When your child just won't take medicine

[ZombieHalloween]

DC4 is 'high functioning' (sorry if this is the wrong term) and most struggles are social and emotional, due to not having any physical difficulties or medical needs we don't have any paediatric care so we can't ask a paediatrician.

He just will not take medicine. We have tried all the typical tricks, mixing into food or drinks is not an option, not old enough to try the fast melt Calpol tablets or dissolving ones (which I'm not sure would work either).

Everyone (even doctors) just say pin him down and force it in, but the reality isn't that simple or the route we're comfortable with.

Is it really what you have to do? Surely the next time is worse and worse and it feels like we're on a one way street to hospital admissions in the future. What solutions do others have?

Sometimes there isn’t an option other than force. It is sometimes for the greater good in the long term because, whilst oral medication may be difficult, a hospital admission will be far harder. It isn’t simple, but syringing the medication slowly into the gum at the back of the mouth between DC’s cheek and teeth can work. It takes practice, but if you do it slowly enough in the right place, it can’t be spat out.

It is worth speaking to the GP or pharmacist too. The fastmelts are 250mg, the dose for a 4y/o is 240mg, so if DS is a large 4 nearly 5y/o, they may think it is OK.

@flawlessflipper he's a very strong and determined 4 year old. It would be a case of 2 adults keeping him still plus forcing his mouth open which is why we're struggling

Watching him suffer feels equally as horrible too! Thanks for the tip on the doses though I'll go to the pharmacy and get some advice

Had similar difficulties with my autistic DD7, and she has really needed to take antibiotics several times, so I know what a nightmare it is when they can resist so strongly. Suggest you really grill the doctor and pharmacist next time you have to give him something about what all the options are for medicines, as we discovered there is one antibiotic liquid my daughter actually likes the taste of and will willingly take, but we didn't find out about it for years!

Game changer for us happened in the last few months after turning 7 when my daughter began being able to swallow tablets. She fills her mouth with a strong-tasting fruit juice (tropical), we chop the tablet in half and drop it into her (full) mouth and she swallows it without tasting the medicine at all, then repeat with the other half. Appreciate he's too young for this but something to keep trying in future if you are desperate. For my daughter it's all linked to sensory difficulties around tastes.

We have the same struggle we just can't get him to take it. We've tried it in drinnks and he stopped drinking for 2 days straight and It's almost cruel trying to pin him and get it in his mouth for him to get extremely upset and just spit it out. After a hospital trip where the doctor wouldnt listen he got 4 nurses to try pin him and get him to take it and even they were unsuccessful. We now have a note of the doctors saying antibiotics need to be intravenous and a repeat prescription for paracetamol suppositories anytime we need them. They are so much easier as it's just 2 seconds whilst wiping his bum so it's better than a half an hour fight to get something in his mouth and really upsetting him. Maybe call your doctors and ask about paracetamol suppositories xx

@Jessesmum19 this is so helpful thank you! I didn't know you could use paracetamol suppositories in children, and combined with the comment above about the fast melts I think it will be useful to see the GP at this point. We have also been hospitalised previously due to refusal to drink so we won't risk tampering with any food or drinks. I'm sorry you and your child had to go through that experience for them to give more reasonable solutions.

Your more than welcome I hate not being listened to it's so frustrating but they have got us sorted in the end thankgod. Yes I won't put it in drinks or food due to the same reasons and also I dont want to break his trust by keep trying to force him to put anything in his mouth it's not fair to him. I really hope your doctor prescribes you some for your little one. Just make sure you only get them off the gp as I think the ones you can buy from the pharmacy are adult doses xx

@Jessesmum19 I think this is our biggest issue with forcing is that it might give him short term relief and we would be doing it for the best of reasons but it will just lead to deeper refusal, only now with a solid memorable reason that will be much harder to move past in the long term.
Plus that relief is only 4-6 hours long and your in the same predicament again.
But we recently had a rather brutal virus and he was hallucinating from a really high temp so that wasn't very pleasant either!
Fortunately we have a great GP so I shall book to see them.
Thank you again! And I'm glad you did get a solution and a GP onboard, that can be a challenge on its own!

I hear what your saying and feel your pain it's just awful for our little ones and us too !! I really hope you get what you need. Keep doing a great job you know your child best xx