip it in anywhere, which obviously we were.

I remember a few years ago, his SALT was joking that she was going to get a tee-shirt made for him with the slogan "I may have Down's, but I'm not daft"!

I'm letting it go this time as the infection is clearing just with the cream. I hope he doesn't have another chest infection this winter and just pray that he stays healthy and antibiotics are not needed.

Thanks again for all the suggestion.

Sorry, meant to say, did ask the doctor for tablets first and was told no, this flucloxacillin is what he needs.

I've had this difficulty with this exact medicine with DS (5, aspergers) this week - Only he vomits it back, poor love! This is for weeping sores between the toes, which he didn't show me due to high pain threshold... No answer - bought open toed sandals and got letter from doc to school saying he has to wear them as they're not uniform. Hoping it might get better by itself but waiting for doc to ring back so I'll update if any bright ideas!

Thanks for all the messages.

If it's any consolation accordian, the infection under DS2's arm has cleared up very well in seven days just with the cream. I was applying it four times a day as directed.

My mum mentioned an antibiotic powder which you used to get to put on babies cords to dry them out (in the Dark Ages (she'll kill me for that one!)). She thinks it was called Sterzac. Has anyone heard of it?

Our open toed sandals have done the trick! Socks and sandals - bring on the geek chic!