Child Won't Take Medication

Hi! It isn't awful that your child won't take medication - I have a child like that, too! She's three, though, and really fights me when I suggest medicine. A few weeks ago, she had a 103 fever and we could not get her to take Tylenol or Ibuprofen - we ended up getting the Fever-all Suppositories. Not fun, but easier and her fever came down! As it turned out, she had a bit of an ear infection - she (of course) refused to take her prescription medicine, so I ended up mixing it in a small cup of strawberry flavored milk. She thought that getting strawberry milk was a special treat - a special treat with medicine! You could also try mixing medicine in pudding or yogurt. I hope this helps - good luck!

My 3 y/o is the same way. When she is sick enough for the doc, we often get shots because she won't take her meds. The secret? I mix it in applesauce now. Ibuprofen, tylenol, antibiotics, whatever. She takes it just fine that way.....

We go through this everytime there is medicine involved! My 2.5 yr old used to take things such as Tylenol, "the pink stuff" and Ibuprofen with no prob, but when he had his tonsils and adnoids removed the medicine they gave him was HORRIBLE! Now he refuses to take any...I have found two things that work....First, we use one of the medicine droppers that can be found in the baby department. I will take up the correct amount of medicine, then take up a little chocolate syrup (sugar-free is great tasting, and no hyper side effects!)...he sees me put the chocolate in there and it goes down with no prob! The other is that I will take a small piece of candy, such as a sucker or a Hershey Kiss, and set it on the counter where he can see it. He is instantly intrigued, because candy is not "free flowing" at our house! He will usually take his meds, although sometimes reluctantly, because he knows he gets a treat afterwards! However, when he is really sick and really doesn't feel well, there is no fix-sometimes we have to hold him down and force it in, which I hate doing, but, remember, meds have got to be taken no matter what, as my hubby often reminds me! Tears and sad looks must be ignored :)

Wow! You received a lot of responses, but I will add mine for what it is worth...my son would never take his medicine, and I could never hide it in anything as he could ALWAYS taste it and spit it out. So...I gave up. If he needs antibiotics, he gets a shot. If it is a cold/cough/whatever else that doesn't need antibiotics, he gets rest, good food and lots of fluids and vitamin C, but no oral medication. He is sick as often as his brother who will take medication, and basically gets better just as quickly. Cheers.

don't know if this will work but it did for my 80+ mother who became quite senile.....we put the medicine in a teaspoon of applesauce...down it went. Have also seen it wrapped in a small bite of bread, of course it depends on if it is solid or liquid. Do not know for a 19 month old child but my daughter uses a very small baby bottle made just for despensing medicine for her 4 month old, she also flavors it with a grape syrup that she gets from the druggist just for that.

ground it, mash it, put it in juice or a snack of some kind....lots ways to trick those little ones!
B.

we let ours alternate little sips of medecine with big sips of water. it helps with the nasty taste, especially with anitbiotics. i have seen that walgreens wil ladd flavorings to their medecines, but i havent' tried it yet.

You have probably already heard this being a nurse and all but I figured I would throw it out there anyway. I had a doctor (pediatrician) tell me once w/my kids to aim the medecine dropper between the cheek and gums of the child, towards the back of their mouth. This way, the child cannot gather the medication w/their tongue and spit it back out. It was easier to "trick" my children this way because we never had to do "do overs" therefore, there was not a struggle and the medicine went down without a problem. Good luck!!

when my children were like that, if possible, I would mix the liquid, powder, in with frozen fuit,little juice, with a few teaspoons corn syrup and make a tiny sorbet, serving in a teeny tiny little cup like a bathroom paper cup with some cutsey decoration on it. They saw it as a treat and ate it every time.
If it will not change the meds effectiveness, a chocolate or strawberry tiny milkshake will usually be accepted by a little one.
sprinkles, whipcream and a cherry, is always interesting to them and they will usually eat, drink it all. Just be sure if you are giving the meds a few times a day that you use a variety because they will get bored and leave it to melt.

When my daughter really had to take medication, at this age, I would hold her in my lap on her back and blow in her face and aim the syringe with the meds towards the back of her throat. Her only choice was to swallow as I wouldput her sippy cup in her mouth as I sat her up. It work like when give a cat or dog medication. Now with her being five thatis awhole new ball game.

