Hoggirl Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 The pediatrician suggested mini M&Ms but I can't find them anymore - at least not kind in a tube - only the semi-sweet baking kind which aren't going to taste that great to him if/when he fails to swallow them. We tried again last night. Ds takes Zyrtec and the chewables are twice as much as the ones that are swallowed. It is a source of frustration to him, as he is a "pleaser." He's 12. We hadn't tried in a looong time, and, honestly, I thought he would swallow it and it would be, "Oh, that was no big deal." But he just can't do it. I don't even know how he does what he does. He swallows water around it. Meaning, he can take a drink and swallow the water and still have the pill in his mouth. It isn't THAT big of a deal with the Zyrtec, but eventually he is going to need some sort of medication that he has to swallow. The Zyrtec is a tiny pill. Any ideas for me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 No idea. I went through this problem when I was a kid. I could not swallow a pill and I dont even know why. I didnt start swallowing pills till I was around 18 years old. We tried water, we tried other drinks, etc. Could you try putting it in something like a big spoonfull of yogurt or pudding? My parents even tried holding me down around 12 or 13 years old, but they could not pry my mouth open LOL. I do swallow pills now though....so there is a bright spot to your future LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnandtinagilbert Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 is he pushing the pill so far back that he's gagging or not back enough that it will go down with water. Encourage him to stick his tongue out as he swallows the water, this will push the pill back. Could he use a straw to drink the water and create a sucking down situation in his mouth? We've not had this problem, I'm really shooting in the dark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teri in VA Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 We practiced with tic-tacs. Pill in, sip of water, chin down, swallow. It worked for us. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxMama Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 Use any M&Ms. Chew but make sure they are still a little chunky , add the pill to the mix then swallow. The chocolate coats the pill and masks the taste and if he can swallow a chunky M&M then he can swallow a chunky pill covered with chocolate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisabeth in IL Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 My son is 11. We practiced with regular M&Ms. He now takes pills with ease which is a good thing as he takes daily medicine. With my 9 year old who still gags, I have him close his eyes and I feed him apple sauce which he is to swallow without chewing. In one of the spoonfuls, I'll put the pill in the middle of the applesauce. He usually swallows the pill without a problem that way. I need to buy M&Ms so I can begin practicing with him. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 We had one with this problem. We fought and fought with her over it...until we coated the pill in peanut butter..went right down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 I put the pill(s) in applesauce. Slides right down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Debbie Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 DD9 can take a pill if you put it in a spoonful of yogurt. Keep trying...you'll find something that will work. I know how frustrating it can be. :grouphug: Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie in OR Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 My mom hid them in grape jelly. Went right down. However, I now hate grape jelly, as I can not even smell it without tasting the pills. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoggirl Posted August 14, 2009 Author Share Posted August 14, 2009 We won't re-attempt this for awhile, but I think the yogurt thought might do the trick. And, it is good to know that my ds is not the only child (or adult!) in the world who cannot swallow a pill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 We used M&MS as well for our dd. Can you crush it and mix it with something or just let him chew it and chase it with something? My 4 yr old chews pills that are supposed to be swallowed (they don't make chewable chemo meds for kids lol). Sounds gross to me, but he'd rather do that than swallow so whatever works for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 Another thing to try is to sip water before (attempting!) swallowing the pill. I know that if I don't sip water first, the pill sortof gets "stuck" to my tongue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urban Girl Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 I took a bottle of juice and stuck a straw in and put my finger tip on one end and pulled the straw out. I put the pill in the other end. Then ds opened wide and down it went. just make sure it's far enough not to get stuck on his tongue. He didn't feel a thing and is now able to take it normally on his own. Hope you get a visual from this description. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 I offered my dd aged 14 $50 if she swallowed two small ibuprofen pills. I didn't think she's do it because she would gag and spit, etc. Well she sucked the pills down all right! I told her she had to give me the $50 if she ever didn't swallow them again, no problems to this day 2 years later. My dh wasn't too happy with me but I tell you after all the drama it was actually worth it! Awesome lol! I wish my mom had offered me $50 for that! Whatever works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 What a timely thread for me! We just had tears and hysterics last night because ds is going on 6 weeks of Doxycycline and he cannot swallow that pill if I paid him. Our "solution" of the moment is to break open the capsule and pour the powder out on a piece of bread w/peanut butter, which he eats. I have my doubts about doing it this way...it's in a capsule for a reason, right? I may try some of these other means. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BabyBre Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 I taught dc to put the pill on the back of their tongue and take a mouthful of water. Then tip their head back (for a pill that sinks) or forward (for a capsule that floats) so the pill moves to the back of the throat while shaking their head to make sure it isn't sticking to their tongue, and swallow the whole thing in one gulp. Ds managed this way with daily Zyrtec when he was 6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmacnchs Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 I could not swallow a pill until I was 16 when I had no choice so I had to figure out something. So, I practiced with a banana...put a piece in my mouth, chew some of the outer parts and swallow (that's basically what you do when eating a banana anyway). Then, when it was time to take the pill (which was HUGE, by the way), I put it in the piece of banana, chewed some of the outer parts, and swallowed, banana & pill. It took a while but I can now swallow w/o help...except for those pre-natal vitamins...man those make me gag! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momofeat Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 My dds both learned to swallow pills first in applesauce. Notice that my youngest dd is only 6. I was actually surprised that she was able to do it. Both can now swallow with water only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy in Indy Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 My sister, who's 58, still has to hide pills in bread to swallow them.:biggrinjester: I think the m&m method works very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolash Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 Our son was recently diagnosed with GERD and his dr suggested hiding the pill inside a mini marshmallow. It works! It gets super slick when the liquid hits it, and if it won't go down, you can always chew it... the marshmallow masks the meds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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