Good Medicine

What's worse than a sick baby? A sick baby who won't take his medicine. moms know how difficult it can be to get the little ones to comply with pharmacist's instructions for bad tasting antibiotics and other important drugs.

A new company is about to change that. FLAVORx manufacturers kid friendly flavorings that can be added to many liquid medications. It's being offered at scores of pharmacies throughout the Triangle.

"FLAVORx is a great tool to make medicines more tolerable to little palettes," says Vanessa Campbell, a pharmacist at CVS in Durham. "We're finding that babies and young children resist medications less when they have a better flavor. What's more interesting is that letting toddlers and older children be involved in decision making about their flavor increases compliance significantly."

There are lots of flavors to choose from including; apple, sour apple, banana, blueberry, bubblegum, butterscotch, cherry, chocolate, grape, lemon/lime, vanilla, orange, raspberry, root beer, pineapple, grape bubblegum, watermelon, chocolate mint, pina colada, chocolate silk pie, strawberry cream, lime coconut, coffee, blackberry, peach, peppermint, lemon, blueberry raspberry punch, candy cane, strawberry, cinnamon, raspberry sugar cookie, orange cream, peaches and cream, licorice, mocha cappuccino, and lemonade.

FLAVORx flavorings don't have any sugars or dyes and have little or no alcohol. They're specially formulated to ensure that they don't change the medication in any way. "It's important to tell your pharmacist if your child has any allergies. There are special considerations for them, and some flavors shouldn't be used for some children," says Campbell.

FLAVORx is available at more than 20,000 pharmacies around the world. For a complete list of stores offering FLAVORx in the Triangle, visit www.flavorx.com.