How to hide the flavor of a liquid medication?

[Tap]

~~~~Thread resurrected by spammer.....Original post from 2010. I will leave the thread intact because there may be something useful here for others

 

DDs has been put on a long term medication to help limit her behaviors. I requested liquid because she doesn't like tablets and generally refuses to take/chew them (holds them in her mouth and then spits them out when I am not looking). She has sensory issues and I suspect the pill issue is related. I work in pharmacy and used to work in a care home, so I know the general tricks of getting a pill into a reluctant person (applesauce, ice cream, popsicles first etc). I haven't found anything that works for her.

I need to figure out a way to hide this obnoxious flavored med. I am going to ask for some flavoring but going by her reaction...it is more than just poorly flavored. She acted like I poured rubbing alcohol on her tongue. :(


Any suggestions on how to get a kid to take a horrid med that they have to have?

I will continue to work with her on pills, but since the insurance co just paid $250 for one month of liquid, I doubt they will change it before next month. She has state insurance, so they are more restrictive than private on such issues.

When my son was young and had to take a bitter med for a while I let him fill his mouth with chocolate afterwards for a prize and to hide the flavor. That is what I did today for her, but I doubt she is going to open her mouth for me again tomorrow.




Any BTDT?

[LG Gone Wild]

Strong juice, soda?

[asta]

Go to the FlavoRx site, click on pediatric, then on FAQ, and there will be a "Locate Pharmacy" green button at the bottom.

 

They should be able to add in a flavor that will mask the bitterness for you.

 

 

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(in the future, I'd ask about having her medicine compounded into a form she can take, like a dissolvable wafer or a lolly pop or something)

[Whereneverever]

My DD2 (3.5 years old) takes medicine twice a day that I think tastes roughly like I'd imagine turpentine does. It smells strongly, as well.

 

Some things that help- doing it in an oral syringe, not a cup- we can shoot it to the back of her mouth so she doesn't taste it as much. I let her drink something she likes after- right now it's chocolate milk. Letting her hold the syringe and help depress it really helps, too- it gives her a sense of control and responsibility- as much as a three year old can have. I think that's really important with kids and long term meds- letting them have age appropriate ownership of the situation.

 

I do not do any real rewards or negotiating about it- I'm understanding and positive but matter of fact. Sometimes medication is a daily part of life and I think it helps kids to make it as small of a production as possible.

[Pippen]

Mint chocolate chip milkshake.

[Mom2J112903]

Some things that help- doing it in an oral syringe, not a cup- we can shoot it to the back of her mouth so she doesn't taste it as much. I let her drink something she likes after- right now it's chocolate milk. Letting her hold the syringe and help depress it really helps, too- it gives her a sense of control and responsibility- as much as a three year old can have. I think that's really important with kids and long term meds- letting them have age appropriate ownership of the situation.

 

I do not do any real rewards or negotiating about it- I'm understanding and positive but matter of fact. Sometimes medication is a daily part of life and I think it helps kids to make it as small of a production as possible.

 

:iagree: And we did the same with J. J takes a liquid med four times a day (the dose he needs does not come in tablets) and he says it doesn't taste well. He just drinks something to get the taste out.

[MamaSheep]

Well, we've BTDT but ds was older than your dd at the time. He whined and complained every time and we tried all sorts of tricks and bribes to get it down him because it made such a difference. After a while I had them put some flavoring in it at the pharmacy because they were advertizing some new flavoring system for liquid meds they'd just gotten, and let him pick the flavor. Evidently that just made it worse, but he was old enough to be reasoned with and understood that HE was the one who chose the flavor and I couldn't afford to just go buy another bottle. After that bottle was gone he was better about taking it, especially if he had a glass of juice nearby to wash away the flavor ASAP. But what really finally got rid of the drama was when we tried a trial off meds after he'd been on it for about 2 years and we stuck out the horrible behavior (and dished out appropriate consequences each time) for a few weeks. Just about the time I'd had it with him and was about to force the issue, he decided on his own that it was much easier to behave when he was on his meds, and he WANTED to be able to be good, so he ASKED to have his meds back. It hasn't been a huge problem since then. And the same thing happened in the last trial off meds, but he came around a bit sooner this time. But again, he was...oh I think seven or so when we first started all this, so I don't know that our experience will be much help for you. SORRY!

 

When dd started taking meds recently we got her one that came in a capsule and could be opened and sprinkled on yogurt or whatever. The powder seemed to be easier to deal with than the liquid we'd been forcing down ds all those years. I don't know what med your dd is on, but if it comes in a capsule form, that might be easier to deal with than liquid. Maybe.

 

Both of our kids practiced pill-swallowing with tic-tacs until they could do it smoothly, and for both of them the "reward" was not having to taste that nasty medicine. But again, they were both older when they were put on meds long term, so I don't know that this would work well for a little.

