A medicine a child refuses is a medicine that is not working. We flavor children’s prescriptions free, at every pharmacy.
Why it matters more than it sounds
A ten-day course of antibiotics only works if the child takes all ten days of it. If every dose is a fight — spitting, gagging, crying — doses get missed, courses get abandoned, and the infection is not properly treated.
Flavoring is a small intervention with a large effect on whether treatment actually happens. It is free at all five of our pharmacies, and we are happy to do it on the spot.
How it works
- Just ask when you drop off or collect the prescription. There is no charge and no appointment.
- Your child picks the flavor. Letting them choose makes a surprising difference to whether they cooperate.
- It does not change the medicine. Flavoring agents are chosen so they do not affect how the drug works or how long it keeps.
- Not every medicine can be flavored — some are not stable with added flavoring, and our pharmacist will tell you if yours is one of them rather than guess.
If flavoring is not enough
Sometimes the problem is the form, not the taste. A child who cannot swallow a tablet, or who reacts to a dye or preservative, may need the medicine made differently — as a liquid, at a lower strength, or without the ingredient causing trouble.
That is compounding, and it is worth raising with your prescriber. A valid prescription is required, and compounded preparations are not FDA-approved.
Pets too. Animals are no easier than toddlers. Ask us — we flavor veterinary prescriptions as well.