Think our oldest is drinking cough syrup...

[JanieMarie]

You are right. You need to know. And when I think about it this is a way of trying to protect her. I have been through this and I agonize about decisions I have made. I'm still going through it. I used to joke that 2 out of 3 ain't bad but inside my heart was breaking. I wish you all the best of luck. Don't be afraid to ask for help for guidance. And most important don't forget to take care of yourself too.

 

[thewarriorchild]

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That musta been a sermon lesson somewhere!! Oh my!! I would have killed him not so much for streaking but for getting caught by the Pastor!!!

 

[Jolyn]

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I agree with this post!!!!!

Our favorite babysitter (she is 16)has been addicted to Robitussin for about a year now.

It is such a sad situation. She is a different person now. I agree you need to engage and not embarrass your daughter. Get this under control now or it will only get worse.

 

[thewarriorchild]

"Fudgie-Rather than ipecac, I would put green food coloring in the bottle WITH the niquil. A LOT OF IT so it does not fade out. YOU will know immediately who has the problem. Friends or daughter! It will not change the taste of the niquil nor will it make them throw up. It is a tool to decide who is abusing."
THAT is a good idea!!

 

[Fudgie]

It all comes down to what does a mom feel in her GUT is the "Right" thing to do. You have to find out and a kid that is being dishonest will stop using the meds at her house and go to a friend house if she is being accused. If the meds are not gone, then she is not the one drinking it. SOOO to find out if she is, the food coloring is the safest way to find out. If the girl is lying, well she will be found out, if not, like someone else said it is just a bottle of niquil and make sure you dont get it on your lips next time you are sick. talk about a plot backfiring!

The other thing to think about is think like they would think. If I am an 11 year old, what am I really thinking about right now. How would I do this or that or how do I hide this from my parents. etc. I know what I did when I was their age(ok older they start things young anymore) and I remember what I did and had to go through to HIDE things from my parents (of which I got caught most all of the time)

 

[JanieMarie]

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Amen to that. Yes go with your gut and trust your insticts. Most every time I've gone against my gut I've regretted it.

 

[thewarriorchild]

Ok now that I have browsed it all.. I will be hoping you find the truth and pray that is what comes out. Watch out for missing toothpaste...whoever gets the red I wonder if they will even realize what it is. They may think they have some bleeding illness.

At 11 they are growing and sometimes that is painful. The meds could ease this. I hope this bottle doesnt get spilled..oh what a mess that would be.

Well, prayers are being sent up for you and your family. I pray this all works out.

 

[redhen]

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I see your point-but I have to know for sure--and not let her blame it on a friend. I don't want to accuse her and not know for sure because that truly would be worse than this. I do understand how you feel about deceiving her/tricking her....but it is only tricking her IF she is drinking it. If she's not, it's simply a bottle of Nyquil with food dye in it. I would absolutely hate to accuse her if it were NOT true.

There is nothing sneaky with getting SOLID proof BEFORE you accuse someone of something...The OP is doing the right thing by using the food coloring..IMO..
You shouldnt just go around accusing your kids of taking drugs..She needs 100% proof...and this is the safest/quickest way to get it.... AND as she said..if she askes her daughter, she dosent trust that she'll be honest about it...So...how else is the OP supposed to find out of her kid is chugging the cough syrup then? AND the sad truth is sometimes we as parents HAVE to be a bit sneaky to find out exactly what our kids are up to (and i would NEVER feel guilty for it ...)... I dont see it as being sneaky..i see it as being a good, caring, SMART parent..Thats trying to stay one step ahead of her kid...
And, ya know what...maybe she wont ever get the red lips...maybe mom made a mistake.( I sincerly hope so..)..so..NO harm was done by her putting in the red food coloring...its better than falsely accusing her child. AND if her daughter IS taking the syrup....then mom will know for sure and be able to get her the help she needs ASAP. Instead of just guessing...

 

[gaited horse]

I would mix the hottest hot suace you can find with bitter spray an then mix that with a cough syrup that you bought for that purpose and hid a good bottle of cough syrup

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Now your daughter has been told that she must ask to take medicine. Had she been told that before? Becoming independent and making their own decisions is something kids that age are very good at--sometimes a bit too early.

We're assuming that the cough syrup is OTC; if it is, then it is unlikely to contain ingredients that are dangerous. However, many doctors will prescribe a cough medicine that does contain codeine or similarly dangerous/adictive ingredients. Unlike antibiotics, these are not designed to be all used up at once. So yes, having some in the cabinet is not uncommon.

Without talking to your daughter, you really don't know what is going on, and until you do know, you can't make appropriate decisions. With two bottles of food colouring, yes, you will know, but you won't know whether she had a little or a lot, and that probably matters in terms of why she took it.