I need a fever reducer for my daughter that has no flavor

[Anonymous]

My 8 year old daughter recently threw up the falvored syrup Motrin we had been giving her for years and now won't take any fever reducer. She won't take the chewable tablets either - she says they taste yucky. I told her that if she took somehting, it would make her feel better, but she opted to suffer with a fever (around 101-102) for about two days before she decided to try the syrup again. I tried diluting it in water, and she still couldn't manage to drink it. I realize you don't have to take fever reducer, is just helps you feel better, but when she told me that she was tired of feeling sick, I felt so bad for her. Any suggestions?

[Anonymous]

Is she old enough to start trying to swallow pills? And if she is, could she take just one Motrin instead of the adult dosage of 2 pills/tablets?

[Anonymous]

Can she learn to swallow pills so that she can take them that way? Or you could ask about crushing the appropriate dose (child or portion of adult) in something like chocolate pudding that masks the taste well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can she learn to swallow pills so that she can take them that way? Or you could ask about crushing the appropriate dose (child or portion of adult) in something like chocolate pudding that masks the taste well.

It took me forever to be able to swallow pills. I still can't eat applesauce or cherry yogurt because my mom tried crushing pills in both when I was young. Makes me gag because it was so nasty.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I can't give her an adult pill until she's 12, so the only other option is one of those Tylenol chewable tablets - which she hates the flavor of (berry or grape or something). I asked her if I could crush it and put it in food or she could swallow with water, and she said no. I thought maybe they made a flavorless Motrin - but alas -- it's only DYE-free -- it still has berry flavor! Any other ideas??

[Anonymous]

I remember needsing to take foul tasting medicine as a child when I was sick (hospitalized so I had to take it). I still remeber how it tasted but this was the plan: they would give me the medicine in the little cup and we had a blackberry juice drink right there which I would then gulp down immediately. The blackberry drink was made from concentrate and they had added less water than normal so if had a very strong taste. Putting the medicine into the juice did not work because it just prolonged the bad taste.

[Anonymous]

I had very very bad asthma as a baby/child and used to have to take this syrup called tedral. It was the most disgusting thing and to make me take it, my dad would take it too. Poor him!

[Anonymous]

What about an acetaminophen suppository?

[Anonymous]

I used to hold the medicine spoon with Benadryl in one hand and a pickle in the other to chase away the taste!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I can't give her an adult pill until she's 12, so the only other option is one of those Tylenol chewable tablets - which she hates the flavor of (berry or grape or something). I asked her if I could crush it and put it in food or she could swallow with water, and she said no. I thought maybe they made a flavorless Motrin - but alas -- it's only DYE-free -- it still has berry flavor! Any other ideas??

Why did you ask her? Why not just crush it up, give it to her and be done with it.

[Anonymous]

Try having her suck on an ice cube for a couple of minutes before giving her the medicine. The ice will "freeze" her taste buds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try having her suck on an ice cube for a couple of minutes before giving her the medicine. The ice will "freeze" her taste buds.

OP here. DD got through the 4 day fever with no fever reducer. I'm going to keep this ice cube suggestion in mind in case for next time -- and there will (unfortunately) be a next time. Thanks all!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about an acetaminophen suppository?

I second this. I don't know why these suppositories are kept a secret. I can't count how many times I was told by a ped. to give medicine to a child with a stomach bug. How stupid. The suppositories are gross but they work quickly and swallowing and vomiting obviously are not issues.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I think an 8 yr old girl who clearly has strong opinions will just step right up and agree to having something shoved up her butt.

In a different vein, your 8 yr old has shown you that she's big enough to make her own decisions like this. She thought it over and chose the fever route over the bad taste, which is a totally rational choice for a standard cold. I don't know her, but I like her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I think an 8 yr old girl who clearly has strong opinions will just step right up and agree to having something shoved up her butt.

In a different vein, your 8 yr old has shown you that she's big enough to make her own decisions like this. She thought it over and chose the fever route over the bad taste, which is a totally rational choice for a standard cold. I don't know her, but I like her.

With a mom like you, I guess she would object pretty strenuously, but with my kid I can usually have a conversation like, "I know it's gross but it will make you feel better and it only takes a minute."