Written by: Dr. Zhang Jie<\/p>\n
If a child’s illness causes them great suffering, I imagine the parents suffer no less. This is because, besides taking their child to the doctor and taking time off work to care for them, they also have to worry about administering medication. Therefore, the real battle often begins after returning home from the doctor’s visit. Actually, there are methods for giving children medication, and parents can learn how to master them.<\/p>\n
First, the initial form of medication a child encounters is liquid medicine. Liquid medicine can be divided into two types: liquid and suspension. The former is an aqueous solution, often containing a small amount of alcohol, while the latter does not contain alcohol but has granular suspensions, making it more noticeable in the throat. Both are basically equally effective, each with its own supporters, and doctors usually keep both types on hand.<\/p>\n
Because medicine has a medicinal taste, children will definitely dislike it. If you try to mask the taste by adding liquid medicine to a flavored drink, it will generally fail because the child will easily detect it. Furthermore, children have a natural tendency to vomit, so when they feel the discomfort in their throat from the liquid medicine, they may vomit it up. Also, generally speaking, there’s no distinction between taking children’s medication on an empty stomach or a full stomach. However, some medications can react with food; for example, tetracycline and chlortetracycline antibiotics can interact with milk, affecting their efficacy.<\/p>\n
As for pills or capsules, these should be tried when the child is older. Theoretically, both are as effective as liquid medicine. However, cough syrups generally contain more ingredients with different functions, making them more effective. Therefore, adults may also consider prescription cough syrups. As for the appropriate age to prescribe pills, it depends on the child’s tolerance, as some adults may not be able to swallow pills. So, as parents, how can we make giving medicine less of a chore?<\/p>\n
Try not to force your child to swallow medicine.<\/p>\n
Involve your child in the medication process as early as possible, such as getting the medicine, pouring the liquid, and feeding them with a spoon.<\/p>\n
If the child vomits profusely within half an hour of taking the medicine, you can give them a second feeding.<\/p>\n
It’s best not to mix the medicine with milk, as insufficient milk will result in insufficient dosage.<\/p>\n
Encourage your child to try swallowing pills (at any age), starting with a small one.<\/p>\n
While rectal suppositories are indeed effective for some oral medications, for many older children, this is a very “painful” experience and may remind them of unpleasant memories, so it’s best to avoid them.<\/p>\n
Parents should also have a positive attitude towards medication: Taking medicine is necessary when sick, and it’s not a chore.<\/p>\n
Hopefully, all parents will not be troubled by their children taking medicine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"