[katymac]

DS has ear and throat infections, and has been put on 2.5mL amoxicillin, three times per day for 10 days, and Nurofen for the pain, every 6-8 hours or so.

On the advice of a friend, we've been mixing the amoxicillin into a small bottle of milk and giving it to him morning, noon and evening, and it's been relatively easy.

However, the Nurofen is another story. We've tried "hiding" it in food and drink, squirting it with a syringe into his cheek. No go. He spits it out, clamps his jaw shut, and I swear he can even smell it and refuses the food it's mixed with. He doesn't trust anything fruity flavoured. We have to pin him down to attempt to administer it, and it's distressing for all involved - he's very strong and fights like a trooper. Most of the time, it's wasted entirely, because we can't get the whole dose in (it's only a 2.5mL dose for the Nurofen, too!).

Any suggestions? He's not sleeping well because he's in pain - I just wish he could understand that the medicine would help him feel better.

[livvie7586]

how old OP? from 2 there are chewable tablets (although i'm assuming your child is younger)

Otherwise, other then holding him down (i used to have to chuck DS's dummy in after the tiniest squirt to get him to swallow), there really isn't much you can do for a child who really doesn't like medicine. Luckily once you're getting AB's into them the other symptoms disappear fairly quickly (as in they bounce back quickly), and sometimes you have to ride it out until then (you can also get suppositories if it gets too bad)

DS was so bad pead nurses couldn't get medicine into him, and unless he was extremely ill, i used to try to avoid medicating him

[tintoela]

Bribery? I would give dd a sticker or a treat sometimes but luckily now she gladly will take nurofen when she is sick.

If you have orange flavoured maybe try the strawberry one? My dd's would not go near the strawberry but both like the orange flavour.


Another thing i did was swap to the 5-12 yr old one as then you don't have to give them as much ml wise as its stronger.

This post has been edited by tintoela: 17/01/2013, 06:20 PM

[queeniebird]

Yes get the chewable tablets... Much easier..I think Advil is nurofen. Easy to chew.

[katymac]

Thanks Livvie - sorry, should have said he's 13 months. My ticker isn't working!

I'd prefer not to medicate him too much, personally, and thankfully the ABs are kicking in, but the nights are a bit rough when he's sore. He cried himself hoarse last night while we cuddled him, feeling very helpless.

He does have a dummy, so might try squirting in a bit and shoving his dummy in immediately, like you did with your DS!

[CFMummy]

Have you tried letting him give it to himself sometime just that little bit of control and they will happily take it

[elizabethany]

I have a DS like that, the only thing he will take voluntarily is the amoxicillin. Everything else, we have to treat him like we are dosing a cow. Basically, holding him with his head firm, and a syringe right to the back of the throat area. Far enough back that he has to swallow it, and can't spit it out, but not so far that he chokes. It is a very fine line. It is not pleasant for anyone involved, but sometimes there is not a huge amount of choice. We had Whooping cough in the house late last year, and he had precautionary antibiotics, so not really something you could miss.

you can also try to find a compounding chemist that can make up a better flavoured medicine for you. I have heard of lollypops and apple or chocolate flavoured syrups before, but never tried them personally.

[asdf89]

How about crushing up the nurofen tablet and mixing with honey.

Then he thinks he's just getting a spoonful of honey

[amabanana]

If it is for pain relief I would go with Panadol suppositories. We used them for DD who would NOT take medicine. Being in hospital with her was a nightmare for all involved. Even the nurses were miffed at how to get things into her.

[Paddlepop]

There's 2 flavours of Nurofen: strawberry and orange. Have you tried both flavours?

My DD absolutely refused to take the strawberry but will suck down the orange flavour very happily. She's almost 3yo and is happy to take medicine as long as it is orange flavoured. Still won't do strawberry/raspberry flavours, which is strange because she loves strawberry yoghurt.

I know that there has been a thread a few months ago about squirting in down the inside of the cheek.

Found it:
http://www.essentialkids.com.au/forums/ind...&hl=syringe

There are some good hints in that thread.

Good luck.