How do you get medicine into a child who simply refuses to take medicine?

[Cassius2]

oh man i am in this boat right now with my 1 year old!!

she hates the stuff (dont blame her lol). but her fever is too high for comfort and I want to help bring it down for a few hours relief for her but she just spits it all out again....so distressing, i hear you on that one G xx

[~mamaspice~]

We have to hide DD's medicine in her drink.

[misty]

We have at times (when the medicine has been yucky tasting) force the kids to take it. DH will hold them down so they cann't move, I will force the syring in their mouth. Now the have to be laying on their back for this, and you have to dribble it out of the syringe slowly so there isn't enough at anyone time to spit it out from that position - you also need to make sure that the syringe stays between their teeth the whole time (if they can close their teeth or their mouth, they will still be able to spit it out, even the small quantities). It can be a slow torturous process, but sometimes you just don't have any other choice. Also be prepared for some spluttering, but provided you only put very small squirts in at a time, they shouldn't choke.

[Amity]

My younger DS used to projectile vomit ANY medicine that I tried to give him, including pred which he HAD to have for his asthma.

So on the advice of his doctors, and the chemist, from about the age of 18 months (when he was the size of a three year old) he has had tablets, usually half the adult dose (in accordance with the recommendations of the dr/chemist), in a teaspoon of AktaVite/Milo. Raw. It's all chocolatey which hides the taste, and he won't spit it out.

Check with your dr/chemist if there is some tablet or other method. Otherwise there's always suppositories...