How do I get my son to take his meds?

[princesscharming]

DS9 has ADHD and anxiety. Meds do help him, but I have such a hard time getting him to take them in the morning. He doesn't swallow whole. So I have to dump it in something. Well then, naturally, he can taste/feel it. And that causes a host of issues. He isn't "defiant" about taking them. He just doesn't get it done in the morning. I stay on top of him, but he always messes around. Inevitably I end up feeding it to him, but then he blames me for putting too much in his mouth.

We've tried practicing swallowing tic tacs. No luck. Maybe we should try the patch. But I just want to stick with what's working now. Who knows if the patch will be a good fit for him?

Any advice on getting kids to swallow pills etc?

 

[Owl's Friend]

My dd needs to take reflux meds. We put dump the meds (capsule) on a spoon, put some pixie stix on it, and then she swallows with about a shot glass sized drink of pop. I know bad, but she needs it. We're going to start meds again for ADHD this summer.

 

[Phlip]

For DS 9 who thankfully only has to take the occasional advil, or liquid med. I crush it and put it on/in ice cream, or apple sauce.
DD was the WORST med taker, and HAD to have it, we used to do the soda thing too. We taught her how to 'shoot' it, and wash it down with coke. Now she can take pills.
Good luck!

 

[jmartinez1895]

We have done the pixie stix powder as well and it seemed to help. Is it that he can't swallow the whole pill? My daughter used to be bad about not wanting to swallow he pills so I bribed her ( I know...but it worked). We made a calendar and if she took her meds for 2 week in a row she got a small prize and after 2 months then she got a DS game that she was wanting. She tried the patch for her ADHD meds and not only did it not work very well for us, it caused sores on her skin, but every child is different.

 

[princesscharming]

Thanks for the responses. Yeah we've hidden his meds in applesauce. I even started putting it in pudding. (Nice, pudding for breakfast.... So no judgment on the pixie stix from me.) He always ends up dilly dallying.

Yes, he doesn't swallow the whole pill, or even if I broke them up in quarters. He's afraid he'll choke. It's the anxiety, I guess.

Surprising though, he went to school with only "some" of the meds in his system. (I had put them in his milk, but he spilled it. ) He came home saying he didn't have trouble paying attention, and got through his tests fine.

 

[Goofygirl17]

I don't know about the adhd meds but some of the anxiety meds come in a liquid. Zoloft needs to be mixed with lemon lime soda, orange juice or water.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I don't have any great advice for you, but understand your frustration. When DD first started taking her meds, she struggled. We crushed it up and gave it to her in a spoonful of chocolate ice cream. After a few months, she decided she wanted to swallow them "like a grown-up" and just started swallowing them whole without much coaching from us.

Maybe you could try some kind of positive reward he could earn for taking them on time. Set up a specific point in his morning routine when he has to take them, and for every so many days he does it without complaint, he earns something. DD's routine is to take them right before she eats breakfast. It helps ensure she doesn't forget to take them.

 

[goofystitchfan]

My DS10 was never able to swallow his adhd meds either. Believe it or not he would chew them (yuck) and never complained. He just recently decided that he would like to swallow them and now swallows 2+ at a time. It is definitely a long hard road.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

Pixie Sticks? Nothing like giving your ADHD kid a nice shot of red 40 to start their day! Yikes! Many people try removing artificial food coloring and preservatives from the diet before starting medications.

Anyway, there are a few ways to get in meds. If it is liquid then mixing with lemonade usually does the trick. For capsules, you can melt some Ghiradelli chocolate chips, make sure it is cool, and add the powder. Spoon the chocolate onto parchment paper. Then stick the little chocolate wafers in the freezer and they will be hard in about 2 minutes. Keep them in a bag in the freezer.

 

[25eels]

If you haven't already tried this ... ask your pharmacist for empty capsules of approximately the same size as the meds he's taking (assuming they're capsules -- but even if his meds are in pill form, capsules are a little easier). I had to find a non-chain pharmacy to do this and paid, I believe, 10 cents for each "empty." Filled them with powdered sugar and challenged my kids (7 and 12) to see who could learn to swallow them first. To my amazement, they both did it immediately (and both are usually resistant to this kind of thing)! I think the empty capsules made it easier than Tic-Tacs or mini M&Ms (another suggestion) since it is hard to wrap your mind around swallowing candy!

Good luck!

 

[LMC]

Well for those that like the idea of giving red dye, I put my sons focalin in a little dr pepper. goes right down. works like a charm for about 5 hours then he takes a tablet which he has learned to swallow finally. He is 10 yo now BTW so it will come!
For the focalin, I put the pellets in a spoon and add the dr pepper. OR you can put it in a small medication measuring cup and they drink it down.

 

[SueM in MN]

This wiki has a lot of hints about how to swallow pills:
http://www.wikihow.com/Swallow-a-Pill

I have used a lot of those types of hints as ways to teach people to swallow pills.

I am an RN, but I am also an adult who has always had a lot of trouble swallowing pills.
What works for me is to chew up some food and then put the pill on top of the chewed food in my mouth. Crackers, chips, bread, dry cereal or something else like that works well for me because they have some texture, but not anything to choke on. Some people use a small slice of soft banana and push the pill into the surface before putting it into their mouth. Things like applesauce are too liquid for me because it is still possible to feel the pill in the applesauce.
I also tilt my head down slightly and look down while swallowing. That helps to open up the esophagus and makes it easier to swallow.

I also have a glass of cool water or other liquid ready to take a swig. Too much liquid makes it harder to swallow the pill. Too cold or too hot will also not work.

