I'm having the devil's own time getting her to take it. She won't take it straight. I'm very reluctant to sit on her and syringe it in to her mouth, as I've done in the past. She's getting a bit big for that, and it generally results in more of it on the outside of her than on the inside.
I've tried mixing it into her milk, and so far that's had about a 50% success rate. Same for apple juice. I'm concerned about wasting so much of it in attempts that her ear infection won't get tackled. I've tried talking to her about the boo-boo in her ear that's hurting and that this will fix it for her, but she just replies that she doesn't want it.
So do any of you have any other suggestions for getting this stuff inside her?
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Boon
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I used to mix it into applesauce or cottage cheese.
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This might sound mean, but it's also very true. Operaetta used to get a lot of ear infections, so I speak from experience. Tell her that if she doesn't take her medicine she's gonna have to get a VERY painful shot in her leg to take care of her boo-boo. Operaetta had to have this done one time - never again - the shot was so painful she could not walk out of the dr.'s office. After that giving her antibiotics was pretty much a breeze. Sorry I don't have a gentler suggestion, but unfortunately that's what worked for us.
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My parents used to give me a piece of chocolate if I was brave and swallowed my medicine without complaining.
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
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I think it sounds mean that I used to sit on her and syringe meds into her mouth. It was necessary, though. I'd do it now but I don't think it would be as effective as when she was younger. So explaining the realities of shots might do the trick. I don't know if she remembers what shots feel like, though.
Failing that, I'll try mixing it with cottage cheese. She's a ridiculously picky eater, but loves cottage cheese. She might especially like that it's her favorite color: pink.
Thanks for the suggestions. I'm open to more of them as well. These are really good.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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Is it the taste she objects to, or the act of taking medicine?
If it's the taste, you can try FlavoRx. It's available at most pharmacies over the counter and can be used to mask unpleasant medicine flavors.
Mixing it with food can work, but make sure you check with the doctor or pharmacist first to make sure that's OK. Most liquid medicines can be mixed, I think, but some shouldn't be (anything with iron, for example, shouldn't be mixed with milk products because it won't get absorbed properly). There's also the danger that she won't finish whatever she's eating and thus not get a full dose, or that she'll start to associate the food with the medicine and become even more of a picky eater.
Also a good idea to avoid giving it to her at the dinner table or in her bed in case she makes bad associations there as well. Give it to her during a commercial while she's watching TV.
If the pharmacist says its OK, dip the spoon in chocolate syrup and let it drain before pouring the medicine in. She'll just taste the syrup.
If it's the act of taking medicine, let her pick the circumstances as much as possible. Make sure she knows she has to take it, but let her pick the exact time, and which spoon, whether its before or after she brushes her teeth, which flavor of yogurt to mix it with, etc. You can also have a weird cartoon spoon or twisty straw that's used only for this purpose.
Take it with her (or what looks like the same thing, anyway). That way you can make appropriately comical faces together, even "compete" for worst dose. "Mine was way worse than yours, like stinky old socks dipped in mud! Blechhh! Yuk! Pooey!" and so on.
If that won't work, have her dad sit next to her and get "his" medicine at the same time. Never underestimate the attraction of a goofy dad (or uncle, or older brother, or...).
You can even do the syringe that way, just have a separate one with a similarly-colored fluid in it. If you use a syringe, aim at the inside of her cheek. That way you avoid the taste buds and you won't get the potential gagging from aiming at the back of her throat.
Have something ready as a chaser, water at least. Nothing thick or syrupy, you want something that will wash the taste out quickly.
Get her involved in the medical part. Make a chart, with clipboard and everything, and ask her how she's feeling each day so the two of you can graph her progress. Include checks for daily meds and let her do the checkmark.
What helps most is giving her control, as much as possible or feasible.
[ December 01, 2004, 10:22 PM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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When my oldest was young he was asthmatic and couldn't keep medicine down. We used a nebulizer to steam the medicine into his lungs, and the "easiest" way to keep him breathing it in until the whole dose was gone was for me to sit on the other side of the nebulizer and let him blow me over. Every big puff he took seemed to knock me right across the floor. Sometimes we had to pause so he'd quit laughing, but he got the whole dose. And I got bruised a lot Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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"We can do this the easy way.... or we can do it the hard way" said slowly and deliberately with a southern accent. Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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For cats what works is getting a big towel and wrapping them all up in it then wrapping that up in a blanket, leaving only their head showing, and holding the bundle gently with your legs while you use both hands to administer the stuff.
