From: wang@ssd.intel.com (Wen-Lin Wang)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Re: How to get your child take medicine?
Date: 6 Oct 92 17:17:47 GMT
Article-I.D.: SSD.1992Oct6.171747.19086
Distribution: usa
Organization: Supercomputer Systems Division, Intel Corp.

In article <1992Oct5.150459.28084@ttinews.tti.com> reid@metis.tti.com (Reid Kneeland) writes:
>My advice:
>
>Your daughter does not need the cough syrup.  Cough syrup merely
>relieves a symptom.  It does not make your child healthier.  This is
>true of just about any over-the-counter medicine you can buy.  If it's
>such a struggle, then forget it.
>
>The only exception to this would be if she is not getting enough sleep,
>due to the coughing. Giving the syrup to help her sleep at night may be
>worth it, since sleep helps recovery.
>
Since I posted my question, I took Caroline to her doctor and found she
had sinus infection and the cough was due to that also.  Her doctor prescribed
antibiotics for her but left it to me to decide whether and when to start 
giving her since he also hoped that she can tough it out.  This doctor
is against giving her any medicine during the day for running nose and
coughing.  He would suggest cough medicine for the night only if the 
coughing prevents the child a good sleep.  Same suggestion as Reid's.

Okay, the following is the summary of the response I received by email so far.
Hope this would help the poor parents (like us) out there.  My thanks to all
who responded.

Wen-lin
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I wouldn't bother with the cough meds if she doesn't want to. She will
get better as quickly without them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I use the "teaspoon of sugar" approach.  It sounds like you tried it,
but I use a slightly different approach.  If she takes her medicine like
a big girl (no spitting it out), she gets a treat.  I started out with
marshmellows, but I think anything might work.

I think the key is "You'll take it either way, but if you take it
'nicely' you get a treat".  This first worked on my daughter at 27 mos.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laura likes to suck the syrup out of a big medicine dropper (which we
bought at the drugstore) rather then the spoon.  This may not help
you, though, because she has never objected to the taste.  Others will
no doubt mention having your daughter "give" medicine to a doll then
get it from you.  You could try a reward (bribe") - if you drink all
your medicine, you can have/do ....
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
In article <1992Oct2.185700.25659@SSD.intel.com> you write:
about your daughter not wanting to take medicine

Boy is this timely for me.  I have the same problem with my 2 year
old daughter.  I think it's a conspirancy :)  If you keep a summary,
I'd love a copy of the suggestions you get.  Mellie had a cough and
runny nose so I was trying to give her Sudafed and cough medicine, 
the cough medicine is pretty nasty and I've had better success with
the Sudafed, but that doesn't help the cough.  So far, here's some of
the things I've tried:

We have a special place to take medicine - 'the medicine place' is 
sitting on a counter in the bathroom, usually an off limits place.
That worked in the past but doesn't work anymore.

Play 'tea party' and use the medicine cup as the tea cup, or put the
medicine in one of her toy tea cups.  That worked once I think, but again
doesn't work anymore.