 

You know, though, the more I think about it, it seems like when I had to give ds medicine--for a fever or whatever--when he was little, the best way I found to do it was to put it in a syringe, and then hold him on my lap, kicking and screaming (he always did, when he saw it coming), and work the syringe as far back as I could into his mouth before squirting the medicine out. Even if he had his little teeth clenched, if I squirted it at the back of his cheek, he'd usually swallow at least most of it just out of reflex. (He was not a fun baby in ever so very many ways, and he was a nightmare as a toddler...it's so nice to have those days behind us.) There was no way he'd eat it in yogurt or applesauce either, and the squirting it in the back of his mouth bit was the only method that reliably worked with him.

[Whereneverever]

I wanted to add- my DD's doctors have strongly encouraged us NOT to offer it in foods- because then if she doesn't eat all of it + lick the bowl the dosing is inconsistent.

[dansamy]

I do not do any real rewards or negotiating about it- I'm understanding and positive but matter of fact. Sometimes medication is a daily part of life and I think it helps kids to make it as small of a production as possible.

 

My youngest has had to take orapred, which has a pretty bad flavor. I tasted it once to see why he hated it so much. It induced an immediate gag reflex for me. However, in our house, medications are non-negotiable. Your choices are pretty well limited to take it willingly or unwillingly, but you are taking it. I only had a small bit of trouble with DS getting him to take the Orapred. He will now take it willingly. I *do* allow them the choice of whatever they want to get the taste out of their mouth afterwards. Soda, ice cream, juice, milk, pudding, jello - I don't care. It's not a whole serving of the whatever, so it's not going to ruin their nutrition for the day. I don't view that as a reward or bribe though. I view it almost like cleansing the palate of a strong flavor.

[mooooom]

my kids would take meds that way because they never got soda otherwise and the fizz kind of disguises the taste.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

Both of our kids practiced pill-swallowing with tic-tacs until they could do it smoothly, and for both of them the "reward" was not having to taste that nasty medicine. But again, they were both older when they were put on meds long term, so I don't know that this would work well for a little.

that is soooo cool-never thought of that--my son is taking vyvanse and we sometimes have battles in getting him to take whatever I put the medicine in-wish he could just swallow the dang pill :D ...might have to try tic tacs.lol what a cool idea!

[mommymonster]

Tap,

 

DS4 has this issue in spades. Beyond our "medicine is non-negotiable" rule, we use a syringe so that he doesn't taste it as much. He also gets to use the syringe, so it is "his choice" how the medicine goes in.

 

Also, we went to the grocery and let him pick out a Toriani syrup (he picked strawberry -- it takes like strawberry jello). He has to take 2 ml of medicine, and we add 3 ml of syrup. The syrup helps quite a bit. We follow it with a chaser of milk or water.

 

Best of luck. It's a long road.

 

 

[Ravin]

My DD has the opposite issue--can't get her to take liquids. She taught herself to swallow pills at 7yo I think. The challenge is that she's small for her age, and some pills don't come in appropriate doses. Antibiotics can be the hardest.

 

If the liquid is that bad, it may be easier to pulverize a pill and hide that in something.

[ErinE]

Zombie thread. Spam reported.

[kiwik]

I was going to say nutella - would she lick the bowl afterwards? When I was a kid we used to have poison honey or poison jam (a pill crushed in honey or jam). It wasn't nice but it wasn't horrid either.

[Melissa in Australia]

salt on the spoon under the medication? it worked for cod liver oil when I was a child.

I liked the suggestion for a syringe I could see that working.

[shawthorne44]

I used to take liquid iron.  Orange Juice was the only thing that worked. 

Then I changed brands that was vaguely, but badly grape flavored.  I would mix that with grape kool-aid. 

 

The problem with Orange Juice is that you can't chug it, whereas you can with kool-aid.

[AimeeM]

Listening in. My youngest (17 months) is refusing the iron supplements and his iron has dropped even lower than it was last time, at our last check up. I've tried sodas, juices, etc.

*big ears*

[TechWife]

that is soooo cool-never thought of that--my son is taking vyvanse and we sometimes have battles in getting him to take whatever I put the medicine in-wish he could just swallow the dang pill :D ...might have to try tic tacs.lol what a cool idea!

We did the same thing, but with mini m&m's. I told him that he needed enough water in his mouth that the m & m would float of if his tongue. Of corse, when he figured out how to do it, he was allowed to eat the rest of the package :).

[Witurs]

Both of our kids practiced pill-swallowing with tic-tacs until they could do it smoothly, and for both of them the "reward" was not having to taste that nasty medicine. But again, they were both older when they were put on meds long term, so I don't know that this would work well for a little.

 

that is soooo cool-never thought of that--my son is taking vyvanse and we sometimes have battles in getting him to take whatever I put the medicine in-wish he could just swallow the dang pill :D ...might have to try tic tacs.lol what a cool idea!

 

I know what you are talking. Our doctor put our daughter on Adderall because she was diagnosed with ADHD and she also refuses to take them but she doesn't even know what it is like to be on them. the thing is that I still don't know whether are they helpful or they are not and I am afraid to put her on this med. have your son been better while on the drug, I do understand that they are 2 different drugs, but I am still curious?? any help appreciated

Edited March 11, 2016 by Witurs