Mom2boys Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I am trying to teach my ds11 to swallow a pill. So far, it isn't going very well. He does have a sensitive gag reflex. Does anyone have any tips or tricks that would help me teach him how to swallow a pill?:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 My 11yo ds has to swallow a pill nightly for his migraines. It was rough going at first, but he learned. Have him place the pill as far back on his tongue as he can without gagging, then drink. It probably will take him several tries before he gets the hang of it. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam "SFSOM" in TN Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I am trying to teach my ds11 to swallow a pill. So far, it isn't going very well. He does have a sensitive gag reflex. Does anyone have any tips or tricks that would help me teach him how to swallow a pill?:confused: Practice with tic tacs. And maybe put the water in the mouth before he slips the tic tac in. Also, he might try with tiny rolled up pieces of bread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawana Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Practice with tic tacs. Or mini M&Ms, graduating to full size ones. Lawana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 I have the kids tilt their heads back and then drop them into the back of the throat, then take a drink. It never touches their tongue so they don't gag on it. THey can now drop their own in without me. They have to take meds 2-3 times a day(depending on which child) and all their supplements. That has been the only way to get them to take them all without gagging on the pills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2boys Posted April 5, 2009 Author Share Posted April 5, 2009 Thanks Pam for the tic tac suggestion. That's a great idea! I have been trying to teach him using vitamins, but something smaller like a tic tac would work better. Thanks for the encouraging words MamaT. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secular_mom Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 There are lots of people in my family who just aren't able to swallow pills. No matter how many times they try, it never goes down. My oldest is like this, as is my mother. My solution for my oldest is to always make sure that any meds she needs to take are safe to chew up. Yes, they taste awful, but she prefers to chew up her tablets as opposed to taking liquid meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxMama Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 There are lots of people in my family who just aren't able to swallow pills. No matter how many times they try, it never goes down. My oldest is like this, as is my mother. My solution for my oldest is to always make sure that any meds she needs to take are safe to chew up. Yes, they taste awful, but she prefers to chew up her tablets as opposed to taking liquid meds. Try eating a few M&Ms before she does this. If she tries to swallow the M&Ms slightly chunkier she might be able to swallow the pill without chewing it. OR if she still needs to chew the pill chocolate covers up the taste....bitter/sweet/ you name it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secular_mom Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Oh no, I wouldn't dream of ruining M&M's for her. That's what happened with yogurt, we tried crushing antibiotics up and having her swallow it with a spoonful of yogurt. Now she doesn't eat yogurt any more. She's a tough cookie, and would rather just taste the awfulness than try masking the taste (which doesn't work for her). That's a great idea though, for other folks. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam "SFSOM" in TN Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Or mini M&Ms, graduating to full size ones. Lawana Oooh, better. And cheaper. And if it still doesn't work, you can drown your frustrations in a handful of M&M's. :-PP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in AL Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 By placing the pill in a spoon of something smooth and swallowing. As a kid, I needed to take an antibiotic in a pill form (not available in liquid form), and the doctor told my mother to place the pill in a spoonful of pudding and let me swallow that. It went right down. I have a horrid gag reflex, so I used that method for several years, until my throat grew along with the rest of me, and I was able to pretty much swallow any pill with minimal gagging (even those prenatal vitamins! Yuck!) My son learned the same way, and in less than a year, he went from gagging/bulging eyes to being able to "dry swallow" most pills. :ack2: *I* can't do that! Before trying this method, though, make sure that whatever pill it is that it's OK to take with _____. (chocolate pudding, applesauce, yogurt, ice cream, etc, etc) Good luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaof2andtwins Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 My 12 yo learned to swallow pills in a spoonful of yogurt, and my 9 yo swallows hers with applesauce because she doesn't yogurt. My other 9 yo still has a hard time swallowing. She does better with applesauce because it isn't as smooth as yogurt, and she can't detect the pill as easily. Jennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2boys Posted April 5, 2009 Author Share Posted April 5, 2009 Thanks for the suggestions to put the pill in a spoonful of food. Now why didn't I think of that? You all have been so helpful! Thanks so much to all of you who took the time to help me with this problem. I appreciate it more than you know. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammy Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Don't feel bad.....my daughter couldn't swallow a pill until she was 15, LOL....her 14yo brother still can't! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbi in Texas Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Ok- this works for my son and me. Put the liquid in your mouth first. Preferably milk. Tilt head back (as if to gargle)-drop pill in and swallow. Hope this helps. Debbi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 While I don't have a hard time swallowing pills, I do have a very sensitive gag reflex. I don't know if I could put the pill way back like some suggest--what I do is put the pill under my tongue, right behind my bottom teeth. Then, as I drink water, I lift my tongue and the pills go up & over. I can usually swallow pills in one or two gulps of water, but for someone with more trouble, I'd suggest to keep drinking. I can take 5-6 pills at a time this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2boys Posted April 7, 2009 Author Share Posted April 7, 2009 Don't feel bad.....my daughter couldn't swallow a pill until she was 15, LOL....her 14yo brother still can't! Do you mind if I ask, what happened when the doctor wanted to prescribe something that didn't come in liquid or chewable form? Or has this not been an issue for your family? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2boys Posted April 7, 2009 Author Share Posted April 7, 2009 Ok- this works for my son and me. Put the liquid in your mouth first. Preferably milk. Tilt head back (as if to gargle)-drop pill in and swallow. Hope this helps. Debbi Thanks for the suggestion. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2boys Posted April 7, 2009 Author Share Posted April 7, 2009 While I don't have a hard time swallowing pills, I do have a very sensitive gag reflex. I don't know if I could put the pill way back like some suggest--what I do is put the pill under my tongue, right behind my bottom teeth. Then, as I drink water, I lift my tongue and the pills go up & over. I can usually swallow pills in one or two gulps of water, but for someone with more trouble, I'd suggest to keep drinking. I can take 5-6 pills at a time this way. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll have him try this. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 (edited) I am trying to teach my ds11 to swallow a pill. So far, it isn't going very well. He does have a sensitive gag reflex. Does anyone have any tips or tricks that would help me teach him how to swallow a pill?:confused: I had trouble when I was a kid, but eventually figured out that if I got a mouthful of water in my mouth and swallowed, the pill would float right down with the water. I've done it that way ever since. I also still tie my shoes with bunny ears. :D Susan Edited April 7, 2009 by Susan in KY typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SapphireStitch Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 My kids both have problems with this. My daughter finally taught herself to swallow pills because chewable ibuprophen tasted so terrible (and I was getting tired of spending $$ on them) and she had to take a bunch of them to get menstrual cramp relief. She has a certain store brand of generic ibuprophen that she always buys because she has convinced herself that one shape is easier to swallow than the others. She also still makes a lot of gagging and retching noises while taking it...but she's old enough now to know it's her own problem and she doesn't need to share the drama with the rest of us. (I know I sound like a terribly mean mom. I had to learn to swallow pills because my mom gave us lots of vitamins and the alternative was to crush them and mix them with juice. I would have been thrilled to swallow an Advil to help with my cramps back then, but Mom didn't allow stuff like that.:glare:) My son is only 7 so we haven't insisted he learn to swallow pills yet. A couple of times we've had to give him Tylenol or Sudafed and have not had chewables on hand. We crushed the pills (proper dose for his age of course!) and mixed them with a small spoonful of jam. The large amount of sugar and the stickiness of the jam really seem to help get the pill fragments down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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