Sorry for another medication thread.

DD (3 years old) has been given a medication she HAS to take by her Gastro. We got the liquid form, from a compound pharmacist.

She is wonderful with medication, always has been. I went to give her the first dose a few days ago and she spat it everywhere. Rang her Gastro and she really needs to take it for at least 1 month, if not much longer. He suggested calling the pharmacist to see what I can mix it with.

I've called the Pharmacist and she said the only thing it can be mixed with is a Banana flavour stuff she can add to the bottle. Fine. Take it back, and she adds this banana flavour.

Tell DD it's a different medication. She happily takes it from the syringe, spits it everywhere and runs off, screaming Yuck. At this point I tasted it. EEEwwwwww!!

I can't mix it with anything, hide it in anything. How the heck do I get her to take it? I've tried bribery ie. offered chocolate, lollies, toys, everything, if she has it. Nope, won't agree. Tried forcing it into her and she jams her teeth closed and puts her hand over her wouth. I've tried telling her if she doesn't have her medicine she'll have to go back to hospital. She didn't like the hospital. Her answer, "Hospital now please"

I asked her Gastro what happens if she won't take it. He said I have to try my best to make her. I asked what happens if she won't take it, "most likely get worse, may self resolve'

Okay. So how do I convince a 3 yo to take this horrible tasting medication? It's 10mls a day, so not something I can squirt in her mouth whilst sleeping. I've been trying the past few days, with no luck.

I could resort to holding her down, opening her mouth and squirting it down her throat, but she'll spit the LOT. Even if she does get a little, I have to do this twice a day for 4 months.

Ideas

I would use bribery, plain and simple. Take the medicine, get a lollipop! I say that cause 3 year old need instant gratification, instant reward. Saying you can have a movie on the weekend wont work. It needs to be right then, let her see the reward and hold it, as she takes the medicine.

Is it 10mls a day? Can you do it in smaller doses, like 5ml an hour apart or something?

Oh and FWIW, threatening she will have to go back to the hospital isnt neccessary, and will only make her worry.

Thanks

I'll have to do what you suggested and have the reward in my hand showing her, with the medication in the other. I hadn't thought of doing that and had nothing here at the time to try. I'll try this tomorrow

FWIW - It was only a last resort to threaten to send her back to hospital. Yep, I even resorted to 'fear' I was desperate, out of idea's and she needs this medication.

Definitely, trying it again though. This time with the reward in my hand

Thanks

Can she swallow capsules????

You can buy empty gelatin capsules and fill them with the liquid medication.

I wasnt judging, I know you probably didnt mean it, Im positive its slipped out of my mouth at times too

Good luck with offering the rewards

DD2's about to turn 3 and she has anticonvulsants that she has to take. Most of the time she's pretty good, but when she decides she doesn't want to we basically have to lay her on the floor, hold her arms down with one hand and squirt the meds in with the other. She breath holds and screams but swallows it eventually. It's a traumatic experience all around, but if she needs it, she needs it.

i LOVED it when DD had a permernant NG tube!!! she was on 13 medications at once following transplant, couldn't imagine life without the NG.

but now she doesn't have an NG it's a nightmare. unless it's panadol, which she likes. i'm with PP, it takes 2 adults (DD's 6!) and we have to pin and hold her down, and syringe tiny amounts of medicine down the back of her mouth at a time and then hold her mouth shut so she doesn't spit it.

it's horrible, but if they really need the medicine - what do you do?

i also have NG tubes at home, i've used the threat of them before too.

Recently I was having a very similar problem with DD who is 2.5yr.

I discovered she will take ANYTHING - even disgusting tasting stuff, if she gets to administer it herself!

I draw the medicines up in a syringe and she stands next to me and pushes the plunger in while it's in her mouth then has a drink to get rid of the taste.

Good luck

another one who at one point had to pin her kids down to get medicine in... we found squirting it down the back of their mouth, or even towards a back cnr meant they had no choice but to swallow it because it was behind the tongues reflex point

Good luck OP. Please come back and update us on progress. I for one will be watching out for an update because I cannot get any medication into DS and he is nearly 9. I haven't needed to for a while but I guess the time will come. Good to know that others have resorted to bribery, as that is the only thing I can think of that may work.

It must be very hard on you knowing your DD really needs this medication - I do hope you find a way that isn't too stressful for her or for you.

Thanks for the suggestions.

It's just not working. She's spitting it She is great with all medication, so this is very new to me. I will continue to try, and try but TBH I really don't think there is more I can do. I suppose some of what I'm forcing into her, must be getting swallowed.

We have an appointment with the Gastro specialist at RCH next months, so I'll see what happens from there.

How far back are you putting the syringe? We got told by a nurse in recovery that if you can get them to bite down on the syringe *and* put it far enough back then they physically can't spit. Apparently, if your mouth is open you can't spit. Both my husband and I have actually tired having our mouths open and spitting at the same time and we can't do it LOL

DS screams as soon as he see's the syringe. The only way we can get anything into him is to try to hide it in his milk and hopefully it's not flavoured enough that he will detect it.

Otherwise I've been told to mix it in icecream oddly enough.

He won't even take the syringe to use himself, or use a medicine cup.

Sometimes the only way we can get it in, is to hold him down and squirt tiny bits in for him to swallow. He's an aspirator so more often than not, will aspirate if we do this so try to avoid it at all costs!

What's the medicine if you don't mind me asking.
Both DSs take umpteen different medicines from the gastro. I may be be able to help. PM me if you wish. I have many cunning but not nutritious methods.

Thanks.

The medication is called Omeprazole. She's meant to have 10ml a day. She can't have tablets (can't swallow them), so I got it made up in Liquid form from a compound pharamacist. When I went back they added the banana flavour.

Rohan takes omeprazole 7ml a day (made up from a compound chemist also) and i've never been told I couldn't give it to him in something. He has his in his milk unflavoured so he doesn't detect its there.

I was told it changes the Ph of the medication, therefore it couldn't be added or mixed with anything I'd love to be able to add it to her bottle. I suppose I could just add it, after all it's in the fridge doing nothing (expensive stuff too @ $75 for 30 days ) she won't take it anyway, so if it does something by adding it to her milk, it's better than nothing.

Thanks

Interesting. When I was complaining to the paed about it he suggested we do that. Maybe he didn't know about the PH though?

I agree that it has to do something even if its not perfect.

Have you thought about using it in tablet form and crushing the tablet into food or the bottle? Just wondering whether that will work better than a suspension that isn't the right PH..?

Have you tried applying for a health care card for her at all? We just did and thankfully have just started paying $12 per bottle of suspension which is soooo much cheaper than the original price.. Pity we didn't have that 3 years ago..

Upsy surely you're receiving CA for your kids? If so that would entitle them to a health care card.

i was about to say what BCBK just said!
carers allowance gives you automatic health care card for the recipient, so meds ate mas $5.70 per script (i think).

ETA: DD used to be on omeprazole too. and my thoughts are if she can still spit it, put the syringe back further and hold her mouth and nose shut to force swallowing. not nice but if she really needs it...

DD#2 doesn't have her own HCC, as she not on CA. However, we do have a pension concession card, but it's not a PBS medication, so I have to pay full price. It costs $25 a bottle and that will only last 10 days.

Thanks

Have you looked at seeing if another chemist does it cheaper?

Roh is on the same one and they are giving it to us for $12 a bottle but I have heard even around here some chemists are charging a ridiculous amount just because it's a suspension.

p.s. hows it going with sneaking the medicine in?