How do I get her to take this medicine?

[egoldber]

Sarah has always been good about taking her medicine. I can give her anything: Motrin, Tylenol, Benadryl, Robitussin, Pseudafed (and all their generic equivalents), and she just opens her mouth like a little bird and sucks it on down.

But tody we met Augmentin and we were NOT amused! It was all DH and I could do to get the first teaspoon in her. And I have to do this for 10 days!!!!!

Thoughts?

[Karenn]

Oh, I feel for you! Colin was the same way with Amoxicillan. (sp?) I don't have much advice. With Colin, we (and it did require both DH & I the first few times!) just sort of stuck the syringe in his mouth and gave it to him. I'd cradle him in my arms as if I were giving him a bottle and sort of hold his arms, while DH would squirt it in. He protested mightily for the first half of the week, but by day 6 or 7, he took it much more willingly. I don't know if he'd resigned himself to the fact that it was going to happen, or if he acquired a taste for it, but it DID get easier after a few days and I was able to give it to him on my own.

Good luck!

[Marisa6826]

Beth-

Try calling your pharmacy to see if they can flavour it. They have this new program at my CVS where you can pick from something like twenty different flavours.

The other option is to refrigerate it (if it's not already). If it's really cold, you might be able to quickly squirt it in and she won't taste it. Just give her a shot of apple juice afterward to wash it down.

Good luck and hugs from Sophie

-m

[jubilee]

Can the pharmacy flavor it? My pharmacy says they can flavor any liquid with over 20 flavors. OR mix it with yogurt?

[twins r fun]

We get most medicines down pretty easily, but when we've had problems I've put it it their drinks. I usually use juice for this, but have done it with milk, too. You just have to keep tabs on the cup and make sure she drinks it all (or in my case make sure nobody switches their cups!)

[friedmana1]

Beth -

Ugh! This is the worst. I have been working in the hospital when we have to "make" kids take their medicine, and it is not fun. Most of the time, the medicine ends up all over my clothes. :) When we give it to them, it has been done quickly, because I can't spend all day trying to coax a child into taking a med. :) Anyway, what I do, is first try to reason with the child, if they are old enough. ****Beware, not for weakhearted**** If that is clearly not working, then I have the mother or nurse hold the child, then I hold the child's face/cheeks and make them purse their lips in a fish-like shape while squirting some of the medicine in their mouth. Then you keep your hands on their mouth like that, and eventually they will swallow the med. Keep squirting and making the face with your hands until the med is done. By the way, most of the time, the child will be crying as you try to do this, but this method has never failed for me - the child always ends up taking it.

Leah, who has loved taking motrin for teething, developed a fever tonight, was incredible cranky, and would not take ANYTHING. I had to do this to her tonight. It was torturous trying to get her to take it while she was screaming, but after she felt better 30 minutes later, I decided it was worth it. Sigh...why can't they just take it without problems???

Aimee
Mother to Leah 10/26/02

[mom2kandj]

Katie has never been good at taking meds (we've always had to *hide* it in a small amount of milk), but recently we made a huge jump from one tsp daily to 4 tsp daily!

We found that she can *do her shot* from a dosing cup or dosing spoon without problem. She does wrinkle her nose a bit, but I think that the feeling of control when she does the drinking is more effective for her than if I squirt her with a syringe or dropper.

FWIW - Augmentin was not popular in our house a few months ago either. Is it in the powder form? If it is, I don't know if the pharmacy can help you out with any flavoring! :( I'd call the ped and ask if I can mix in 1/2tsp to 1tsp of Tylenol/Motrin for taste and pain relief. HTH!


Rose
mom 2 Katie (almost 3!)
& Jack (19 months)

[egoldber]

Thanks all. Its a suspension made from a powder, and it IS flavored!

Edited to add: OK, this morning I reasoned with her, and her it worked (mostly)! I had the dropper all set up, and while she was eating breakfast I told her it was time for medicine, She reconginzed it right away and ws NOT happy. I said that she needed to take it, I was sorry it didn't taste very good, but it would be over soon.

And can you believe she took it???? She still cried mightily, but she took it!

[newbelly2002]

Woo-hoo! Congrats, Beth, sounds like you have quite the little negotiater (or is that you?) on your hands.

Paula
Mama to Dante, 8/1/02

[MamaKath]

Glad it went better this morning! I was going to suggest a different spoon or dosing cup. My ds will take anything from a dosing spoon, spits out the same stuff from a cup or dropper.

Feel better soon Sarah!

[nitaghei]

Beth,

Augmentin is the WORST!! Been there!

I just found an alternative to the dropper. The new antibiotic that Neel is on is also really thick and sticky - like Augmentin. I've had the best luck using a regular teaspoon. I just premeasured with water to see how much 5cc was. Neel just licks it off the spoon - maybe it's the novelty, but it's also much quicker and cleaner than trying to get that thick gluey stuff out of the dropper. And he actually ingests the medicine - instead of wearing it - and NO TEARS!!!

HTH

Nita
mom to Neel 01/05/03
dog mom to a cocker and a PWD

[amp]

Beth - Had to laugh at this. We have Jake on Augmentin (which, according to my paperwork with the Rx, is Amoxicillan) too (infected ingrown toenail - ouch). I asked the ped if it tasted ok so that Jacob would be willing to take it. He doesn't mind Tylenol, so I figured I'd ask. She said it was flavored & that most babies like it. It is also the powder mixed with water. The first couple of times, he didn't have much problem with it. Now, I lay him down to give it to him or he spews it back out. He is currently refusing to swallow each time I put some in his mouth. He just holds it there and gurgles at me until he finally *has* to swallow. He turns his head to escape me, but luckily has not yet figured out that if he turns his head with the medicine in there, it will all come back out! We're on day #7. Good luck!

