It's drain cleaner!!

[radiocerk]

I learned to swallow pills at the tender age of six. As a kid, I was anemic. I don't think there is a single thing more disgusting than the taste of liquid iron.

[fireheart]

I've got a new one for the worst tasting medication out there, even though it's not meant to be swallowed.

Betadine throat gargle.

When I tried it to help with a really bad case of laryngitis, I pretty much spat it out and relied on the difflam spray instead .

And now I remember the banana tasting medicine....Tixylix I think. Disgusting stuff.

At least the hydrolyte comes in two flavours

[Mytical]

At one time I thought Castor Oil, and cod liver oil were the worst medicines in the world. Nasty nasty stuff, made by evil people who wanted children to suffer. THEN I had Contrast. I do not know what sewer water taste like..but if you took it to the desert..let it sit for days out in the sun to 'ripen'..it would probably STILL taste better then that junk. I swear the second dose actually tasted worse then the first.

[SongsOfDragons]

I love how that Wheel of Yuck declares Lactulose to be rated 'Yuckiest'. ^^

[wolfie]

Oh dear. You just reminded me of something that happend to me as a kid. Apparently I had the runs and the dr. told my mom to give me Kaopetate. Which was NASTY with a capital N. So I guess Iwas being not so cooperative and my parents had to kind of force it down, and I promptly spit it out on my dad, all over his new suit!

Depending on how long ago that was, there were three different versions. The original version was kaolin and pectin (hence the name), +/- opium (which was OTC back then in limited doses). Then they switched to attapulgite, which was in fact a kind of clay (!) and tasted exactly the way you'd expect it to. The stuff they sell now is just differently-colored Pepto-Dismal.

Actually, kaolin is a kind of clay as well. If the liquid kaopectate is too nasty, you might want to try Dr. Fowler's tablets (they use atapulgate - Dr. Fowler's also makea an atapulgate suspension, and their original extract of wild strawberry). Kaopectate doesn't make tablets any more, and I went looking for an alternative tablet.

BTW, Pepto Dismal uses (or at least used last time I checked the label) Pepsin and Bismuth Salicylate, hence the name.

[Ellain]

Tip for the nasty colonoscopy prep:
Mix according to directions. Pour yourself half a glass, and fill the rest of the glass with sprite or ginger ale. Goes down a lot easier, and doesn't cause any problems with the testing.

[Catwoman2965]

Quote:
Quoth Catwoman2965
Oh dear. You just reminded me of something that happend to me as a kid. Apparently I had the runs and the dr. told my mom to give me Kaopetate. Which was NASTY with a capital N.

Depending on how long ago that was, there were three different versions. The original version was kaolin and pectin (hence the name), +/- opium (which was OTC back then in limited doses). Then they switched to attapulgite, which was in fact a kind of clay (!) and tasted exactly the way you'd expect it to. The stuff they sell now is just differently-colored Pepto-Dismal.

This was probably about 1970-71. I was probably about 5 or 6. BLECH. it was foul. thankfully I don't get sick all that often, including the runs. I'll get them, but not for very long and I just let it go and then I'm fine; no need for any meds.

[Mikkel]

It was. I always inform my patients that they only need to take it until there's no more solid material left in their stool. Once you get to the point where what comes out looks the same as it went in, you're done. Usually takes 2/3 to 3/4 of the bottle. Doctors don't always tell them this; I've had patients say things like "You mean I don't have to drink the whole damn thing? Thank God!"

Damn, I wish I had been told. I drank all two litres . Some of it I even drank twice, closing my mouth when it came up and swallowing it again .
I'll certainly ask about it next time.

[Sapphire Silk]

Damn, I wish I had been told. I drank all two litres . Some of it I even drank twice, closing my mouth when it came up and swallowing it again .
I'll certainly ask about it next time.

Yeah, I went through this with a friend of mine who had to take it as prep for a colonoscpy. She asked me how much she needed to drink, because it was so nasty.

I told her all of it.

"But as soon as I drink it, it comes out clear on the other end!"

"Uh . . . you can stop now. . . . "

[Princess-Snake]

I remember having a banana-flavoured medicine for when I was sick. Rather thin and pale yellow. I've no idea what drug it was...

Nystatin (sp?)?

[Shalom]

Damn, I wish I had been told. I drank all two litres . Some of it I even drank twice, closing my mouth when it came up and swallowing it again .
I'll certainly ask about it next time.

Back then it was four litres; the 2-litre size (Halflytely) is a more recent development. It's possible that you might have actually needed that much, or maybe not. I can guarantee you that you didn't need four.

Nystatin (sp?)?

Pretty sure nystatin suspension is apple-flavored, or at least smells like unfiltered apple juice. It does look kinda like pureed bananas, though.

It's also 50% sugar by weight. Don't ever spill that stuff, and if you do, wipe it up right away with a wet rag before it gets too sticky. We used to load 30ml of the stuff at a time into individual dose cups when I interned at a cancer hospital in the mid-'90s. There was a pump with a footpedal actuator (which we left on the table and hit with our hands, seemed to work better that way). Each press got you 15ml, so you left the hose in the vial, pumped twice, then moved the hose to the next vial. Except that once you got into the rhythm, you sometimes pumped before the hose was fully in. This is when you thank your deity of choice that the vials are set in a cut-off cardboard box and not right on the counter. Still made a huge mess, but at least the mess was contained.

[SongsOfDragons]

I think the banana medicine was some kind of antibiotic. It was definitely banana-y, taste like a liquid version of those foam sweets.

[CorneliaMarieRocks]

ok, I gotta ask, what the hell is APAP? I notice that my pain medication has it listed on the label (hydrocodone/APAP)

If I take NyQuil/DayQuil I gotta take the pill form, just thinking about the liquid form makes me wanna *yak*

I take my meds with milk mostly, but I won't actually put the pill in my mouth until I've got the milk glass in my hand. my mom, on the other hand, will put it in her mouth & *then* pour her drink (and by then it's started to melt

[MoonCat]

I learned to swallow pills at the tender age of six. As a kid, I was anemic. I don't think there is a single thing more disgusting than the taste of liquid iron.

Oh yes there is. Mineral oil.

If I ever have to induce vomiting in myself, all I'll have to do is think about what that tastes like and what it feels like in my mouth and

And it's probably been about 45 years since I had to take it.

[Sapphire Silk]

ok, I gotta ask, what the hell is APAP? I notice that my pain medication has it listed on the label (hydrocodone/APAP)

APAP is an abbreviation for the chemical name for acetaminophen (Tylenol) or paracetamol in Australia. Acetyl-para-aminophenol.

Many narcotics work more effectively when combined with aspirin or Tylenol. Because of the risks with bleeding or Reye's syndrome involved with aspirin, it has fallen out of favor and isn't used much anymore.

Oh yes there is. Mineral oil.

If I ever have to induce vomiting in myself, all I'll have to do is think about what that tastes like and what it feels like in my mouth and

Milk of Magnesia produces about the same effect in me