How to Get Youngsters to Take Clindamycin

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLO. – Clindamycin is an effective and guideline-recommended treatment for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections that has one major shortcoming for use in children: The liquid pediatric formulation tastes and smells, well, awful.

"What we do instead of prescribing liquid clindamycin is we prescribe the capsule, crush it up, and put it into chocolate frosting. Usually you can get it into kids by doing that. It’s only going to be for 7-10 days. And it’s much better than trying to add flavors to liquid clindamycin," said Dr. Penelope H. Dennehy, professor and vice chair of pediatrics and director of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at Brown University in Providence, R.I.

© lisafxlisaf/iStockphoto.com Doctors have come up with an strategy to deal with what’s been called the "worst-tasting antibiotic": crush up the capsules and mix with chocolate frosting.

She hit upon the chocolate frosting solution well before MRSA grew into the enormous problem it is today.

"I run a TB clinic, and INH [isonicotinic acid hydrazide] also tastes yucky," Dr. Dennehy said at the meeting.

"We make all our residents taste all the antibiotics. And I have to say, liquid clindamycin is about the worst-tasting antibiotic I’ve ever come across," she added.

Clindamycin is not recommended for treatment of MRSA infections in communities where the organism’s clindamycin-resistance rate exceeds 10%, so it’s important to know the local resistance pattern.

Dr. Dennehy reported having no financial conflicts.

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