can I make my own medicine capsules? UPDATE in #1

[Farrar]

There's a certain medicine ds12 needs to take that's only available as a really nasty tasting suspension. He took it previously and it was a horror show in the house. We confined him to a chair until he took it. It took HOURS. He screamed through most of the ordeal, though we weren't laying hands on him or anything, he was just so freaked out. Dh and I (not to mention poor ds) were emotionally battered by the whole experience. I'm pretty sure the only reason he took it in the end was that we weren't letting him get up and he really needed to pee. I don't think I can torture him like that again. Or us. I can't even decide if it was right to not let him get up. I mean... he had to take it. He's too old to hold down. But he wasn't going to do it. If we'd let him go about his business, he would never have taken it.

 

Can I buy empty gelatin capsules and contain the suspension in them for him to take? He can swallow pills just fine. And while he doesn't like it, he can even do adult sized ones without too much issue. Like, he'll hem and haw and fuss about it a little, but it will be nothing like the scene I'm describing above. I can't seem to find information about this online - but apparently you can easily get capsules. It looks like people mostly use them for vitamins and nutritional supplements. But it would work for medicine in a suspension, right? Has anyone ever done this?

 

I mean, as an adult, I've only a very few times ever had to take a medicine that wasn't in pill (or shot) form. I don't feel like this is going to hinder his life. He can take a pill. There used to be a tablet available for this but it was discontinued. Presumably to torture me.

 

UPDATE:

It worked! Haha! Triumph! I mean, yes, I sat there and filled nearly 20 of them for him to take two at a time, but he did it. The capsules didn't fall apart. It was definitely worth the effort. It didn't take that long either. I just measured out the medicine and sat there with an eyedropper filling them one by one. He downed them as I made them. No one had to hold him down. Dh and I didn't have to yell. Ds didn't have to have an anxiety attack worthy of a whole different sort of drugs.

 

And now I'm left with nearly a thousand more capsults. Dh suggested we try encapsulating Thanksgiving dinner. It'll be like living in the future!

 

Thanks, guys.

Edited November 21, 2016 by Farrar

[Loowit]

I bought some empty gelatin capsules at a pharmacy a few years ago.  My doctor advised me to do this for some medication I needed to take.  You may want to check with a pharmacist about any contraindications, but I can't imagine it being a problem. 

[Um_2_4]

I have filled capsules (there are vegetarian ones if interested) with powders/herbs. It is tedious. I am not sure how a liquid would work. 

Could you find a compounding pharmacist who might have a machine to do it?

Although I found this women did it with a medicine syringe: http://www.happy-mothering.com/05/health-2/encapsulate-your-own-fermented-cod-liver-oil/

Maybe it wouldn't be too bad. I would just make them up as needed in case they might leak.

[Corraleno]

You could fill them with a syringe, but I assume he'd have to take them fairly quickly after you made them or they'd dissolve. Also, I guess you'd only really be able to half fill them, since it's a liquid. Could you find a pharmacy that would just give you the powder and tell you how many grams you'd need per dose?

 

Is there any other way of disguising the taste? Maybe it wouldn't taste quite as horrible if it was almost frozen? Could you use one of those numbing sprays like Chloraseptic or something else that would make it hard to taste anything?

 

:grouphug:

Edited November 13, 2016 by Corraleno

[Farrar]

It's a really thick suspension. I don't think I can hide it in anything. No way would numbing help. It's like... 20% that it's actually gross and 80% psychological.

 

So... it might dissolve the capsules? It's not something he needs to take more than a couple more times hopefully so I'm totally willing to do the tedious task of filling the capsules. Assuming they last an hour or so, it's not that big a deal, I think.

[Jyhwkmama]

Yes. I agree with PP. You can do it, just make them right before he takes them. I also think they will not keep.

[Corraleno]

I'm not sure they'd last an hour. I've accidently gotten a capsule wet, and it gets sticky almost immediately. You might have to make them and have him swallow them as you go.