There is also a pill swallow cup that some people have had good success with.
http://www.oralflo.com/howthecupworks.html

Since this is not about WDW, I am going to move this to the disABILITIES Community Board.

 

[Singledad]

I would caution about crushing pills. always ALWAYS ask before doing this with a medication. This can cause a whole host of trouble with some of them. For one, it really messes with the absorption rate.

That caution aside, I would ask the pharm if they have other forms of the medication. They might have liquid, or even a chew-able. (This is also who you can ask about crushing it.) I would also just start planning around the extra time it takes for him to take it. if it delays you by 10 min every day, start waking him up 10 min earlier. Yes it is a pain, but if he does manage it in the end, What is the harm in giving him the extra time to work up the courage? With time, he will learn that he can do it without problems and take less time. For me, it took being allowed the time to take it on my terms, rather than being pressured to hurry up and just get it done, before I was able to take my meds regularly without dilly dallying. Just another prospective.

 

[cinabug]

I'm not at all sure if this would work with the kind of medication you describe, but what I've used is sparkling grape juice. It has a stronger flavor than sparkling apple juice, so I think it covers the flavor better. I always used a shot glass for this, and my resistant son took medicine without any issue. These were not daily meds though, so I can't speak to using the method long term.

 

[SueM in MN]

[/b]I would caution about crushing pills. always ALWAYS ask before doing this with a medication. This can cause a whole host of trouble with some of them. For one, it really messes with the absorption rate.

That caution aside, I would ask the pharm if they have other forms of the medication. They might have liquid, or even a chew-able. (This is also who you can ask about crushing it.) I would also just start planning around the extra time it takes for him to take it. if it delays you by 10 min every day, start waking him up 10 min earlier. Yes it is a pain, but if he does manage it in the end, What is the harm in giving him the extra time to work up the courage? With time, he will learn that he can do it without problems and take less time. For me, it took being allowed the time to take it on my terms, rather than being pressured to hurry up and just get it done, before I was able to take my meds regularly without dilly dallying. Just another prospective.

Good point. Besides crushing, it's also important to ask before chewing, dissolving or breaking pills or opening capsules.
Besides possibly changing the absorption rate, there are some medications that have a coating that prevents them from being absorbed in the stomach ( they get absorbed later in the intestines). Breaking the pill in any way breaks the coating.
Some medications are in capsules for time release reasons and won't work correctly if the capsule is opened.

I'm not at all sure if this would work with the kind of medication you describe, but what I've used is sparkling grape juice. It has a stronger flavor than sparkling apple juice, so I think it covers the flavor better. I always used a shot glass for this, and my resistant son took medicine without any issue. These were not daily meds though, so I can't speak to using the method long term.

Another good point would be to check with the Pharmacist to make sure that any foods or drinks are OK with the medication. Water is OK for everything and crackers or a small amount of bread or cereal should be OK with most.
There are some medications that should not be mixed or taken with certain kinds of juice or with milk.
Check with the Pharmacist just to be sure your chosen food or drink is OK.

 

[princesscharming]

Thanks for the ideas. Since it seems to be psychological, I would think putting it in some chewed food would work. But he would know it's in there....and would then have an issue.

Today, I put some in his milk, some in his peanut butter toast. I think it made it pretty much undetectable. For the texture of the pill, I used crunchy peanut butter. He was none the wiser. But really I think what did it was when he asked me where the meds were, I said that maybe I was trying a day without meds. So I think he bought that he was eating food without meds. It's not lying..it's creative parenting.

The summer will be a bit easier as, he won't need the stimulant (at least every day) and we'll probably try eliminating his other meds. Wish us luck.

 

[bidnow5]

I don't know anything about the meds he is taking but my daughter was never able to take pills and at 32 years old she still can't. We were able to get liquid versions of all of her meds not sure but you could ask if they have liquid versions

 

[NikitaZee]

We have this problem with my 10 year old. Pills, liquid meds sometimes - and he's either crying from trying to swallow the pill or gagging and vomiting from the strong taste of the liquid. Huge dilemma. Finally our pharmacist recommended crushing the pill (which we were given the okay to do) and put it in frosting. Yup - frosting. Spoonful of choc frosting with powdered medicine mixed in, and it works like a charm. We had tried ice cream, but she told us that the calcium interferes with the absorption. So, any new med - we check to see if it can be crushed, and what we can put it into. Good luck!

 

[LMC]

Now that's about near pure genius there. We tried it all, pudding, apple sauce, jello, and ice cream before we started using soda. Never thought of frosting; I bet he (my DS) would have ate that right up!

Finally our pharmacist recommended crushing the pill (which we were given the okay to do) and put it in frosting. Yup - frosting. Spoonful of choc frosting with powdered medicine mixed in, and it works like a charm.

 

[kissesbykim]

I'm an oncology mom. My DS7 was diagnosed with cancer a little over a year ago. Meds are huge part of our life now. Before cancer, my DS was dx'd with ADHD and SPD. It was pure misery getting him to take his 1 pill every night. Now, after many months of crying and fighting, he takes A LOT of meds for his cancer. Wednesday nights alone he has to take 14 pills. When we were in the hospital soon after diagnosis with cancer, the nurses would bring his pills crunched up and we would put them in a little bit of chocolate syrup. We tried everything to teach him to swallow them whole but he would gag just at the thought of it. If he gagged and threw them up, we would have to get another dose of meds and do it again. It was a learning process. We still use the chocolate syrup method and it works well for us, even with his 14 pill Wednesday nights I hope this helps some of you out there!