My 2 1/2 year old daughter was diagnosed with scarlett fever yesterday. This is after a different doctor (emergency dr) diagnosed her with strep throat and a wax plug in each ear. He gave us the medicine he thought was right and so for 4 1/2 days, we gave her this medicine (by the way, ear drops and then laying on one's side for 5+ minutes for each ear is not super easy with a toddler). Well, her symptoms got worse...adding vomiting and diarrhea...we took her to the pediatrician who right away saw the beginning of the rash and so now we have new medicine and here's the problem...for whatever reason (either her raw sore throat or that she is tired of medicine after 6 days now) she refuses to swallow her antibiotics. Normally she is great about taking medicine, but this one does have a pretty strong smell...anyway, I am kind of coming to the end of my rope...husband is sick too with the stomach flu...so far, I am okay, just very tired and worried about my kiddo. Any ideas on how to get her to take her medicine? I've tried sneaking it in her water and in the very little bit of food she'll actually swallow, can't mask the smell and she refuses it.
I really want to thank everyone for all the ideas and advice. I kind of panicked when I thought she wasn't going to take her antibiotics. I had read up on Scarlett Fever and was a bit overwhelmed at what could happen if it goes untreated. Well, the bit about blowing in a toddler's face to trigger the reflex to swallow, that worked like a charm. I had never heard of that before. At first, my husband and I had to hold her arms down and tilt her head back some and once she got it in her mouth, I blew in her face and she swallowed. It was a bit traumatic, but it worked. We praised her big girl efforts and explained how this medicine was going to help her get better so she could play and dance like normal...well, the third time (after we did the blowing in her face and holding her arms method), she took it with almost no problem. She still didn't like the taste (it was already cherry flavored, but the medicine was too strong to mask), but she did take it and swallow it all by herself. I think those first two doses had already helped with the sore throat, that and children's tylenol. She still has two more days of the treatment, but is taking her medicine with no problem now and is doing so much better. I thank God for His use of this website to help talk some sense into overly tired and panicking mamas. And for His Hand on my daughter during this whole ordeal. My husband is doing much better too. Oh and in case there are more cases of Scarlett Fever going around out there...vomiting and diarrhea actually are symtpoms...along with the strep throat and the fever and rash. happy Holiday season everybody, J. P
If shes not penicillin allergic, I would take h er back to the doctor and ask for LA Bicillin injection. No oral medicine required. Just one quick injection and less trama to the good gut flora which are altered with the oral meds. It works faster too. My children suffered with strep and my daughter had scarlet fever too (strep with the rash). Hope all goes well,
B. S. RN CCm
Hi J.,
When my daughter was a baby, I could not get her to take her Augmentin for anything. I started giving it to her with either a spoonful of honey or chocolate syrup. She tolerated those much better, I believe because of the thick sugar! You might clear it with her Dr. first, though, because I know sometimes certain types of food interfere with certain meds. I think sugar is fine, though.
Good luck!
My little girl is 2 1\2 too and I still use the syringe droppers we used when she was an infant. If she refuses to let you squirt it in you can push her cheeks in at the back of her mouth and squirt it in while her head's tilted back. I don't like doing it, but sometimes it's the only way. You can get the syringes at any pharmacy. You might ask them if they can flavor the meds too. That might help a little.
Hi J.,
I'm SO sorry you have all this going on at the same time!
the only thing I can offer is ask the Pharmacy and see if they have flavoring they can put in the meds (I got some at my local Walmart, but not every store has it).
If the meds taste more like grape-whatever is your daughter's favorite, it might help her swallow it.
I had to add flavoring at home to my daughters antibiotics b/c the Rx put bubblegum in it and she hated the taste..
OH-we got her to take it by giving her Yogurt-the kids kind in a cup w/ a character she loves (Dora, there are lots) the flavor of the Yogurt masked the flavor of the medicine and she ate it all up.
Hope this helps and good luck!
C.
Hi J.,
I feel so bad for all that you're going thru, I know how stressful that can be! It looks like you've received a lot of good advice but just in case you still need help, I wanted to add mine.
When my daughter was little she absolutely refused to take medicine but the only thing that worked for us was taking a popsicle and chopping it up in a bowl. Put the medicine in and then announce that we're going to eat a popsicle! If possible, if the medicine happens to be cherry flavor use a cherry popsicle or grape use a grape flavor, etc.
