getting kids to take nasty medicine?

[sparks19]

Yep....over the counter and even generic is available now. I like the name brand better though.

Well holy smokes lol. I really had no idea. I think I'll go get some tomorrow. when I talk to the doctor I'm going to mention miralax specifically if she doesn't.

I just tell my kids to take it really quickly then I have a drink of some kind as a chaser to help with the after taste.

yeah I did that tonight and she did take it... not happily and she almost lost her stomach but she held on and I'm proud of her. but I just can't see doing that every day for 3 tsp worth.

I mean if it just tasted a little bad I'd probably have her suck it up but this stuff is exceptionally bad LOL

I told the nurse that I don't think I could even force myself to take that everyday lol

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

The poor Dear! I sometimes wonder why doctors prescribe certain meds that they know are unpalatable for children when there might be an alternative. I guess that's why I'm not a doctor!!

My DD had to take a very foul medicine when she was 5 for about 2 months. It was NASTY but the only alternative. She's 11 now and still talks about when Mommy and Daddy tried to poison her!

 

[treehugnmama]

My dd has extra keen taste buds and my son is a tater so I. Feel your pain. My naturopath suggested giving them an ice cube to suck on ( we use a freeze don't tell her). It dulls tue tastebuds and helps a lot

 

[gavsgirl]

I feel your pain! My DS is a gagger/puker. One gag and we are done. He was recently on two meds that were hideous (an oral steroid, blech) and we absolutely couldn't get him to take it without gagging. He ended up in the ER with an iv but then was sent back home with more meds that he still couldn't stomach. He needed about the same dosing as your daughter and the only way we could get him to stomach it was to split the doses though out the day. So he was taking like 10-15 mini doses through the day instead of three big doses. It was easier to handle in small doses and he could rid the taste faster. It worked for his situation because he only had to be on it for ten days but I don't know how long your DD will be on the meds so if its long term that may not work. The nurse told me as long as he was getting the given amount in a 24hr period it didn't matter how we got it in him.

Also, Mirilax works wonders, if you can get your doc to dose it out for you for DDs size it would be a lot easier to get her to take than colace, it's a clear tasteless powder so you can mix it with anything. Good luck!

-Kristen

 

[debster812]

DS is 14 now, but was on some horrid tasting stuff when he was much younger for recurrent ear infections. What we did with varying degrees of success:

Pre-med bribe with a popsicle or freeze pop. Sweet tasting, and 'freezes' the taste buds so the meds don't taste as bad.

Chase it with a tablespoon of chocolate syrup.

Chase it with a small cup of soda, something about the carbonation seemed to help get the taste out quicker.

When he was a baby, we would use the syringe and just squirt it down.

Good Luck!

 

[solobel]

It looks like you are going to try the miralax, which is good. One tip, though- it actually takes quite a bit of stirring to completely dissolve in the liquid. Sometimes I'd be stirring for 2-3 full minutes before there wasn't a trace of the powder. (My DD would notice even the slightest "residue" so I had to mix it super well.)

 

[sparks19]

It looks like you are going to try the miralax, which is good. One tip, though- it actually takes quite a bit of stirring to completely dissolve in the liquid. Sometimes I'd be stirring for 2-3 full minutes before there wasn't a trace of the powder. (My DD would notice even the slightest "residue" so I had to mix it super well.)

Oh that's good to know.

I haven't heard from the doctor yet but it's still early. they would have just opened. If I don't hear from her by the time we go out I think I'll just stop by the store and grab some miralax to try.

 

[aidtrismommy]

Oh, so your main concern is keeping the medicine down, gotcha. I thought you needed help getting it in her. I was going to recommend miralax as well, but didn't want to hijack the thread. My son is on Miralax (he's 3) and he needs about a tablespoon every other day. He is the master of detecting things in his juice (he refused to drink prune juice and told me it was "dirty") And he has no objections to the miralax. To minimize stirring time, I put it in a water bottle type thing and shake the hell out of it for just seconds and it dissolves really fast. It is OTC and most stores have their own brands. It is pricey, but it sure is effective. I agree, I would never want to give colace to my kid every day. Good luck!

 

[dawnn12]

goes out to you I understand how it feels when a child doesnt feel well and hopefully they can switch her to something that wont make her gag

 

[cindydare]

One teaspoon of Colace liquid should be 50 mg, and there is a colace gel capsule available in a 50 mg dose, brand name only I believe (the 100 mg gel capsule is available generically). One good thing about a gel capsule is that they get very slick when they're wet, so they slide down very easily! I'm a pharmacist, and one trick I use with my own kids is to keep a bottle of plain cherry syrup on hand. I mix the offending medicine at least 50/50 with cherry syrup in an oral syringe, try to aim for the back of the mouth, and then give them a "chaser" of plain cherry syrup afterwards. I have also resorted to a "chaser" of Sprite or 7-up after that if necessary (my kids rarely get pop, so that's another treat). Chocolate syrup would also make a great chaser.....when I went to pharmacy school, one of our lab assignments was to use different flavorings to try to mask the taste of certain drugs and report what worked best. Chocolate hides everything, but it's not very practical for commercial medication preparation!

