Tips to help a 13 yo swallow pills?

[yvonne]

Any suggestions would be appreciated!  I've been opening the capsules and emptying them onto a little dish of applesauce, but you can't do that with everything.

 

[bibiche]

DS advises practicing the swallowing bit first, you know, where you take a mouthful of water and then flip your head back while swallowing. This is how he taught himself to swallow pills a couple years ago.

[Tess in the Burbs]

we used ice cream.  applesauce didn't always work.  my sister taught one kid to drink with a straw

 

[GAPeachie]

You can do the big swallow like bibiche recommended.  For our children, it was a mind thing.  So we practiced swallowing m & m's with a drink.  So far, so good. 

 

I didn't learn to swallow a pill until I was 14 or so.  Because it was daily medication that my parent's insisted I take in pill form, I used to chew it.  It took me a long time to figure out how to swallow a pill because I have a very terrible gag reflex.  Even now, I have to put pills on my tongue a certain way to make them go down.  

[LucyStoner]

Oh, I need this thread. My son is pushing 13 and we still have to get all his prescriptions in liquid form.

[TranquilMind]

Any suggestions would be appreciated!  I've been opening the capsules and emptying them onto a little dish of applesauce, but you can't do that with everything.

 

 

I have one that hasn't mastered it and even my husband seems to have problems with it.  We just crush them up. 

[yvonne]

Oh, I need this thread. My son is pushing 13 and we still have to get all his prescriptions in liquid form.

 

Read this to my daughter so she wouldn't feel as bad.  She says, "High five through the internet!"  LOL

[Ravin]

DD learned to swallow pills at 6. Not having to take liquid medication was a powerful incentive for her. We started with very tiny pills and she worked her way up.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

It helps my kids if they fill their mouth with water, tilt their head back, drop the pill in, shake their head a little, and do the big swallow. That way the pill never touches their tongue much, if at all. I agree with practicing the swallow part first to make that easy, then adding the pill in. 

Edited February 18, 2016 by ILiveInFlipFlops

[AmandaVT]

I practiced on the petite frozen peas when I was a kid. I've never been a fan of peas and learned to swallow them whole. Pills were easy after that. :-) 

 

Can she start on very small things? Even like Nerds candy or something? And then move up to slightly bigger things?

[Spryte]

DS practiced with tic tacs dipped in chocolate pudding.

[yvonne]

We've tried the straw tactic and that hasn't worked, yet, either.  I tried putting the whole capsule in the applesauce, but that didn't work. Now I'm back to emptying the capsule onto the applesauce.

We'll try the big swallow w/ no pill and the m&m idea, too.

 

When I learned, it was because I realized that I was swallowing pieces of food that were bigger than pills. But that hasn't helped, either.

 

Anyone tried this cup?

 

ETA:  Nerds are tiny!  Maybe we'll start there. Peas, too, are smaller than the capsules and my dd likes frozen peas, so there wouldn't be that initial psychological block against nasty tasting pills going on.

Edited February 18, 2016 by yvonne

[Tanaqui]

I think we just had a thread about this :)

 

I really suggest you practice. We're doing this now - we're starting with Nerds and moving up bit by bit. After we do Nerds we'll try mini M&Ms, and then tic tacs.

[Tap]

Honestly, a lot of it is just telling yourself that it is no bigger than a bite of food. When it comes to swallowing pills, our brain is the part of our anatomy causing the problem.  I know some people have a very strong gag reflex (Im one of them) but you can help with some of that by sheer willpower. I also have a narrow opening at the top of my throat, and sometimes I just can't get pills to go down.

 

 

 

DD17 takes them with food instead of water.  She chews up a Ritz cracker, tosses the pill in with the food and swallows it.  That way her brain is thinking it is just a bit of food and doesn't gag on it. 

 

I have heard some people will dip capsules in oil fist.  It makes them super slippery and they slide down easier.

 

Always check with a pharmacist before you crush pills or open capsules.  Many medications have a time release coating on the outside and breaking that barrier, affects absorption. 

 

Taking them on a spoonful of applesauce, yogurt or ice cream helps some people.  

 

Sucking on ice, Popsicle, milk shakes ahead of time can help to numb the throat a bit, especially if the person tries to hold some of the cold liquid on the back part of the throat first.

 

 

[Nan in Mass]

We put whole pills in a spoonful of marshmallow fluff. Later, when he had to do it out and about in public, we put them into a junior mint. He was able to swallow both whole. We tried jelly, too.

 

Nan

[wapiti]

http://research4kids.ucalgary.ca/pillswallowing/

 

video #2 did the trick for my ds13 last year

 

ETA, I bought the Oralflo cup after a friend recommended it, but it didn't help us, unfortunately

Edited February 18, 2016 by wapiti

[TechWife]

This is how I explained it: 

 

Put the pill on your tongue, then get enough water so the pill floats off of your tongue and swallow. 

 

We practiced with  M&M's. 