[Farrar]

I'm not sure they'd last an hour. I've accidently gotten a capsule wet, and it gets sticky almost immediately. You might have to make them and have him swallow them as you go.

 

Bah. Some of them say they can take a suspension, but I can totally believe this.

[Lori D.]

When DS#1 was about 10yo, he got giardia from a camping trip and had to take the most foul liquid medicine known to man 3x/day, a tablespoon each time. And he had to take it for something like 2 weeks.

 

DS was a trouper, but it was horrible for him. We managed to minimize it by following the slug of meds with a slug of something thick, sweet, syrupy to coat his tongue. Every time it was meds time, we lined it all up for him with the tablespoon of meds, next to a tablespoon of straight Hershey's liquid chocolate syrup, followed by a cup of water, and let him take it at his speed.

 

You might try having DS suck on ice for 10 minutes before hand to numb his taste buds, and then slam down the meds while he holds his nose (sense of smell actually contributes a LOT to taste, and when you hold your nose your greatly reduce your ability to taste). And then quickly follow up with anything you can think of that he would like that would be thick and coat his tongue to get that meds taste out of his mouth ASAP. Or maybe rinse and spit with salt water, or something to get out the taste?

 

SO sorry your DS has to do another round of this medicine! BEST of luck! Warmly, Lori D.

Edited November 13, 2016 by Lori D.

[Tap]

It's a really thick suspension. I don't think I can hide it in anything. No way would numbing help. It's like... 20% that it's actually gross and 80% psychological.

 

So... it might dissolve the capsules? It's not something he needs to take more than a couple more times hopefully so I'm totally willing to do the tedious task of filling the capsules. Assuming they last an hour or so, it's not that big a deal, I think.

Putting it in a capsule would affect the absorption and possibly make it not as effective.  It will delay the amount of time it spends in the stomach and could possibly even pass through without dissolving.

 

There is a reason it is a liquid, and my guess is the absorption rate. This could be why the tablet was taken off the market. Many medications are converted within the body, so the chemical going in to the body isn't the same chemical as when it actually absorbed.  Delaying the time in the GI tract could make the medicine go into to the body all at one time, but not spend enough time in the stomach (because it is in a capsule) to get converted. 

 

If it is a liquid, I would stick with the liquid and not use a capsule to contain it.

 

A compounding pharmacist may be able to help you figure out a way to make a capsule with the active ingredient in tablet/powder form, or to advise you on whether or not a capsule would work for the liquid.  

 

Another factor to consider is how much medicine he needs to take.  How many capsules would he need at one time? You could only fill them about half full so even a teaspoon of medicine would take several capsules.

[gardenmom5]

you can buy the capsules at most health food stores.  you will also want the "filler" that holds the capsules in place while you fill and helps when you put the other end on.

 

eta: I've purchased capsules that were liquid filled - so I know you can buy capsules that will hold a liquid - but most are meant for powder.

 

could you try an irrigation syringe that would get it past his tongue? (so he doesn't have to taste it.)

Edited November 13, 2016 by gardenmom5

[LucyStoner]

My husband actually works in a pharmacy and says that often when pharmacies say it's only available in one form they mean that is the form they stock. He says most all medications can be ordered in a tablet form. He rattled off the few that truly only come liquid.

 

He says putting suspension liquid in gel caps would be difficult and tedious and probably result in losing some of the medication but that it's fairly easy to encapsulate crushed tablets and powders.

 

Sometimes you have to get the doctor to make out the prescription for the other form OR call a few different phamacies. Some are more accommodating than others. I had several pharmacies tell me that our son's medication wasn't available in our preferred form but we got it in our preferred form as soon as my husband called and was like "you can order in blah form from xyz supplier".

Edited November 13, 2016 by LucyStoner

[Jenn in FL]

A few random ideas:

 

What about using a syringe and letting him "shoot" it into the back of his throat and then immediately letting him use another syringe already pre-filled with something he considers yummy tasting as a "chaser" (and make it somewhat fun?)  You can obtain the syringes from the pharmacist. The size of the syringe will depend on the medication dosage ordered.  If you go this route, you could make a game of timing how fast he ingests both syringes and keep a running scorecard or something.  Would he enjoy trying to break his own record?