[khakismom]

Kathleen is the EXACT same way! She will gobble down *any* medicine, EXCEPT Augmentin. :) LOL!

I'm glad to hear your reasoning worked. I will have to try that next time she has to have this. You should hear me at the doctor's office--begging the doc not to prescribe Augmention but Amoxycillin instead! :D

[sntm]

augmentin is amoxicillin with clavulanate added so that it will work against certain resistant bacteria. so, unfortunately, not exactly the same.


shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[egoldber]

If i had known, I would ahve asked for something else! But I've paid my $25 co-pay now, so Augmentin it is!

[friedmana1]

Beth - I am so glad that you were able to reason with her. That's the best!

Oh yea, forgot to mention...Augmentin, Biaxin, Clarithromycin, and um...something else I can't rememeber right now, are VILE!!!!!!!!! We had a "tasting" of different meds one time in my clinic, and most of the anitbiotics are quite awful!!! No wonder the kids hate them so much. I try to prescribe something that tastes good, but sometimes you have to give a child a med that tastes bad, b/c it is the best for whatever is ailing them.

Aimee
Mother to Leah 10/26/02

[Karenn]

Aimee,
I'm so impressed that you tasted the meds! Did you try Omnicef? Colin just finished a round of that for his third ear infection and ate it like candy! I was dying to try it!

[sntm]

aimee - i love that you did that!!! i'm a big believer in knowing what i am doing to patients. i volunteered for every research study in med school, so i've been bronch-ed, MRI-ed, art stick-ed, etc.

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[amyff]

I know you have a ton of wonderful responses...but I thought I would add my two cents. Ava was just on Amoxicillin and REFUSED to let the dropper hit her lips. She just flipped everytime we tried to give it to her and we were COVERED with pink sticky stuff. We would practically HOG tie her and it would take the two of us to get just a little bit down her throat. On day 3, we put Ava in her high chair and DH did an impromptu dance (we called it the Frustration Boogie) and Ava laughed and let me put the dropper in her mouth and squirt some in...well we celebrated like crazy (clapping, hooting and dancing) and she let us give her the whole dose. We have had no problems since day 3 and we are almost done. Our new method reminds me of how we potty train at preschool (we have a MAJOR celebration the minute they go in the potty) and it really works well.
Hope Sarah feels better soon!

[gravymommy3]

We just did a round of Augmentin with Grayson. She is usually a champ on medicine, but she had a very hard time choking this gunk down. We even paid to have it flavored and it is just the pitts.

Her ped. said that she does not prescribe Augmentin for the little patients (4 or so and under) due to the nastiness of it (in addition to the tastes, it is a stomach-killer!!) She gives the little ones Amocillian.

I reasoned with Grayson and she choked the stuff down but it was hard. I can't fathom trying that with a little one.

Heck, Hayden last night got into some peanut butter (contact only - not ingestion, but her eye swelled shut) and I tried to give her some Benadryl. She (not-so-politely) refused. I thought I would get cute and pop a Claritin readi-tab in her mouth and I almost got away with it. Until she threw it back up. I can't get anything down her that she does not want down...

Good luck to Miss Sarah. I feel your pain...

[parkersmama]

Karen,
Wesley was just on Omnicef for an ear infection and I tasted it. It was yummy (at least comparatively)! It tasted sort of citrusy/fruity.

[parkersmama]

I'm glad that she's taking it a little better now. The method that Aimee suggested has worked for me in the past. It seems cruel to do but true cruelty is letting them get a worse infection because you gave up on dosing with the meds! (Not that I think you would do that!) One thing, be careful about mixing medications with foods or drinks. If you're planning to try that with a medication, you should consult the pharmacist first to be certain that it's okay. For instance, there are some antibiotics that shouldn't be taken with milk. My parents are both pharmacists and they have always said it's best to avoid mixing if there's any way possible.

[macassi]

Have you tried letting her take the medicine herself? My younger son wasn't too fond of medicine, but has no issues with anything if he's in control. We fill the syringe with the correct dosage, then hand it over. He usually squirts it into his mouth right away with no issues. This is the same child who will scream bloody murder and spit it out if you try to dose him. I recommend a syringe style measuring device as opposed to the dropper so that it is less drippy when transitioning from your hands to her hands.

Hope that helps.

[heva]

Yipes! I hope you got paid a lot of cash for the bronch...

[egoldber]

Thanks all! We got through our third dose tonight. Oy! What an ordeal! I reasoned again, and after a few moments of sobbing, she opened her mouth for the medicine and took it. The WORST part was afterwards. She was clawing at her mouth in desperation trying to get the taste of it out of her mouth. I finally convninced her to drink something to wash the taste away, but yikes! It was so tragic! My poor baby! :(

[sntm]

Beth, oh i just feel terrible for her! What a poor little trooper. I've always hated liquid medicines (I celebrated the day they came out with Nyquil liquicaps) and always had a shot of something tasty waiting for me.

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03

[COElizabeth]

Poor Sarah! Since she is old enough to reason with, maybe you could let her pick out a special treat to help wash out the taste - like a lollipop? I don't think candy should be a reward for everything, but getting a gross taste out of the mouth seems like a legitimate reason!

Elizabeth, Mom to James, 9-20-02