[Erica in OR]

I've been using the "lean forward" method since I read about it in this Dr. K column. http://www.askdoctork.com/can-make-swallowing-pills-easier-201502137453

 

Erica in OR

[Pippen]

Practice with mini M&M's, then move up to regular size ones.

[happi duck]

With large pills I have good luck with squeezing my thumb while I take the pill. Supposedly it helps supress the gag reflex...even if it's just a placebo it helps me!

[DragonFaerie]

DS practiced with Tic Tacs.  He also said something one day about being able to swallow a Mandarin orange slice whole, and I pointed out that that was way bigger than any pill.  Psychological warfare. He could swallow pills after that.  :D

[fraidycat]

With large pills I have good luck with squeezing my thumb while I take the pill. Supposedly it helps supress the gag reflex...even if it's just a placebo it helps me!

My DH taught DS to do this. It seems to work for him.

[Gil]

Take a bite of food and chew it up really well, then add the pill to your mouth before you swallow food + pill at the same times.

[three4me]

You're all doing it wrong! Put the pill under your tongue where you can't taste it. Then take a drink of water. The pill will float around to the top and you won't even feel it when you swallow. I promise!

[bettyandbob]

I had to teach myself at that age. I had an extreme aversion.

 

I pushed pill to back of tongue and then drank the most palatable beverage I had available. Large gulp first so a big swallow will just take the pill down. Then a few regular swallows.

[DawnM]

My 18 and 16 year olds still won't swallow pills.  It  hasn't been a huge issue.  We just get liquid or dissolving pills.  Oldest has Asperger's and a lot of sensory issues.  Middle has horrible gag reflux.

 

Youngest is 11 and swallows pills just fine!   :crying:

[creekland]

DD17 takes them with food instead of water.  She chews up a Ritz cracker, tosses the pill in with the food and swallows it.  That way her brain is thinking it is just a bit of food and doesn't gag on it. 

 

This is what I do too, except I prefer cashews or chips to Ritz.  Any food one has to chew works though.

 

I've never figured out why people insist on trying to swallow pills with water or liquid unless they can't be taken with food.  Tossing them in with food (after chewing the food - right when it's ready to be swallowed) is so much easier.

 

I can swallow pills with water if I have to, but it takes far more effort, so I don't unless required.

[kewb]

My 15 year old has a mental block about swallowing pills with water. I just stick the pill in the applesauce.

[Nan in Mass]

The good thing about junior mints is that they aren't hard.  That makes them easier to swallow whole.  I got the junior mint idea from watching my mil feed pills to her dog.  She wrapped them in a piece of American cheese.  The dog wolfed the piece of cheese down whole, without chewing.  The other good thing about junior mints is that they are socially acceptable and portable, so if your teen is supposed to be taking a pill at a certain time when he's out and about with friends, he can stuff a pill in one and swallow it discretely, or if he is noticed, it isn't a big deal.

 

Nan

[KungFuPanda]

When the liquid form of DSs medicine was $80 and the pill was $10, we did pill-swallowing boot camp. We started with tic-tacs. Pill on the back of the tongue, flood with water, tip head back. It took some time and tears, but he figured it out and was rather proud in the end. I would've continued to crush if necessary, but we wanted to try a few things first. We never actually resorted to coating the pill in something slippery or bribing him, but those ideas were on the list as was teaching him to use the pill crusher himself.

[Tammyla]

There is another style cup that we used.  It's clear and has a slated/vented ledge that the pill sits on; you put liquid in the bottom and simply drink the pill.

We've tried the straw tactic and that hasn't worked, yet, either.  I tried putting the whole capsule in the applesauce, but that didn't work. Now I'm back to emptying the capsule onto the applesauce.

We'll try the big swallow w/ no pill and the m&m idea, too.

 

When I learned, it was because I realized that I was swallowing pieces of food that were bigger than pills. But that hasn't helped, either.

 

Anyone tried this cup?

 

ETA:  Nerds are tiny!  Maybe we'll start there. Peas, too, are smaller than the capsules and my dd likes frozen peas, so there wouldn't be that initial psychological block against nasty tasting pills going on.

 

[anneinco]

This may not work with all pills, but I do a lot better if I take them with milk. I gag a lot more when I take them with water.

[Little Nyssa]

I am sorry, but I read your title as "should I give my child a cash tip if he agrees to take his pill?" :)

Hey, whatever works!

[yvonne]

Thank you so much, everyone! I picked up some Nerds and tic tacs today. One of these ideas has got to work!

[ktgrok]

I've been using the "lean forward" method since I read about it in this Dr. K column. http://www.askdoctork.com/can-make-swallowing-pills-easier-201502137453

 

Erica in OR

 

Yes, I never understand how people can look up and swallow. Most pills float so that makes them go the wrong way. I look down so that they float to the back of my throat. 

 

I do know they sell stuff at my pharmacy to spray on your throat to numb it. i think it is called pill glide?