I hope you and your family are feeling better soon!
Take care!
Try giving her some pain medication to see if her throat is the culprit - strep (which brings on scarlett fever) is incredibly painful, and it hurts more to swallow than it does to not - take it from a person who suffered through 20+ cases of it as a child - I still remember the pain. If she won't swallow the pain medicine, you can ask for tylenol suppositories - pharmacies often carry them, but behind the counter.
You can also ask the phamacist to flavor the medicine - you can probably just take the bottle back to the pharmacy and ask them to add the flavor.
I don't recommend mixing the meds in with any food or liquid without asking the doc first, then only a tiny bit. That being said, swallowing it with pudding or a shake might make it easier to manage.
This is probably (hopefully) too late, but maybe you can use it in the future as well. I have three children and this method mostly always works without compromising the medicine by adding things to it. Get the syringe like the others said, but if you've never noticed, if you blow in a baby or small child's face they will automatically inhale and swallow. You might have to do very small portions at a time to keep them from choking or spitting out the medicine and the process may be unpleasant for a few moments, but adding sugar to the mix is often a very bad idea(especially if the illness is causing diarrhea, which sugar exacerbates). I have found that we rarely even need to "wash down" the medicine after using this method. Hope this helps!
C.
Please keep close watch, and MAKE SURE THAT YOU KEEP HER HEAD, EARS, AND EYES, cool. To do this you may have to take turns with your husband on a 24 hour basis. I wouild not depend on the medical staff to do this.
I had it at 7 or 8, lost one ear completely, and part of the other. Sorry to say did not find this out until I was a sophomore in high school.
Also my s-i-l uncle lost both eyes.
I do not want to scare you, but this is a terrible diesease.
I ask St Rita of Cascia, saint of the impossible, to ask our Lord to watch over this child.
God Bless
tiny sips alternating with a drink of water helps us.
J.,
When my son got scarlet fever I opted for the Penicillin shot. That way I did not have to worry about him taking his meds. He hates needles and at three years old it took 4 people to hold him still. My daughter is very strong willed also so if there is an easy way out we take it. I dont know if you can ask the Dr to give her a shot but if he will you do not have the daily struggle of getting her to take meds.
H.
Hi J.,
Hope it's not too late, but I have a kind of weird thought. I've heard about a bottle that is designed to get babies to take medicine--it has a separate little holder for the medicine inside, so it comes out through the nipple w/the breastmilk/formula/whatever. I know she might be a little old for a bottle, but the novelty might grab her, and they say the medicine gets far enough back that they don't really taste it.
I hope it's too late, though, and that she's already doing better! I saw quite a few kids who ended up w/scarlett fever when I taught preschool, and it seems to clear up pretty fast w/antibiotics. I agree w/the others, though--I'd think the stomach symptoms would be from something else that your hubbie seems to have, too.
Good luck!
L.
This isn't going to sound very nice, but she has to take it to get better. You can lay her on her back and use a syringe and slowly squirt it into her mouth, I have had to do this a time or two and sometimes I have to hold him down. You could also have the pharmacy add a flovor to it so it may not taste as bad, good luck! It's really hard when your kiddo is sick!
Call the Pediatrician. Sometimes they have alternatives that are better tasting or can add a flavor at the pharmacy. I don't know how much she is refusing, but when my kids haven't wanted to take their medicine I just had to force them by holding them tight and forcing it down. If you can't get a hold of the pediatrician, call the pharmacist and see if there is anything they can suggest. Good luck and hope she feels better soon!
Talk to your pharmacist. These days they are all experts at flavoring medicines.
Have you tried having the medicine mixed with flavoring? I know CVS and Target do this. Maybe that would help her with taking it? Good luck.
My mom always had a hard time getting my younger sister to take medicine. Ultimately, she settled on letting her have a cookie or two after she took all the medicine. My sister is 25 now and still takes a cookie after taking medicine, but it cut down on hassles when she was younger. I don't know how it will work with a 2 1/2 year old, though. Mixing medicine WITH a food can cause problems, because I had to take mineral oil for a while when I was in elementary school, and my mom mixed it with apple juice, and I haven't liked apple juice ever since, though previously I did. Good luck! It's hard to take care of several sick people!