Dip things in the medicine and eat them.  I've tried putting the medicine
on a muffin and then jam on top of that, that worked moderately well for
a little bit of medicine but it's hard to get a full dosage in that way.
Most recently, I let her dip grapes in the medicine, the grapes didn't
soak any up but it got on her fingers and she would like them off and 
finally just drank what was left.  I also helped her eat a popsicle and
dipped it in the cough medicine.  Again not a full dosage but better than
none.  This was the most recent thing that worked.  Since these things
only have a trend of working once, I need some new ideas.  I wonder if
the medicine could be frozen withe juice  into a popsicle?  Maybe I'll
call the company and find out.
(You do want to make sure that the medicine is refrigeratable.  Wen-lin)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Well, this is an area in which I have a great deal of experience, as my
kids (now 5 and 2) have pneumonia 2-4 times a winter each, and they usually
have bronchitis at least twice too; they are just prone to it!  Anyway,
there are a variety of different things I might mention...
  First, what tastes terrible to you might not to a 2 year old; don't ask
me why!  I hate them all, and agree with you that the essential flavor
comes thru, no matter what.  However, my 2 year old happily takes most
anything (Robitusin DM is the exception, but it is an "adult" formula that
can be given to kids; we keep it for the "big gun" type stuff, and she
knows that).
  Second, we find giving a different medicine each dose helps, though it
is a pain in the neck!  It helps for several reasons, including the fact
that by the time you get around to the medicine again, the child really
can't remember what it tastes like, and you have less resistance.  The
primary motivator for us is that our kids get hyped on cough syrups 
(not uncommon), and they react less if we vary what med we are giving.
None make them sleepy, which gives us a wider range for daytimes (most
parents have to restrict themselves to those that don't make their kids
sleepy for day use).  One of our best choices (duration, taste, minimal
side effects, and efficiency) is "NiteLight" (Triaminic) as it is made
to be longer lasting, and the taste isn't nearly so bad.  It may make your
child sleepy; it sure doesn't make mine that way!
  Third, it is definately time for some "magic"; for my daughter, that
means Daddy holds her hand, and if he can't, big brother will do.  She
will take even the worst straight down that way.  It doesn't really
matter what you offer ("Would it help if you held bear?"), as long as
you are sincere about finding a way to help.
  Fourth, anything cold first will dull the taste.  Give her an ice cube,
or a very cold drink (and use it as a chaser too), or best of all, a 
popsicle (though with bronchitis, the cold liquid often sets off a coughing
attack in my kids). 
  Fifth, give them a "chase liquid"; all prepared and sitting nearby. 
Water is fine, but so is juice or milk (some antibiotics shouldn't be
taken with milk), etc.  **This will reduce the "coating" effect, which
has some purpose in reducing the cough, but if it is the only way to
get the meds down, I've found it is worth it.
  Sixth, get a medicine syringe, and use it -- you can make nearly all of
it by-pass the taste buds this way.  Basically, the best way is to have
the child lie in a semi-reclining position, and you put the tip of the
syringe in the space between the outside of the upper teeth, and the
inside of the cheek, way back by the molars.  The medicine then runs
along the inside of the cheek and down the throat (without causing 
gagging or coughing, once you get good at it).  This is easiest of all
with a medicine dropper, like those provided with baby Tylenol, etc,
as they are more slender than the medicine syringes.  (One warning --
*don't* let the saliva on the syringe contaminate the medication; you
can dump a small amount into a medicine measuring cup, or use the 
"V" shaped rubber bottle stoppers made for this purpose -- you put in the
stopper, stick the syringe in the hole in the stopper, invert the bottle,
draw out what your need, and then use it.  We use this system).
  Seventh, at some point in each child's life they are going to learn that
sometimes Mommy and Daddy mean what they say, and that not every rule
can be bent.  Our kids both came up against this truth when faced with
days on end on icky tasting medicines (some of the antibiotics are really
foul, and that combined with cough syrup several times a day will make you
all wish you'd never been born!)  Unfortunate as it may be, both our kids
have been held down for medicines, though it doesn't take many repititions
for most kids to get the message.  (Note that use of a syringe or dropper
makes it hard to spit back out again because it starts well back in the
mouth, and can be administered under duress).
  My daughter is just finishing antibiotics for her first bout of pneumonia
for this fall/winter, and I'm happy to say that she has cooperated with
even the icky tasting medicine.  I wish she hadn't had so much practice at
it all, but it can't be helped!
  Good luck; hope some of these tips help!  Feel free to post them if you
think they'd been generally useful.  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't remember at what age this worked...maybe a little older..

I have acknowledged to my son that the medicine tastes yuccy...but
he has to take it.  And I tell him that if he swallows it quickly and
follows it with a drink of juice, the yuccy taste will go away.

It did work at one time, starting sometime between 2 & 3.

--