Well, pills don't require that usually, just hold your hands on either side of their mouth while standing behind blocking them from backing up with your feet, then just pop it in and get it past the curve of their tongue and they'll swallow.
But for really hard stuff like eardrops or the breathing face mask thing that Drive By has her inhaled meds in, you usually have to go all out with the towel and blanket.
I've found that forcing them (as gently as possible) enough times gradually makes them amenable to taking it unforced. Even Drive By, wild creature that she is, will now do her breathing treatments without being restrained. But I hate being mean, though. That's the very hardest part of being a cat mom, to me.... having to force them to do stuff they don't want to do. I'm pretty sure even if they were able to understand exactly what I'm doing and why, that they would rather be sick than take medicine. I'm not entirely positive I have a right to overrule that choice, either. But watching while they die and I do nothing is not something I'm strong enough to do.
So good luck! Let us know what works.
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I think the dipping the spoon in chocolate syrup first is an awesome idea. My kids will now take medicine with a chaser, plus they know to hold their noses shut while taking liquid medicine - part of taste is in smell and plugging your nose dulls it a bit.
When my kids were younger, I used this tube dispenser - a hard plastic tube with volume markings on the side and a spoon on the end. It had a flat base so I could put if on the counter to pour the medicine in. Something along these lines. Actually, I think I got them free from my pharmacist when I bought the medicine.
I came across this advice when I was looking for a picture of a medicine spoon.
Posts: 2034 | Registered: Apr 2004
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Christy would like to hear any suggestions you might have for getting four-point-eight-month-old infants to take their ear infection medication. Ours is very good at sucking it off the syringe, but proves equally good at storing it in her cheek pouches and spitting it out at inappropriate moments.
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Chris, we tried that flavoring stuff once. The pharmicist told us that grape flavor was the best choice for the type of medicine Ryan was taking because it would mask the bad taste best. Of course, when we got home, we found out Ryan hates grape flavor too.
We ended up mixing a little in his milk and a little in his food. Neither one had enough medicine in it that he could taste it.
Posts: 221 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Make slushies for the whole family, but dose hers with medicine when she isn't watching. The cold ice and whatever flavor the slushie is will mask the medicine flavor, and she'll want to drink/eat her slushie because the whole family is doing it.
It occurs to me that you could also make a popsicle with the medicine in it.
<------ Not a parent.
Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
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I absolutely *loved* the taste of the pink ear infection medication that had to be refrigerated. I actually faked a couple of ear infections to get it. My ears were so bad though they normally gave it to me anyway. Then when I got older they started making me take amoxicillin pills instead. Not nearly as tasty.
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My daughter hated the pink stuff, so we bribed her with M&Ms if she took it. Our son loves the pink stuff, but after several ear infections, we ended up resorting to giving him a shot after he wouldn't take the second round of antibiotics. The stuff he wouldn't take actually had pineapple juice in it or something and smelled pretty good. Go figure.
I'd try bribery, but I don't know if my son (who just turned two) would be able to understand something-bad-now-for-something-good-later logic yet. We chose the shot when we did because one unpleasant experience that he couldn't spit out was better than twice-daily struggles where he wasn't getting a full dose anyhow.
-Don
P.S. Does it seem like the pharmacy is giving you just a little bit less than what you need to have the full course? It seemed like we were always short a dose or two and then had to go back for another bottle (and insurance co-pay). Sometimes he spit some out, but I was pretty careful about measuring after a while and we always came up short.
Posts: 108 | Registered: Jan 2003
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My little brother used to hate his medicine. Even the good tasting kind. My parents tried bribery, reasoning (as much as you can with a two-year-old), threats of shots, everything short of hiding it in food or drink (which they wouldn't do because they're a doctor and a nurse, because of the risk of incomplete dosing). Nothing worked.