My daughter won't take anything grape flavored, except her vitamins. Have you tried other flavors?

J.

My daughter hated medicine also....still does. BUT, i started giving her whipped cream "chasers" (for lack of a better term....) She especially LOVES when I buy Redi-Whip because I can squirt it right into her mouth. Sounds messy but it works like a charm.

I used to sneak medication into my son's milk and just made sure that he drank the whole thing.

Hi M., that is funny about you being a Nurse. I think there is all good advice given here, so I won't offer any. I used to hold my child and force it down in a second, but that doesn't work for everyone. He didn't like the chewables lol. I thought that would end all my problems but it didn't. As a Nurse, I think you are aware that grinding certain meds, and diluting others in liguids breaks down the chemical compound and its effectiveness, and a few others things. At least with adults meds that is what they say. In any case, I'm sure you will work this out just fine.

M.,
That is so typical...none of my grandchildren would take their meds...until....I was there to give it to them...they took it for me, but not for their parents..one thing I did, if the meds taste bad, I would put something in the dropper/ or med. syringe that tasted good on the side that would go in their mouth first...you know, suck up the med first(into the syringe) then put in something that would taste good...like childrens tylenol or any med that they needed to take, that didn't taste bad...hope this makes sense...the syringe that I refer to is a medicine syringe..you being a nurse I am sure you know what I am talking about...

My daughter took tylenol and her allergy medicine without a problem, but she would absolutely refuse the antibiotics. My husband and I would have to give her her medicine together. One to hold her, and one to use the syringe to put the medicine in. A little before she made two, she decided that candy was the best thing in the world. We would give her a piece of candy after she took her medicine. No candy the rest of the day except at medicine time. After about 3 days, she would start asking for her medicine so she could get the candy. I'm certain the candy wasn't healthy, but I figure a few extra pieces was worth skipping the screaming and crying.

Have you tried adding flavor to the medications? I have to have grape flavor added to all medicines for my granddaughter (she's about to turn 2). Also I got a free medicine dispenser from the pharmacist so I can put it in the very back of her mouth. If she's giving me trouble, I lay her back and wrap one arm around her head and upper body to hold her in place while I use the other arm to administer the medicine. I've even had to pinch her nose to make her swallow. I know it sounds harsh, but sometimes you have to use drastic measures to make them swallow.

I am 51 and have three grown children and three grandchildren. This may sound cruel to you, but it works. Pinch his nose shut and pour it in, he will swallow before he starts to yell, and it may be the smell that makes him gag.

Hope this works as well for you as it did for me. My middle daughter did the same thing and her middle child also reacts to medication in the same way. I learned this from a very old pediatric nurse, and it worked for me. Don't make a big deal out of it, just grab him pinch and pour.

If the medication can be frozen, try making little popsicles. My niece uses puppets to administer medication to her daughter. She is also a nurse.

Not to be flippant, but M & M's for a reward worked for me.. LOL
Thanks for taking my response

One thing you may try is putting medicine in his juice or other favorite drink. I ask my son what he would like to drink after he takes his medicine. I give him the dosage in a medicine dropper and let him hold his drink. This leaves no room for discussion of whether he would like to take it. Then I brag on him for taking the medicine and tell him that the doctor recommended this medicine to help him get better and keep him from having to get a shot. Another idea is to gently massage the area under his chin and neck when he takes the medicine. This encourages him to swallow.

One thing that I have started doing lately is singing her favorite songs. She loves "If you're happy and you know it" It distracts her and she will swallow it right away.

A little about me. My daughter is 15 months old and has to take 12 different medications everyday and we have tried just about everything. She is getting more and more use to it. When we first gave her medication she would do the same things, but she is a lot better now.

For some reason, my kids don't mind meds unless it's an antibiotic. For those, the magic sunglasses come out of the drawer! They believe anytime they take medicine when they're wearing them, the med won't taste as bad! Plus, it gives them a distraction, and if they are reaching for something, it's the sunglasses and not the syringe!

Lots of luck!
J.

