Daughter Won't Take Medicine

My little guy hates antibiotics even when flavored so I allow him to chase it with something. He does better if I let him be in control. I will hand him the spoon he takes it and then in a medicine cup I have something he likes (chocolate syrup, sparkling juice, sometimes a little ginger ale, anything he does not get a regular basis)
You could use a medicine dropper hold her down and squirt it in the back of her mouth between her teeth and gums I know its not pleasant to have to force it but she needs to take it.

my daughter had to take an antibotic which was nasty for nearly 30 days. She gags everything. I tried mixing it with chocolate too, and it didn't help much.
What worked for us was letting her be in control. She was the one who squirted it in her mouth and I let her pick what she got afterwards to wash it down. Sometimes she wanted water, sometimes milk, sometimes a candy....her choice.
It also helped that her DR called to follow up on how things are going and talked to her on the phone and told her it was either take it or have to come every day for a week for a shot.

I worked in an ER and they told parents to never put the medicine in items, because you'll never know if they get the full dosage.

Bribe her with candy....say take your medicine then you can have 3 m&m's. That seems to work the most with my kids when they don't want to take it.

I give an M&M and it usually works. Whatever it takes!

Looks like you've had some great answers. All I have to say is do whatever it takes to get her to take it because this is a really nasty strain of pneumonia going around and I've known a few kiddos who have ended up in the hospital for quite a few days because of it.

My kids never get soda, so when they have meds to take, I measure the dose & add the same amount of Dr. Pepper or big red & they gulp it down so fast they never realize meds were in it. Hope this helps....

lay her on the floor, straddle her, trapping her legs under your butt, and her arms either next to her side, or under your knees. That gives you two free hands. One hand, hold her face and purse her lips. Using the syringe, put it into her cheek, between cheek and gum. She cannot spit it out that way. A light blow in the face or plugging the nose causes involuntary swallowing. Then, when you let her up, tell her that the next time she can choose to swallow the medicine like a big girl, or she can be tackled and held down. Then when it is time to give it to her again, remind her that she can choose which way she wants her medicine, but that she MUST take it to get better.

They all taste horrible- lay her on the floor, straddle her chest with her hands pinned at her sides and your knees by her ears so she cannot move her head. Use a medicine syringe. Put the syringe in her mouth along her cheek between the cheek and teeth and push. Do not let her up until it is gone.

Other option is to have her hold her nose while she takes it. Unbelievably (but true) this does something to your taste buds and you cannot taste it then. Have something GOOD to drink for right after. It depends on her maturity level. I have a 3 year old and would have to opt for the first choice if it tastes bad....but by 5 years old option 2 might work :)

Good luck!

I remember having to take Sulfa when I was small and that was like 45 yrs ago. Nothing they did to flavor the stuff could make medicine even remotely taste good.

Well, my parents had a heck of a time, too. What finally worked, they let me either sit on the counter (not supposed to be there) or on top of the frige. It did depend on who gave the meds as to where I got to sit. My very short mom (like me) couldn't reach to give it on the frige. I also preferred when my Grandpa was visiting and he gave it to me. So every Sunday night during an illness, he had the honors.

I don't remember much from then, but I do remember that awful medicine and it was flourescent (sp?) pink, and I remember sitting on the counter or frige. Turns out, I am allergic to the stuff after having it so frequently when a child.

My daughter had been on a daily antibiotic for almost 2 years and hates taking it. So I understand the fighting part. I usually put her medicine in Kool Aid because its so sweet she doesnt even taste the medicine. I tried once to put it in ginger ale put that didnt work. Go with something sweet. Hope she feels better.

Good Morning,
If I remember correctley it is a white kind and it smells like a lemon/almost smells like a cleaning solution... The Dr told me to mix it with chocolate... Straight Chocolate.. Ash could still taste it and still fought me but he liked the idea of having chocolate lol... Good luck with it,,, Now I tell the doc no white stuff unless your coming to my house to give it to him, they no longer perscribe it to my little guy.

Do you mean pneumonia? The important thing is that she takes it, so if you can't be "nice" about it--then oh well. You could try:
1. allowing her a piece of candy right after
2. put it in a syringe and let HER dose it into her mouth
3. you & someone else hold her still--get the syringe into her mouth and BLAM. Done.

Mix it with a small amount of drink.
I say small so you know she gets the full amount of medication.
Don't let her see you mix it in.

I think it might be too late now, but why don't you ask the pharmacy anyway and see if they can flavor it. They have lots of flavors she might like, like grape, cherry, strawberry, etc.
At least call the pharmacy and check, you have nothing to loose.
Blessings

Normally, I'm against bribery, but when it comes to something as serious as pneumonia, I think it's worth the attempt. I'd tell her that if she takes the medicine, you'll give her something she almost never gets that you know she likes a lot, whether that be a half hour/hour of television, stickers, M&Ms, etc.

The nice thing about this is that you're not encouraging them to only practice good behavior when you bribe them, because it's ONLY when they have medicine. They'll associate it with the terrible medicine, and not with good behavior.

CVS can add flavors to medicine, maybe she has a favorite flavor? My kids like grape.

That's so hard. I've had to literally pin my kiddo on the ground (straddle him w/ his arms pinned at his sides by my knees) to get a dose down him. It sucked - but it worked - but it still sucked. Now I can say to him, "This is not a choice - you HAVE to swallow it. NOT a choice." and then treat him with something afterward (the treat he gets IS a choice). If flavoring the meds through the pharmacy or another way that other posters have suggested doesn't work, call your ped or nurse and ask if there is another dosing option. Or take her in and ask them to show you how to give her the dose. Good luck - hope she's on the mend ASAP.