Eventually the system that worked out was that my dad would put my brother on his lap, hold him firmly, tell him a joke or tickle him to get him laughing while he had the syringe hidden, then while his mouth was open, hold his nose, squirt the medicine down, and then close his mouth and stroke his throat to make him swallow. There followed a very uncomfortable period in which my dad had to restrain him while he tried to hit, kick, and bite, all while screaming his lungs out, because my dad had to watch him to make sure he didn't make himself vomit it up a minute later. (The nose holding also disguises the taste for older kids; my mom and dad used to have a cup of juice ready, give us the little cup of medicine to drink, have us hold our nose and drink it, then drink some of the juice to wash it down before we unplugged the nose. Worked like a charm, but unfortunately not on my brother until he was about 6.)
My mom, an occupational therapist and pediatric nurse, wasn't so tricky; she simply used a blanket to restrain him while holding his nose to squirt the medicine down and then closing his mouth and tilting his head back to make him swallow.
This method lasted until he was 4 1/2, when he finally got to the point where he understood the reasoning that medicine would make him better and submitted to bribery.
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Boon
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As for dosing a baby, try putting a very small amount at a time in the cheek pocket, followed immediately with a pacifier, finger, bottle, breast, or anything else she will safely suck on.
Boo doesn't like to swallow his medicine either, but this works for us. It's like he's saving it so the taste will last or something. Silly boy.
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CaySedai, that was an excellent link, thank you! I'm afraid we are going to have to force the issue. I tried cottage cheese last night, and she only ate about half. I laced it in her apple juice, still only drank about half. This morning, hubby dosed her milk, and she drank about 3/4s of it.
I did try bribery...she loves candy. But no, not even for candy. I've tried offering lots of choices, like "would you like it from this spoon, or this dropper?" and "would you like to take it sitting down, or standing up?". No go...she just says "I don't want it!" I didn't try taking some with her, largely because I haven't figured out how to fool her into thinking I'm taking the exact same thing. Maybe if I liquified some strawberry ice cream... And honestly, I don't think it will work since offering choices didn't. That almost always works.
Honestly, I'm afraid of what hiding it in her food will do, in that it will set a precedent that taking required meds is optional. She's aware enough to understand that she *has* to take it. Yet, so far, she doesn't know that she's taken it.
We'll try dripping it into the back of her mouth tonight, which I know is going to be soooo much fun. Then see if she'll take it freely in the morning.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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I remember that my parents would squish pills up in honey, but that wont work with liquid. My daughter is 2 and when she has liquid meds we hold her on our lap, with her arms and legs helds so she can't hit or kick. It's hard and it seems mean, but it works and she is ok after.
Posts: 747 | Registered: Aug 2004
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The trouble I'm having with the hold 'er down method is that I still am not getting any medicine down her. She gets so upset, or I squirt just right so that she chokes and/or vomits. I had success with the first dose nursing and injecting a bit into her mouth as she sucked, but she's gotten too smart for that, too. She won't let anything near her mouth as soon as that medicine enters. I tried to lace it in milk and gave it to the daycare, but apparently it took them ALL DAY to give it to her!
*sigh*
I never thought a teaspoon could be so large an amount of liquid! Or that ten days could be so long.
I feel your pain, jeniwren!
I'm not sure you need to worry about the precident of optional medicine at two, though. In my opinion she's still a bit young for a real understanding of consequences. I'd continue to "sneak" it to her if you find a method that works.
Posts: 1777 | Registered: Jan 2003
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I hate to suggest the brute force method, but wrap one arm around her torso, trapping her arms and use the other to tilt her head back and force the jaws open.
This approach takes two people, naturally and both people will feel like complete pondscum during the administration of this technique, but take heart in the old adage of parents everywhere - "This will hurt me worse than it hurts you."
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I too wish there were an easy answer, but there is not. Whatever works, even Trevor's methods...
I had a niece who would not take her iron supplement that was this dark, vile tasting elixir. We used to mix it in her orange juice and tell her if she drank her orange juice, she DIDN"T have to take her medicine. I just don't know if you can rationalize with your 2 year old that way...
I wish I could be of more help here but the other posts have done an excellent job in addressing a very frustrating issue. Posts: 1870 | Registered: Mar 2003
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My daughter who is now 15 used to give me all sorts of grief when she had to take prescription medications. There was a time (when she was a lot older than 2 - and really knew better) when I threatened her with having all of her older siblings (she's the 5th of 6) and all of their friends who were in the house hold her down while I gave her the medicine. Fortunately, I didn't have to make good on the threat.
