My child has a nervous habit of clearing her throat all the time. How can I help her stop?

She's had a cold over two months ago, and that's when it started. She's also developed a strong aversion to medicine; ANY type of medicine, even though what I give her tastes really good? She's in grade one, and that's when all this stuff started. I'm at my wit's end trying to figure out what to do. I've told her time and again that I wouldn't give her anything that tastes bad to me. But she still cries, and gags, and it's just a mess. I've asked her if anyone at school has told her that medicine is bad for you, but she's insistent that no one told her that. There were some additions to her grade one class that weren't in Kindergarten. I'm thinking that one of these kids told her that medicine is bad. And she believes anything that anyone tells her...except me. She thinks that I'm trying to poison her by giving her medicine. Like today, she complained that her head hurt because she had stuffy sinues. So I gave her Benadryl(good stuff)but she sprays it out like I gave her raw sewage.SOS

i saw in the pharmacy these lollypop medicines. banana, strawberry, grape and lots of other flavors. u might try those, but other than that, i don't know wat to tell u.

I have know people who clear thier throat alot and most of them suffer from slight asthma....have you had her check for this?

Tell her to stop and if she doe'snt just spank her! Sike,I was just kidding I really think you should take her to a doctor

Well, the throat clearing thing is familiar to me because my little cousin does this ALL the time. He has for over a year. Sometimes he does it so often it sounds like he is grunting really quietly. My cousin took him to the doctor several times and they said it was just a bad habit and to give him a cough drop to suck on or a piece of gum to chew on to distract him from clearing his throat. Just a couple of weeks ago he went to the doctor for a check up and they said his thyroid was enlarged. Long story short, he is going to see a pediatric surgeon to get part of his thyroid removed and they think that the clearing of the throat sounds were just the beginning of his thyroid problem that was missed over a year ago. Something to keep in mind.

The medicine thing is probably common with a lot of kids. Have you tried letting her give it to herself? Let her poor it into the measuring device ( check to make sure she has the correct amount ) and then let her give it to herself. Perhaps you have tried this already, but maybe it would work?!

I wouldn't take your child's reaction to the medicine so personally. Maybe the medicine tastes OK to you, but that doesn't mean it does to her. Kids can be very finicky about anything that tastes different. Are you forcing the medicine down her or letting her drink it at her own rate? Can you hide it in something she likes?

As to her clearing her throat, since this is a relatively new habit, is it possible that she has post-nasal drip that is causing her to clear her throat. Even though her cold was over a two months ago, she may have a sinus infection that is still actively draining.

Fist, as parents we want the best for our children yet we tend to get a little carried away and make mountains out of molehill ( I wouldn鈥檛 take my kid to the pediatrician with a self diagnosis of nervous habit ).
However, at her age you really need to be calling her pediatrician and not seeking advice online. It seems there are few issues that need addressing. Best wishes