PS- make sure you're squirting the med between the teeth and cheek- not to the back of the throat. They're sure to gag if you squirt it to the back of the throat.

My children are all grown now, but I remember mixing the medication with apple sauce or one of the fruits they would eat. Sometimes, I even put it in their juice. Good Luck

HI there - this may seem very simplistic - give his meds to him in something he likes like jello or whatever, Don't let him see y9ou prepare the meds and if they are encapsulated, break them open and pour into whatever. It worked like a charm for me. Good luck honey.

I feel your pain!
First check to make sure that there aren't any foods that need to be avoided while taking the medication.

Ask the pharmacist to mix flavoring in with the medication. Some pharmacies charge a small fee, others will do for free, and most will do both prescription and OTC meds. When you give the dose, use an oral syringe and slowly squirt it in his mouth in his cheek, so it doesn't rush down his throat and cause him to gag or choke. Give a little at a time and let him swallow.

If he won't take it that way, try mixing it in a small (teaspoon to tablespoon) amount of food like applesauce or yogurt, try to get the whole spoonful in the first time. If you can't, alternate spoonfuls with medicine with those without until its gone. You can also try it with a very small amount of juice or milk.

Don't tell him the medicine tastes good, or is candy. Just tell him that it will make him feel better. Also, give him a few warnings starting about 10 minutes before its time for his dose so he knows that its coming.

I would caution you to be very wary of any suggestions to "mix" the medication in any way. With antibiotics in particular it is extremely important that your child receive the full dose, and when you dilute into something else it becomes very difficult to ensure that he is getting all of his medicine. As someone else suggested, flavor flavor flavor. I actually use the words "as much flavor as you can possibly add" when I fill my daughter's scripts.

I have two other suggestions, that we use pretty successfully as needed in our house. We do generally use a syringe, which often my daughter won't take if I hold it, but if she holds it, she will let me gradually push the plunger in. Sometimes mixing it up with a spoon also helps, because taking it like a big girl distracts from the fact that she is taking medicine. At times, my daughter is so stubborn that we have to take a team approach. We lay her down on the couch & my husband will hold her hands to her chest while I squirt the medicine in (usually 2 or 3 times to get the full dose in). If you pull the cheek to the side and make a pocket to squirt the medicine in and hold down the tongue w/ your finger, he will have to swallow it (although there may on occassion be a successful spit/dribble out the side, it has been effective in getting down the great majority of the dose).

If worse comes to worse, the next time your doc writes you a prescription, let him know about the trouble you're having, he may be able to prescribe something in a different strength...most infant doses/mixtures are more concentrated, so there is less to get down and you may have better luck with that than what is probably the toddler strength he is getting now. I wish you much luck, just remember that when he cries and objects you're doing it for his own good!

My little girl loves to take any medicine as long as she is the one to give it to herself... have you tried to let him hold it, I know he's just 19 months.... At the age I would just suggest squeezing the cheeks and pointing it towards the side of the mouth, try to do it fast enough so he's not upset for too long but not too fast to choke him up.... you're a nurse you'll get it right. He won't be upset with you for too long, he will be happy before you know it because he got the medicine and will be starting to feel better.... it's called TOUGH LOVE!

M. try mixing the medication with a food that he likes to dilute the taste. Hope it works.

What medication are you trying to give him for what ailment?

the only way my kids (ages 3 and 4) will take their medicine is if I give the piece of chocolate as soon as they swallow the medicine.

I have 2 children that don't want to take medicine either. My 7 year old will not take it at all. With my 2 year old, I have to tuck one of her arms under mine, hold the other arm with one of my arms, hold her really close so she can't move her head and then give her the medicine. I aim towards the cheek and them blow in her face right afterwards so that she will swallow the medicine before she gets the chance to spit it out. This works about 85% of the time. The other 15% I usually end up with medicine all over me and her. I hope that you find something that works.

Hi M.!