The best thing I found to mask the taste of unpleasant prescriptions was orange juice. Don't use too much... just a couple of tablespoons so it can all go down in one or two swallows.
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well , I'm not a mom , and I'm allergic to the "pink stuff" -found out the hard way.... while on a plane at the age of 4! I still hate taking meds...liquids anyway. I can't take adult cough meds because they literally knock me out... Nyquil "the night time stuffy head, fever,sneezing, pick me up off the kitchen floor in the morning medicine!" so I take the children's "Red Death" flavor. Who are they kidding when they say great taste? I am a pharmacy tech and I have heard many suggestions on how to get a child dosed, but, as stated previously, you have to ask the pharmacist if it can be mixed with something because it may just cause that something to taste "funny". It can in some meds decrease the absorption of the med.
I like the ideas I've read here especially the cat dosing! But I most agree with the idea of getting the child involved in deciding which spoon, making silly faces(which I do and Kwea always says I'm being dramatic...I'm not it just tastes soooooooooo bad!), not giving it to her in bed, etc. Let her help decide where she wants to take it. I take my next to the sink so I can drink water (gasp ... which I also hate the taste of blechhh!), then I can grab a pop sickle or a treat because I was so good and I drank the Red Death medicine! (I'm a very adult and mature 29 thank you!) Try something different each time you give her a dose.... you have plenty f suggestions here... try something new each time until you find what works for you.... the element of surprise might just work too.. you might get the poor child so confused she just takes it anyway!
Best of luck and hope the little one feels better soon. Posts: 325 | Registered: Aug 2002
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My daughter had pink eye at one point and we had to put eye drops in her eyes. If I had to do it myself about the only way I could do it was to lay her on the floor and kneel over her (so she could not move). Makes you feel like a bad person, but she needed the meds and that was the only way I could do it by myself.
Posts: 747 | Registered: Aug 2004
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*laugh* Oh, we've done the pink eye medicine, too. At least that is only a drop. This is 30 minutes of pure agony.
I'm calling the doctor today for a refill. I went through three teaspoons this morning just to get her to take one. *laugh* Of course, it didn't help that Tom came in to ask how we were doing and as I looked up, I squirted almost the entire first teaspoon in her mouth at once which she promptly allowed to run out of her mouth.
*employs Rivka's fetal position coping technique*
Any luck on your end, jeniwren?
Posts: 1777 | Registered: Jan 2003
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Not particularly, Christy. Last night, hubby and I held her down and forced it into her. It was a spectacular ending to an exhausting day. It doesn't help that everyone in the family is sick with the same crud that gave her the ear infection.
So I laced her milk this morning and she refused to drink it. I offered her the choice...Mama holds you down and forces the medicine or drink the milk. She still refused. So I got the medicine out and again, offered her the choice: medicine or milk? I measured out the medicine. She yelled she wanted the medicine. So I gave her her cup of water, held her binky in my other hand and droppered a little bit at a time into her mouth. For half the dosage, she stood there and took it like a big girl, drinking down big gulps of water. Then she flatly refused any more, so I had to hold her down and force it into her. Much messier that way, but I think I got most of the rest in her.
So it took 3 teaspoons to get in the requisite 1 and a half. Tonight I think I'll offer her the choice of having it in some strawberry yogurt (her fave) or taking it straight.
Sounds like we're having lots of fun between the two of us. Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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jeni, are you using a sticker chart? It struck me that in combination with the choice technique (which you seem to be having some success with), that might help...
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Again my experience is from cats, but I have found that it gets easier the more you do it. Perhaps the first 3 or 4 doses it gets harder each time, as they know what's coming and get more and more determined not to let it happen again. Then they begin to bow to the inevitable and realize they do survive the experience after all and it just becomes less traumatic to them with familiarity, I think. And they begin to fight less, which makes it less traumatic still, and then that snowballs into a compliant creature.
I do always give meds right before something they want, like supper or a treat. That way they tend to want to get it over with quickly and get to the good stuff.
I just wanted to give this encouragement to those parents curled in a fetal position crying harder than the child. It gets easier and easier until it is finally no big deal at all. Remembering that when you are still in the first stages can help.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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ketchupqueen, o, I haven't, and I'm sitting here thinking more and more that it's a very VERY good idea. Rainbow gets a sticker for going potty, but I don't have a chart or anything. She just loves stickers. So maybe if I make a chart and she can pick the sticker, and put it on the chart, she'd like that enough to get her through the obviously traumatizing experience of having to take medicine. She's quite the drama queen.
