DS can't take medicine- help!

[BellaBaxter]

DS (15 ASD) has been prescribed antibiotics (liquid as he cannot take tablets). He absolutely cannot tolerate the taste. Years ago we sat for over an hour with an amoxicillin laced milkshake only for him to throw the whole lot up.
Obviously can not be bribed or forced. It is literally a physiological gag reflex when he tastes it. He has a chest infection and really needs to take this - any tips?

[TomeTome]

It tastes less, when cold, if you hold your nose.

[BellaBaxter]

@TomeTome

It tastes less, when cold, if you hold your nose.

Thank you will try this

[TomeTome]

Practice with easier liquids. Honestly you CAN learn to do it it’s just bloody unpleasant and you have to keep going.

[Lesley25]

Use a medicine syringe from calpol or neurofen , ice cold antibiotic and 1 ml at a time, put It to the corner of his mouth , below teeth. Follow with water. Repeat till 10ml is done.
we have to do the same .

[Lesley25]

Oh for the seriously disgusting liquids I allow
ds to have strong mint chewing gum in his mouth .
It helps too.

[BellaBaxter]

Thank you. Been trying a caramel syrup but it's taking him 1 hour to take tiny sips off a spoon and he's only getting about half the dose.
I can't use the syringe on him - he needs to feel like he is in control. Otherwise he will gag and vomit.

[TomeTome]

Can he not do the syringe himself?

[BellaBaxter]

@TomeTome

Can he not do the syringe himself?

No I offered that but he preferred the spoon.
We now have tablets as of this morning so I've crushed one and put in food which he tolerated.
Will now try to help him practice taking tablets.

[TomeTome]

@BellaBaxter my ds learned at 18! It just suddenly was ok. Keep trying.

[Verbena17]

Ask your DS if he could cope with taking tablets using a tablet cutter from GP/pharmacy and if yes, check you can cut the type of antibiotics he needs.

If yes, cut them as small as he wants them and then either he swallows them after taking a big mouthful of liquid and popping the pieces in one at a time, or he places them in his mouth after he’s chewed a pie enjoy bread or biscuit or whatever. The liquid or food will then take the tablet down.
If you hold water in your mouth first, then slightly Tilly head back and put tablet into the mouthful of liquid - this allows the tablet to float from the top of mouth down, rather than having to manually force it back if you put a dry pill in first, then water.

You can explain to him that he could imagine the size of food mouthfuls he eats (roast dinner mouthful for example) and he might then be able to reason that the tablet is much, much smaller than a mouthful of food….which he can easily swallow.

[TomeTome]

Practicing swallowing with a non pill is helpful too. We cut up little bits of crust from toast and fruit.