I have an 18 month old son who does the same thing!! I have found that if I give the medicine in his sippy cup, it goes down much, much easier. I don't know what your son likes to drink, but mine loves milk! I put the medicine in his cup, pour his milk in and then usually have to add a little chocolate syrup to mask the taste of the medicine. We travel alot and my son gets very car sick. His pediatrician prescibed a medication for the n/v. It smells horrible, so I can only imagine what it tastes like. We battled at getting the medication down him until I put it in his cup. This may not be the best way to give a baby medicine, but it works for us!

You might wanna tell him about the shot. Next time he gets sick bring him to the doctor to get a shot... then if he gets sick the next time you can tell him..swollow are we go get a shot.. it worked on me...
God bless..
K.ann

I have a son like that too. He has a bad gag reflux and will try to spit out or vomit the medicine back up. The best techique i have tried is to use a syringe and squirt a tiny bit at a time...making it a lot harder to spit out. This make take a few minutes but is worth it if it works. I hope this helps! K. E

Oh, that must be so frustrating!

I became concerned about all of the new information coming out (almost weekly, it seems) about cold medicines being dangerous for children. So I've decided to research what I can do to alleviate our daughter's symptoms (when she's born, and has a cold or fever or what-not) without using meds. I found some really helpful information! It turns out that there's a lot you can do for your son that will make him feel so much better, without giving him meds and the whole dreaded fight, and he'll even get better more quickly.

Here's one thing. Decongestants, I found out, make recovery slower because they dry up the mucus from the inside, rather than letting it flow and get the bugs out. You can help your son to decongest by giving him more fluids, and it's just as effective. I always do this when I'm sick, and it works within about 15-20 minutes. For him, I'd go with more soup, more watered-down juices (but one article I read reminded readers that sugar, even in juices, is a real hinderance to the immune system), etc. Miso soup is really good for the immune system, in particular. Also, anything that produces steam is really, really good - loosens things up very effectively. These things in themselves can ease a lot of the pain that might have you scrambling for the Tylenol.

And, of course, put him in the tub. You know how good that feels when you're sick. Same thing for the little tykes :) You could even sit on the floor of the tub with him and let the shower water steam everything up for him, and distract him from his cold with rain forest stories and toys.

I can't remember what else I read - it is still a little far off for us, as I'm only six months pregnant, so what I read didn't all stick - but you can find out all kinds of things online. There are herbal remedies that you can use that are at least as safe as any stamped-approved (but all of a sudden not so approved!) meds from the store. You just have to check with a nutritionist or herbalist to make sure they're safe. Usually with a little looking around online you can see what keeps coming up as safe. I think elderberry is supposed to be okay, and it's anti-viral. You could give it to him as a warm tea with a little stevia to sweeten it.

Good luck! I know it's hard when such a little boy is sick. Hang in there.

L.

PS Oh, and don't give him anything with dairy or eggs in it while he's sick or getting over it. Dairy and eggs create a lot of mucus, and even more when you're sick. Go for the soy versions of things, which usually will cause much less of a problem.

I'm sure I will sound very "fussy" saying this......but I'm not sure I understand so many moms saying, "won't let me", "will let me", etc....
I have four children. Medicine is not optional. They either take it, or they don't. I don't stress about it. Worst case.....hold his nose and blow in his face. Kids love instant gratification..... but is that a positive way to raise them? Don't get me wrong....I love my babies....and I spoil them like crazy sometimes...but there are some things that you cannot compromise on. A chocolate chip or Redi Whip bribe, will in my opinion, only teach them to comfort themselves with food. Do what you think is best.

Hey M.--I feel your frustration, I tried to put it in a syringe one time and shoot it in his mouth and he got strangled and I cried for hours--So I decided to put it in his chocolate milk and it worked everytime. Now he is 3 years old and it has gotten a lot better. Sometimes I take a little and he takes the rest or he gets m&m's when we are done--Hang in there.

I am a 42 year old single mom of a three year old-We have so much fun together, can't wait to see what the future holds.

I too am a nurse and had a few times when my son didn't want to take his liquid medication. What worked for me was sitting on the floor with my legs in a V, lay him down, face up, with one arm under each one of my legs. I would pinch his nose, administer the medication, and shut his mouth. He eventually swallowed the med so he could open his mouth to take a breath. It may sound "barbaric" and since I'm posting this publicly, may get a call from DHS, but it works. After a few times my son realized I meant business and he began to cooperate more. My son is now 14 and takes his daily vitamins and any prescription medicaitons without any "trauma" or problems.