J.,
Do they not give antibiotics shots anymore? When I was little we always got a shot of penicillin in the rear...only once in a while were we "treated" to the pink stuff. If your DD is to the point where she won't take the Rx and you've tried disguising it, asking for a shot is worth a try.
K.
When my then 5 yr. old had her tonsils out, she refused to take her pain medication but was in so much pain. The apothecary shop was able to make a cream with the pain medicine. We rubbed it on her arm and the medicine went right into her blood stream. Do you have a compounding pharmacy near you? Not every state has one; we live in Oklahoma. Also, not sure if they can do this for antibiotics but it's worth a shot.
J.
Hi there J.: So sorry you are going thru this. As the song says a little bit of sugar[honey , applesauce or other purred fruit } makes the medicine go down.} Generally works Also the sore throt is the problem ! A few sprays of "phenol" will deaden the throat. Easy on the because she is a toddler.
Hope all get well soon. Hugs and angle kisses
I've always been a fan of holding my breath as I take smelly medicines. It also reduces the taste. Encourage her to do that.
I'm so sorry to hear that you're going through all of this!
By the way, there is no such thing as the stomach flu. Food poisoning is WAY more common than you think. Get him some grapefruit seed (not grapeseed) extract, preferably in pill form, not liquid (talk about bad taste), and examine what he's been eating, that you apparently haven't, that is keeping him sick (maybe your daughter has had some, too, thus the vomiting and diarrhea?). Also, don't let him drink Sprite or other sugary things "to settle his stomach." Food poisoning is bacterial, and bacteria *thrive* on sugar.
Man...hang in there.
L.
Our pharmacy will add a flavor like grape or bubblegum...I don't know if the flavor could be added after it is already mixed but I would call and find out. I would also call and ask your pediatrician for any helpful suggestions.
What worked for my son for any Rx, I would mix with like a tablespoon of chocolate syrup and put in syringe... he tought he was taking chocolate meds. Don't let her see u do.. Just let her have some pure chocolate syrup in syringe then give the rx in the refill.
J., Dependin gon where you get your meds. The apothocary shoppe gives these for free, but I buy them at wal-nmart for a dollar or 2. They are syringe tops for liquid medicine. You change out the lid and then have a needleless syringe that you pop on the lid and draw the meds. then you just stick it in their mouths past the taste buds and push the syringe. No choice but to swallow. have her hold her hed back a little. the chocolate syrup in the syringe is a great idea as well. Good luck
Use a syringe to draw the meds up in then squirt in the back of her mouth. She will have to swallow it then.
I also have a 2 1/2 year old who hates to take medicine. We mix it in a cup with a very small amount of Coke, Dr. Pepper or Orange soda, whichever he decides he wants. Since he never gets to drink sodas, he thinks of it as a special treat and the strong flavor masks the medicine taste and smell. I advise not mixing more than your child will drink in a few sips. Also, letting her use a straw might help. Don't worry about the caffeine, it is such a minute amount that it is no big deal. But if she does not like soda you might try mixing it in with a few bites of ice cream. I would think chocolate would be the most effective. Good luck! Hope she feels better soon!
It is imperative you get your daughter to take the medicine. Please call your physician and see if she can get them in a shot....
Return after a few days and have another strep test done to make sure she has not converted to "carrier".
Strep throat is nasty -- but undiagnosed, or undermedicated, leads to other medical problems that can be lifelong.
My son had strep so many times, and snoring to beat the band, we ended up taking out his tonsils.
She could have the stomach flu on top of the strep. YES your child has strep throat. Scarlet fever is an allergic reaction of sort, that a person has to a particular strain of the strep virus or a chemical it produces while in the body. I had it three times as a child...most people never have it. So in all reality there was no need to change antibiotics. As far as taking the anitbiotics goes...well you might do it when she's still asleep or try mixing it with grenadine syrup to make it sweet (this is what I had to do with my daughter's reflux meds as a toddler)
PS..while there's not actually a "stomach flu" there have been several nasty stomach viruses that last 3-6 days around here, so good luck.
take her to the hospital and let them give it to her intravenously.