I'll try it tonight!
edited to add: Tatiana, I do know what you mean, and you know, the weirdest thing is, Rainbow (given the season, I should start calling her Reindeer) is always so lovey dovey after I enforce what she knows she has to do. She's so nice to be around for the rest of the day. I think I'm terrorizing her, and she comes out at the end more civilized. Kids are weird.
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Another thing about sticker charts for things they really hate: if all the spaces get a sticker for the day, they can get a little treat, like one candy or cookie. After the whole chart is filled (the prescription is done), a trip to the zoo or something is in order.
Works most of the time, anyway.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Well, we're trying Sophie on Euthromycin starting tomorrow. I must've sounded pathetic enough to my doctor. Its supposed to have a "pleasant strawberry banana flavor" *laugh* We'll see if that's any easier.
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No, really, that's the one kids like, Christy. Except my brother, who didn't like it just because it was medicine. I loved that stuff.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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After having to get nasty pink stuff down kids many times (I was SOOOO glad when they switched dosage from 3x a day to (a larger amount) 2x a day!), I found giving Zithromax MUCH easier. Doesn't need refrigeration, only needs to be given ONCE a day, and only for five days (not 10). Works faster, in my experience, too.
Better have good insurance, though -- that stuff ain't cheap.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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It's also less effective against some kinds of germs than others, and doctors are trying to avoid creating strains of bacteria resistant to the newer antibiotics.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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According to my kids' pediatrician, it's actually MORE effective against most common pediatric ear infections. In fact, the first time we used it was on an ear infection that was resistant to the pink stuff. And I have used Zithromax on sinus infections -- worked beautifully.
Since it is easier to take the whole course than the pink stuff, there is also hope that it will be less likely to create strains of immune bacteria.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I used to have to give my last parakeet antibiotic drops. That was extremely difficult because the dropper was nearly the size of her beak and we usually ended up with bright pink droplets all over me and the nearest wall. And with a very sticky bird. I had to give the same bird insulin shots for about 9 months and that was easier than the drops, I think, although catching her to give the shot became very very hard on both of us. She struggled so hard.
I was amazed how easy it was to give my cat pills and drops, in comparison. Just had to get that neck tilted back enough and reflex took over every time.
I never thought about how hard it could be to give medications to small children. You poor parents.
Posts: 1990 | Registered: Feb 2001
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Oh, some doctors think zithromax is a wonderful drug, but some specialists don't like zithromax and don't trust it for various reasons. It's not always something you want to pick right at first, anyway. My residency program was very anti-zithromax. I got lectures on why not to use it and everything. I wonder what CT's program thought about zithromax.
Posts: 1990 | Registered: Feb 2001
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Zithromax (azithromycin, a "macrolide" antibiotic like erythromycin) is incredibly convenient, but there is great concern against it being overused. At this time is is generally more effective than amoxicillin (a penicillin-type drug) but is less effective than amoxicillin + clavulinic acid (aka Augmentin). The clavulinic acid addresses the most common means of antibiotic resistance.
Any choice of antibiotics is based on probabilities of which organism is most likely to be responsible, how high the level of resistance is in that population, and specific characteristics of the patient being treated. For some things, Zithromax is an appropriate first choice -- e.g., for mycoplasma "walking" pneumonia. But IIRC resistance is building to zithromaz at a pretty high rate, and there is serious concern that it will not be as useful in the near future.
Posts: 2919 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Well, we finally figured out what works best with our girl. She responds very well to choices (we knew that already), so we offer her a choice of Medicine straight or medicine in her milk? I never know what she's going to choose, but if she chooses straight, she never makes it more than halfway before she decides she'd like the rest in her milk. Then she watches me put it in her cup with about 4-5 oz of milk. I read her a story or let her watch TV while she drinks it.
I think it helped that we did hold her down for a couple of the dosages so that she understood that not taking her medicine was not an option.
Thanks, everyone for your very very helpful help!
How's it going for you, Christy?
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Then see if she'll take it freely in the morning.
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She's quite the drama queen.![[Frown]](frown.gif)