 

[pigletto]

Just want to tell you I feel your pain!
My son also has a super sensitive gag reflex and it's a huge chore to get medicine into him. In fact he has to go to a special dentist and be sedated because he vomits all over the dentist and hygenist when they try to do a cleaning. We tried Nitrous... and the mask made him vomit

In one of my all time stupid parenting moments I gave him cherry flavored liquid motrin when he had a really bad fever... while he was sitting on our beige couch. That was a lesson I don't need to repeat.

In my experience with dd there was always a trick to get it down.. but not my puker

I would highly recommend trying another medicine. Neither of you need to go through that 3 times a day!

 

[2binak]

A family member who is a nurse has suggested mixing yucky tasting liquid meds with chocolate milk. We haven't had to use this method but others in the family have and they've had success with it.

You might want to double-check with the dr or pharmacist to make sure it's ok to mix this particular med with yogurt or various drinks though.

 

[cassandrap83]

Just have him hold his nose.

Then, take a few sips of some soda (bubbles work for whatever reason) before letting go.

I still do this as an adult

 

[sparks19]

Yeah I went to the pharmacy and had them add flavoring. Nope... still terrible.

The worst part is you can't hide it because you can SMELL it. I can smell it and I'm in a different room and there is just a capful sitting in a cup on the counter (because I still need to clean the kitchen LOL)

I told the nurse last night "I'm an adult and I don't think I could force myself to take this everyday"

So after a lot of asking around, looking around, reading, etc I've decided to give miralax a try.

It's just not worth it to have this battle over a medicine that I can't even stomach the smell of as I'm giving it to her and she's crying and trying not to throw up when there are other alternatives.

If it was life threatening and the only option absolutely I'd force it down her throat lol but it's not. I have other options and i think at this point I need to explore those other options because this particular medicine just isn't going to work for us.

 

[labdogs42]

Mix it with chocolate syrup or chase it with a spoonful of chocolate syrup. My boys swear by it.

This is what my pes recommends, too. It does work, but given the options, I think I'd try the miralax. I always try my kids meds, too. If they are too gross for me, I just can't see trying to make a kid choke it down!

 

[SnipsNSnails]

It's not a matter of making her take it or not. she will take it and swallow it if I tell her too. the problem is ... if she gags (and she will... from previous experience with yucky tasting medicine) she WILL throw up. She's got a very sensitive gag reflex. even a cough can result in her bringing up her lunch. She's a puker.

She will take it but she won't be able to control it if it comes back up.

The PP who mentioned yogurt. that's a great idea and I'm going to try that. The amount she gets is not so important. as long as she gets most of it.

if I can't get it into her I'm going to call the doc tomorrow and see if we can switch to something else... I THINK it comes in pill form but I'm not certain on that. will check with the doc

I totally understand! I have a puker too. He was recently diagnosed ADHD and he puked a couple times trying to swallow the pill. So I read that mixing it with peanut butter would work, and it did until we had to up the dose. Apparently the higher dose has a much stronger taste and the peanut butter tastes awful. We've tried topping with jelly, even making a mini sandwich. Today we managed to swallow the pill but that was after he puked after taking one bite of the sandwich....disgusting.

 

[2binak]

I told the nurse last night "I'm an adult and I don't think I could force myself to take this everyday"

So after a lot of asking around, looking around, reading, etc I've decided to give miralax a try.

It's just not worth it to have this battle over a medicine that I can't even stomach the smell of as I'm giving it to her and she's crying and trying not to throw up when there are other alternatives.

Hugs to you & your DD OP. I think you're making a wise (& most importantly, well-researched) decision.

 

[POOHDRMR]

My dd used the miralax at 3 for the same problem and she never minded taking it-thank goodness!We just put it in a little water.She always had constipation problems from milk too.

 

[deva]

Yes, Miralax! Mix it with any drink - won't even know it's in there. My DD was on it for about 6 mos.

Costco has Kirkland brand for much cheaper than the name brand.

 

[SoonerSarah]

Ok, so my daughter is on colace and miralax, and I just had to go taste it, and while it's not good, I didnt think it was that bad. It's bitter. Makes me wonder if there are different types.

While this isn't an issue for us, I think there are some great tips, especially the straw. Good luck!