Most parents, sooner or later, will have to face a fairly common situation: giving the medicine to the child and it will be vomited. What should be done in these cases? Can you tell if the medicine has worked for you? Should we give it to her again?
Why does the child vomit the medicine?
The taste of many medications is not exactly pleasant, so in some cases it can stimulate the vomiting reflex in children. In fact, pediatricians explain that the taste of medications that can cause serious poisoning is not purposely masked, as an additional protective measure since the child is more likely to spit or vomit. However, that very “protection” can become a problem when the child needs to withhold the medication, making it more likely to vomit.
Of course, vomiting is not always directly caused by the medication. Many illnesses lead to vomiting, so the medication only stimulates that gag reflex. Therefore, the course of action against vomiting depends on different factors that parents must know.
1. If you were vomiting before the medication
The flu , gastroenteritis , food poisoning or an infection… There are many illnesses that occur with vomiting. In these cases, the ideal is to administer the medicine by another route than oral since there is a great probability that the child will vomit it. There are different medications that have a suppository version, so that parents can administer them at home, but others can only be applied intravenously, so the child will have to be admitted.
2. If you only vomit one medicine
It is important for parents to notice if the child vomits different medications or if he only reacts badly to one medication. If the child only vomits a medicine, it may be an allergy to one of its components. In that case, it is common for other symptoms to appear, such as a skin rash. Obviously, it will be necessary to consult the pediatrician to prescribe a substitute medicine.
However, vomiting is not always caused by an allergic reaction. They can also be due to the taste of the medicine, which for some reason is especially unpleasant for the little one. In these cases, the medicine can be accompanied with some food that masks its taste, but it is advisable to ask the pediatrician to avoid that this food interferes with the active principle of the medication.
Do I have to repeat the dose?
As a general rule, if the child vomits the medicine immediately or within 15 minutes after taking it, the entire dose should be repeated. If you are vomiting, you have to opt for the suppository and if you have vomited it because you do not like the taste, it should be accompanied with some food, preferably sweet as it better masks the taste of the medicine.
If the vomiting episode occurs between 15 and 30 minutes after taking it, it is recommended to give only half the dose. If between 30 and 60 minutes has passed, it is not necessary to repeat the dose, but it is advisable to advance the next one.
In the event that the child vomits one hour after taking the medication, it is not necessary to repeat the dose or advance the next one since the active principles are considered to have been assimilated.
The importance of the medication must also be taken into account. For medications that cure major problems, such as antibiotics, it is essential that the child takes all doses. The consumption of drugs that relieve bothersome symptoms, such as mucolytics, antitussives and antihistamines, is more discretionary, although it is true that some can avoid complications. This means that if the child vomits one dose, parents can wait a reasonable time to give a second dose.
