Giving medicine to children, especially infants and toddlers can be difficult. Children will squirm, spit, clench their teeth, and even vomit to avoid taking medicine. If you are having trouble getting your child to take medicine, talk to your doctor. He or she can suggest a helpful way to administer it or might prescribe the medication in a form that your child accepts more readily. Tell your doctor if your child vomits after taking medicine because the child may not have gotten the right dose.
Always dispense a medication in the exact dose your doctor prescribes. Giving too much medication or not enough can be harmful. If you don t understand something about a medicine that has been prescribed for your child, ask your doctor or pharmacist for an explanation. Ask your pharmacist to give you an information sheet with the medicine.
Make sure the doctor knows about any medications your child is already taking both prescription and over the counter. Tell the doctor about any allergies you know your child has. Be sure to find out these important points about any new medication:
The exact name of the medication and its strength.
What the medication is supposed to do.
The exact dose to give.
The number of times a day it should be given and when during the day or night. For example, does four times a day mean every 6 hours around the clock or at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime? You don t usually need to wake up a child in the middle of the night to give medication.
Whether or not to give the medication with food.
Any special instructions, such as shaking a liquid medicine before giving it.
How to tell if the medicine is working.
The most common and serious side effects.
Any special storage instructions, such as refrigeration.
Whether the benefits outweigh any known risks.
If a generic form of the drug can be used.
If the medicine interacts with any other medicines.
Make sure that all labels are clearly marked so you won t give medication prescribed for one child to another.
Many children have difficulty swallowing pills. In fact, most children can t swallow pills until they are at least 4 or 5 years old. The best way to teach your child how to swallow a tablet is by showing him or her how you do it. When giving your child a pill, tell the child to place the pill on the back of his or her tongue. Keeping the tongue flat, the child should then sip a small amount of liquid and hold it in his or her mouth. While tilting the head back slightly, the child can then swallow both the pill and the liquid.
Generally, it may take sometime for children to get used to taking medicine. The best way to encourage a child to take medicine is to make the experience as pleasant as possible. If possible get medication that has a great taste that any child would like. This will make the child have a great experience and therefore not have a problem taking his medication. |
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