A spoonful of sugar?

Successfully persuading children to take medicines is a problem faced by parents across the globe.

“Flavoring a child’s medicine is a good way of solving the problem,” said Ji Lianmei, a pharmacist at the Beijing United Family Hospital. She said flavor additives are available without prescription in many drug stores overseas, but are rarely found in China. The flavor of medicines is usually decided by the drug companies and cannot be changed according to individual taste.

As an alternative, she suggested that parents add the medicine to their child’s favorite foods, for example, apple sauce, pudding or even ice cream.

“However, some medicines can react with certain foods, so be sure to speak with your doctor or pharmacist to ensure there are no possible adverse reactions,” she said.

Ji emphasized the importance of medication guides. Last year, the hospital treated 10 children who had overdosed on a medicine designed to treat childhood fevers. “The same drug comes in two different packs. Many parents fail to notice that the two may have different concentrations of active ingredients,” she said.