9 Year Old Refusing Medication

If it's over the counter medication, the only thing my 8 year old daughter will take is the Triaminic Thin Strips. She will not take pills or liquid.

Good Luck

My son has been on daily medication for the last 2 years. He was 2 1/2 when he was started on them. Most of them are nasty tasing. We had a lot of struggles until we found what worked for him. Oral medical syringes allowed us to squirt the meds toward the back of his mouth so he was less likely to spit them out. It didn't take long until we got to a point where we could hold them in his mouth and he would push the plungers. I guess that helped him feel like he had some control and it seemed like a special privilege. We also mixed the meds in really strong lemonade (made from a mix) - about half of a shot glass worth. We do this for the liquid meds as well as the pills we crush for him. Praise and a sticker chart helped as well. The only modifications we've made are that he will now drink the liquid med mixed in the lemonade from a shot glass and when he wants a change we use fruit punch (made strong from a mix) or flavored snow cone syrup. We still use the syringes for the crushed pills. Good luck finding a solution.

HI S.
I am right there with you. From the time my daughter was born up until a few months ago she would gag and throw up after giving medication. There were many times she would have to be hospitalized just to get her meds intervenously. She is now 9. What I do is:

I find it easier for her to have pills. So I get applesauce on a spoon, I put the pill in it. She puts it on her tongue and then swallows water right away so she is not actually eating the pill or the applesauce she is just swallowing it down without tasting or feeling the pill. If the pill is too big I just break it in half. I hope this helps. I feel your pain. Good Luck Bonnie

I had the same problem with my son (he is almost 9 now)for most of his life. He always hated taking any kind of meds and often gagged and even vomited occasionally after taking it when he was little. I also have 2 other chidren who do not like taking meds, but not to the extreme of my first. We have been very lucky with all of our kids that they have each only needed antibiotics once, so we haven't had many issues with those. But since very few OC work well anyway, I just stopped giving all those cough syrups and decongestants to them and the only thing I ever insist on is ibuprofen or Tylenol when they get a fever. Once my oldest weighed enough to take "adult" fever medication (one pill instead of the full adult dosage- give them the same amount of mgs as would be taken in the child's liquid or chewables), everything got much easier. I am assuming since your son is 9 he would be old enough to take one ibuprofen (or some portion of an adult dosage of whatever type of cold medicine you are trying to give him-- of course ask your doctor about all that). All you have to do is convince him to swallow the pill. My son resisted at first, but those coated ibuprofens are very easy to swallow, so once we got him to do it once, it was great. Now if he has a fever and feels that bad, he is very willing to swallow one little pill with no taste, than to try chewing or drinking the nasty tasting children's meds. Give your son a choice-- try the one pill (start with one very small coated tablet) or have his regular meds. Hopefully he will try swallowing what he needs, gets it down easily and you all will be happier with the process of having to occasionally give and take medications.

I can not physcially take liquid medicine! I don't know why...I can not get it down. It is embarrassing when your husband has to treat you like a child to TRY and get medicine down...pills and capsuls are the way I go. Is there any kind of chewable substiture he can take. Maybe ask your pediatrition for acceptable substitutes. Good Luck, your little guy isn't the only one ;)

if he doesn't take pills yet but is willing to learn that is the best option. one trick for learning to swallow pills that is tasty and can mask the taste of the pills is to coat the pill in "magic shell" ice cream topping. it makes a coating that is smooth and tastes good too. i am a peds nurse so we encounter alot of this at my hospital. a child life specialist came up with this and the nurses all thought it was ingenious and it has worked every time we've used it. good luck!!

Hi S.,
I'm not sure what type of medication he has to take -- pills or liquids -- but maybe if it's liquid you could find a local compounding pharmacy that can flavor it with something he does like? I know my local pharmacy can do that with liquid meds. Good luck.

Hi S.,

What kind of medication and for what is it for?

Just want to know. Thanks. D.

I still gag when I have to take medicine and my 15 month old hates it also. Just put it in his juice or applesauce etc. Ask the Dr. if that will be a problem. Some medication you can take with juice. Make it easieer for yourself and him with out the struggle because he is already sick why make it worst.

Hi S.,

Some people have a very sensitive gag reflex and are extremely sensitive to bad tastes.

I would speak with the doctor and tell him/her that your son really doesn't take medications well, and ask for the most pleasurable application (do this in front of him so he knows that you are really on his side in the matter. Then if he hears from the doc, "this is the only way it comes, he has no choice but to accept it.) However, many pharmacies can flavor liquid meds. Ask if it comes in a small pill form instead, etc. I also try to make it as quick and painless as possible, by having a drink or piece of bread at the ready, so as soon as the nasty stuff hits their tongue, they can start swigging on their drink real quick.

Then for a nine year old, I'd tell it to him straight. If he needs the medication, there is no option not to take it. It must be done, but there are choices most of the time. You can either gag it down with a liquid, learn to swallow pills (which my children did WAY before age 9 for the fact that they couldn't stand the liquids) or the old fashioned way, by injection. (Funny story, one time my youngest, at age 4 or 5, pointed at the doctor and said firmly, "And I DON'T want a shot!" to which he replied very innocently, "We don't give shots here, we give injections." And she let out her breath in relief and said, "Well, that's okay, then.")

When he chooses, tell him that you expect him to do it without the drama. You can sympathize and tell him you understand how uncomfortable it is for him, but that your job as mom is to do what is best for him, and that taking the medication is what is best.

I hope that helps some.
L.

PS I hate taking meds too :-)

My 6 year old has never cared for liquid medicines with the exception of Tylenol. I've even had them flavored and they still taste awful. This time around I requested the pediatrician prescribe a pill. She did and my daughter is doing fine with it. By 9 I would think he could handle it.