Hope this helps~M. G., RN

Okay this worked with my kids when they were youner. I would mix in there med with a drink. My daughter loved strawberry milk so I would put 1/2 dose at a time with just a little extra syrup. She would drink it and than I would give her the other 1/2 of the dose. Now my son was coke or soft drinks in general, and a soft drink was a treat when he was sick so I would do the same thing but devide the dose into 3. hope this helps..

I have the same problem sometimes with my kids, I use a method shown to me by my pediatrician. I use a syringe to give them the medicine, and put it in the very back corner of their mouth, and tilt their head back. They have to swallow that way. they can't spit it out when it is that far back. Just be careful they don't choke.

Mix the medication with something he likes.

I was right there until my youngest turned 2. he would do the exact same things. I started waiting until he was in the tub incase he did throw it up, easy clean up. I tried mixing it with other things, like his milk or food. But he always knew it was there. Finally, I know this sounds harsh, but I just started holding him down and then giving him his sippy cup really quick after he swallowed it. He is alomost 2 1/2 now, and he still fights me, but he doesn't throw up anymore. Also, ask your doctor for chewables. He thinks it's candy or vitamines and takes it no problem. They also have Tylenol in chewables now. (30 year old mother of 2, girl 6 and boy 2)

I have mixed medicine in with fruit juice or even squirted it right into a juice box for my son when he wouldn't take medicine.

My son did the same thing when it came to liquid meds. It is not that he doesn't want to take them it is that he can't take them. The liquid would hit the back of his throat and just come right back out. It is like his throat closes when it comes to liquid meds. I got my doctor to give me his meds in pill form and he learned at about 1 years old how to swoll a pill. I tought him how on m & m's plain they are small like a pill and when he got that down when swolled the pill. Sometimes I have to cut the pill in half and even thirds sometimes but it works and he gets better. So talk to your doctor about giving him a pill. Remember it may not be your son refusing to take the meds it might be that his throat closes and will not let the liquid meds down.
God Bless
S. Jane

If it is prescreption med he won't take try getting him the flavored stuff from Wal-greens.

Try putting the med in grape jelly. I take a slice of bread with half pb and then the modified jelly. Just don't let the kidos see you make it. Good Luck!

Find a good, sweet drink (Coke, Dr. Pepper, cookie, bite-size candy bar, etc.) that would be a treat for him to receive after taking the meds. Just a little snack or small amount of soda might make him forget about the meds quickly and focus on getting the reward. This has always worked for us!

M.,
Have you tried talking to your local pharmacist about the flavorings that can be added to medication? I did that with my son and it seemed to work. It costs around 2 dollars to add to prescriptions and it's worth it. When my son was your child's age I also used a medicine syringe and squirted the medicine litle by little to the inside of his cheek. He would then swallow it without thinking about it.

My daughter does the exact same thing. She will even go so far as to gag herself. We are making a few breakthroughs though. Try bribing your son. I know it sounds awful but my daughter absolutley loves bath time. She will even undress herelf and climb in the bathtub. So when it's bathtime she gets told that she has to take her medicine before she gets to take a bath. There have been a couple times where she's sttod there and pouted for 10-15 minutes but if you find something they really want. Eventually they cave. The key is don't force them! Just calmly tell them no, medicine first.

I had a child like this . . .my husband and I as a team could hold her down and force the medicine - then she would throw up on us. When she was really sick, I asked the Dr to give her antibiotics in a shot because that way I knew she would get it. Most OTC medications are for symptom control. It would be nice if they would take cold medicine, but it is not necessary in order to get well. So unfortunately we just skipped most medicine with this one - unless it was required to get well. One trick that sometimes worked . . . pill medication ground up and mixed in with chocolate pudding. I would keep spooning it in, so she wouldn't have time to figure out the taste was a little off.

BTW/ I hated all the comments from Drs and nurses "Your the adult here, make her take her medicine." My other kids lots of tricks worked, but I had one that was just impossible. The good news is that she is now 10 and swallows pills! (without a fuss!!)