 

You might try giving him a popsicle to eat immediately prior to the med.

 

How many doses does he need and how frequently does he need to take it?

 

Hang in there! :grouphug:

 

[JFSinIL]

Is it something the pharmacist can flavor? Ours can flavor meds to mask a bad taste. Otherwise talk to your child's doctor and insist they order a form of the med or a different med that he can tolerate taking. 

Edited November 13, 2016 by JFSinIL

[Farrar]

It can't be flavored. It's OTC. I tried to investigate prescription options and didn't see many. The doctor told us to do the OTC one.

 

He only needs to take it once or maybe twice more. Not one or two more courses, but one or two more individual times. If it was days and days of this, I don't think I'd even try. 

 

The ideas for trying to hide it are nice and there are some good new ideas, but like I said, a huge component of this is psychological. It won't matter if we numb his tongue or feed him chocolate syrup after or whatever. We tried offering some of that before but it just turned into many hours of negotiations. I do not have the willpower to go through it. But I also don't have the willpower to deal with the symptoms of this thing. He has to do it again. But I don't see him doing it willingly. If we do the syringe down the back of the throat, I'll need to invite a couple of adults to help dh and I hold him down for it. I don't know if I can do it, honestly. Do you think if I took him to the pediatrician's office for it, the nursing staff would help safely restrain him and force it down his throat?

 

I once had to be restrained in the ER for a couple of small stitches when I was just his age. It took five people. I still think about it sometimes. 

[zoobie]

Can you freeze it in small ice cubes and have him swallow the ice? They make teeny tiny ice cube trays. 

[Farrar]

Can you freeze it in small ice cubes and have him swallow the ice? They make teeny tiny ice cube trays. 

 

I actually thought of this, but then I thought maybe it would be painful going down... like I've swallowed small ice cubes and it was painful.

 

Okay... I just looked... the smallest ones I saw were centimeter cubes, which is maybe on the big side for swallowing. Sigh.

[wapiti]

What flavor is the suspension?  Could you mix with chocolate syrup (with a side of ice cream)?  I did something like that a long time ago with a crushed pill and it seemed to be the only way, though anytime you mix with anything, perhaps it just makes the bad taste last longer.

 

I put liquid herbal extracts in capsules quite often.  Those usually have some alcohol in them and the capsule will melt within about 5 minutes, but taken right away > 2 min, no problem.  I think a suspension would be much more difficult - too thick, too much volume.

[Farrar]

I think the flavor of the suspension was chalk.

[zoobie]

I actually thought of this, but then I thought maybe it would be painful going down... like I've swallowed small ice cubes and it was painful.

 

Okay... I just looked... the smallest ones I saw were centimeter cubes, which is maybe on the big side for swallowing. Sigh.

Maybe don't fill it up the whole way. I've seen some rounded jelly bean size silicone trays.

[whitestavern]

I don't see why you couldn't do it. I do it with oregano oil; it's just too strong for me otherwise.

[Farrar]

I don't see why you couldn't do it. I do it with oregano oil; it's just too strong for me otherwise.

 

That's good to know. Is there a particular brand you buy or have you tried it with multiple things? It may be that water, which I assume is a key ingredient in a suspension, is the solvent and that the oil is okay though. Sigh.

 

I'm going to give it a shot. A bag of gelatin capsules was cheap, so I figure it can't hurt to try.

[whitestavern]

That's good to know. Is there a particular brand you buy or have you tried it with multiple things? It may be that water, which I assume is a key ingredient in a suspension, is the solvent and that the oil is okay though. Sigh.

 

I'm going to give it a shot. A bag of gelatin capsules was cheap, so I figure it can't hurt to try.

