Administration of medication

Unless otherwise described, medicines are stored at room temperature (between +15°C and +25°C).

In principle, the following applies:

• Tablets with coating must not be crushed.
• Tablets may only be divided if a notch is present, using thumb pressure or a tablet divider.
• Only grind the medication with a special mortar, then clean it with water and allow it to dry.
• Only divide or grind the medication immediately before administration.

• Your child should be in a sitting or semi-sitting position. This reduces the risk of your child choking.
• Do not mix medication with food or porridge/milk meals. There is a risk that your child will not take the medication completely.
• Always praise your child after administration, even if the intake was difficult. Lots of praise and small rewards, e.g. great stickers for a "bravery chart" will help your child to master the situation.
• Avoid mixing different liquid medications or crushed medications to prevent reactions.
• Never take medication with grapefruit juice as there is a risk of interactions (underdose or overdose).

Some children find it difficult to take their medication. Together with your child, try to find a way for them to take their medication well. We have put together some helpful tips and tricks for you here:

• Explain to your child why they need to take the medicine.
• Do not refer to the medicine as a sweet or say that it tastes good.
• Offer your child the choice of how the medicine is taken (e.g. with which drink or in which position), but not whether they have to take the medicine.
• If possible, administer tablets as a whole, as crushed medication often tastes bitter.
• Mix the medication (e.g. drops) in a small amount of syrup or another sweet drink.
• Put a small ice cube in your child's mouth or give them something cold to drink before administering the medicine to numb their tongue a little. The taste of the medicine will be less noticeable as a result.

• The soother can support swallowing.
• In infants or small children, a liquid medication can be administered via a syringe to the side of the tongue or into the cheek pouch.
• If your child resists, try to distract him or her and do not hold him or her with force.
• Babies who are kicking can be wrapped in a blanket to administer medication.

How long do I have to give my child the medication?
In order to achieve the full effect of the medication, you must administer it for as long as prescribed by the doctor. For this reason, it may be necessary to continue taking the medicine even if your child is already feeling better and no longer appears ill.

What should I do if my child vomits or other problems occur?
If you have any problems or questions regarding the administration of medication or in the event of unexpected reactions to the medication (such as diarrhoea), please contact your paediatrician or call the Medgate Kids Line on 058 387 78 82 (billing via health insurance)

• It is possible that your child will have to take various medications during therapy. In order for these to achieve their optimum effect, they often have to be swallowed whole. Often the medication is not available in other forms, such as suspensions, or these simply do not taste good.
• Taking medication is difficult for many untrained children and can be a stress factor for the whole family.
• With the "medication swallowing training", you can playfully explore which head position is most comfortable for your child to swallow medication. This helps your child to swallow medication in the long term and contributes to a more relaxed atmosphere for the whole family.
• We recommend training from the age of around three. The prerequisite is that your child does not have any swallowing problems and has a certain level of motivation.

• When you swallow a tablet, it passes through your oesophagus into your stomach.
• Your oesophagus is at least 1.5 cm in size: this allows medication to pass through easily.
• It is also stretchy. Try pressing the inside of your cheek with your tongue. Your oesophagus is just as stretchy.
• Swallowing tablets is like riding a bike - with enough practice it becomes child's play.
• Many children - and adults too - can best swallow a tablet in one of the following head positions.
• To find out your most suitable head position, you can swallow a sweet of your choice in all five head positions over the next 14 days. Mini Smarties, TicTacs, mini m&m's or Skittles, for example, are best suited for this.

This is how you proceed:

1. Sit upright and relaxed. If you can't sit, you can also do it standing up.
2. Put the sweet in your mouth.
3. Take a small amount of water from the cup into your mouth.
4. Bring the sweet into position. It should end up at the back of the tongue. To get it there, you can shake your head, just like ducks do when eating.
5. Place your head in one of the 5 head positions.
6. Gulp down the sweet.

• In some cases, the use of a special cup could make it easier to take tablets or capsules.
• The tablet or capsule is located in a compartment inserted into the top of the cup and is automatically "flushed" into the throat with the liquid when drinking.
• The cup can help to ensure that the medication is perceived as little or not at all, which can prevent the development of a possible gag reflex.
• Such cups for taking medication can be purchased privately online. An example of such a cup would be the "pill sipper" beaker from Hydas.