 

This is what we use:

 

https://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-Gelatin-Capsules-caps/dp/B000CFKMKG/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1479067762&sr=8-1&keywords=now+empty+capsules+500

 

There are different numbers; I guess they are sizes? We have "1" which are fine for our kids who don't like to swallow pills. I'm thinking the "0" and "00" must be smaller, though I'm not sure how you could possibly fill them if they are smaller. The "1" are pretty small. We use an eye dropper to fill.

[TranquilMind]

There's a certain medicine ds12 needs to take that's only available as a really nasty tasting suspension. He took it previously and it was a horror show in the house. We confined him to a chair until he took it. It took HOURS. He screamed through most of the ordeal, though we weren't laying hands on him or anything, he was just so freaked out. Dh and I (not to mention poor ds) were emotionally battered by the whole experience. I'm pretty sure the only reason he took it in the end was that we weren't letting him get up and he really needed to pee. I don't think I can torture him like that again. Or us. I can't even decide if it was right to not let him get up. I mean... he had to take it. He's too old to hold down. But he wasn't going to do it. If we'd let him go about his business, he would never have taken it.

 

Can I buy empty gelatin capsules and contain the suspension in them for him to take? He can swallow pills just fine. And while he doesn't like it, he can even do adult sized ones without too much issue. Like, he'll hem and haw and fuss about it a little, but it will be nothing like the scene I'm describing above. I can't seem to find information about this online - but apparently you can easily get capsules. It looks like people mostly use them for vitamins and nutritional supplements. But it would work for medicine in a suspension, right? Has anyone ever done this?

 

I mean, as an adult, I've only a very few times ever had to take a medicine that wasn't in pill (or shot) form. I don't feel like this is going to hinder his life. He can take a pill. There used to be a tablet available for this but it was discontinued. Presumably to torture me.

 

I don't see why not, so long as what you are filling them with doesn't dissolve them.  Try it and see. 

 

Of course you do get used to drinking nasty stuff and you can always mix it with something else and then throw it back like a shot.  I drink nasty stuff better than swallow capsules, so that's my choice.  We've also used yogurt and apple sauce and even juice to make it better. 

[gaillardia]

Do you think it worked for that which it was intended? That's the big question!

[Lori D.]

UPDATE:

It worked! Haha! Triumph! I mean, yes, I sat there and filled nearly 20 of them for him to take two at a time, but he did it. The capsules didn't fall apart. It was definitely worth the effort. It didn't take that long either. I just measured out the medicine and sat there with an eyedropper filling them one by one. He downed them as I made them. No one had to hold him down. Dh and I didn't have to yell. Ds didn't have to have an anxiety attack worthy of a whole different sort of drugs.

 

And now I'm left with nearly a thousand more capsults. Dh suggested we try encapsulating Thanksgiving dinner. It'll be like living in the future!

 

Thanks, guys.

 

:hurray:  :hurray:  :hurray:  :hurray:  So glad the medicine is done, and no more trauma! Love your futuristic Thanksgiving idea. ;)

[East Coast Sue]

I'm glad it worked! Thanks for sharing your success!

[Farrar]

Do you think it worked for that which it was intended? That's the big question!

 

I'll know in a few days, I guess. Hopefully. 

[zoobie]

Yay! Mom victory!!!

[El...]

What a creative solution!  Great job! 

[Amira]

Yay!  

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

It's a really thick suspension. I don't think I can hide it in anything. No way would numbing help. It's like... 20% that it's actually gross and 80% psychological.

 

So... it might dissolve the capsules? It's not something he needs to take more than a couple more times hopefully so I'm totally willing to do the tedious task of filling the capsules. Assuming they last an hour or so, it's not that big a deal, I think.

Does it taste awful or is it the texture or both that bothers him? If the taste is not so bad, putting it in applesauce or pudding might work if it is a small amount and the taste is not strong.

[Jenn in FL]

 

UPDATE:

 

And now I'm left with nearly a thousand more capsults. Dh suggested we try encapsulating Thanksgiving dinner. It'll be like living in the future!

 

Thanks, guys.

 

Congratulations !    :party:

 

You Go Girl!

 

Your DH is utterly hilarious!

 

Happy Thanksgiving...