Getting my ds to take the meds...

[ajcire]

My ds is 7. He is supposed to be on azith prophylactically but I can't get him to take it. I could go get the liquid but it will end up being ridiculous with copays because of how long the liquid lasts... I have the pills here. He absolutely refuses to try to swallow it. I have offered to put it in icecream (so it would slide down), in pudding, applesauce, in anything. Doesn't work. So I went to crushing it but of course it tastes completely awful. He won't take it crushed in a spoonful of something but will take it in chocolate milk but then most of the medicine sticks to the sides of the cup. I am concerned because I have no idea what he is getting that way and I won't give it to him that way anymore.. fairly sure the 2 times we tried he got less than was left in the cup and I just feel awful knowing how totally disgusting it had to taste for him. I really know he can swallow it but he is terrified. He doesn't have any ocd choking fears or anything but with this he is definitely afraid of choking.. I understand his fear of it and know a lot of kids have trouble with this but I so need him to

 

ANY ideas that are practical to do a couple of times a week before I have to try to get in touch with the dr. to get a new script

[wornoutmom]

When my son was 7 he had to take Clyndamycian capsules 3x a day for 10 days for strep. The capsules were huge and breaking them open revealed the MOST putrid smell EVER. So what we did is pour it into a spoonful of Hershey chocolate syrup, and literally paid him a dollar each time he took it. For him, money was a huge motivator, and watching the pile grow and knowing he'd end up with $30 did the trick. So basically, some immediate reward that may mean something to your son (could be stickers on a chart that lead up to a trip to McD's or something) might help. My son is and always has been hugely motivated by rewards. The other thing we did was buy a pack or two of Mini M&Ms to practice swallowing pills. We put them side by side an average piece of food he swallowed (like bread) to show him how small it really was in comparison and then he would practice with them. He's 14 now and right now takes 12 pills a day - so there is hope. Hang in there!

[matis_mom]

My ds is 7. He is supposed to be on azith prophylactically but I can't get him to take it. I could go get the liquid but it will end up being ridiculous with copays because of how long the liquid lasts... I have the pills here. He absolutely refuses to try to swallow it. I have offered to put it in icecream (so it would slide down), in pudding, applesauce, in anything. Doesn't work. So I went to crushing it but of course it tastes completely awful. He won't take it crushed in a spoonful of something but will take it in chocolate milk but then most of the medicine sticks to the sides of the cup. I am concerned because I have no idea what he is getting that way and I won't give it to him that way anymore.. fairly sure the 2 times we tried he got less than was left in the cup and I just feel awful knowing how totally disgusting it had to taste for him. I really know he can swallow it but he is terrified. He doesn't have any ocd choking fears or anything but with this he is definitely afraid of choking.. I understand his fear of it and know a lot of kids have trouble with this but I so need him to

 

ANY ideas that are practical to do a couple of times a week before I have to try to get in touch with the dr. to get a new script

Maybe have him practice with some candy that is more or less the same size? Maybe make it a game, you swallow one, he swallows one... I know crushing is not much better. We had to do that with Cipro after the tonsillectomy because we could not get the liquid.

What if you bribe him? Maybe you can split the money you'd be saving by not having to get the liquid and get him something cool

[dcmom]

I get the liquid zith a month at a time. The pharmacy does not mix it, I mix it at home, due to how long it lasts. My kids HATE meds, but take the liquid very well (with a little chaser of chocolate). This way I only pay one co pay per month.

 

When we have pills, I crush them up and put in a spoonful of daughter's favorite ice cream, and spoon it into her mouth. Also with a chaser of chocolate.

 

Chocolate solves a lot of problems at my house

[ajcire]

Thanks for the ideas. I find that while he is motivated by many bribes when he gets his head set that he won't do something, he just won't do it I am going to try the mini candies and see if he will practice with those... and maybe putting it directly on chocolate syrup on a spoon rather than in the milk will work since he loves the syrup.

 

Dcmom, I did that before where I mixed it at home... for some reason the dr. just wasn't getting how I needed the script to be written. I had seen a different dr. last year who had it set for me that I got the month supply and I mixed it with distilled water myself. I have a feeling I need to revisit this and get explain better to the dr. how I need it. Pills seemed so much easier and for a moment, a very short moment I thought I would be able to talk my ds into this... He doesn't fight the idea of taking medicine... just the pill issue.

 

 

I get the liquid zith a month at a time. The pharmacy does not mix it, I mix it at home, due to how long it lasts. My kids HATE meds, but take the liquid very well (with a little chaser of chocolate). This way I only pay one co pay per month.

 

When we have pills, I crush them up and put in a spoonful of daughter's favorite ice cream, and spoon it into her mouth. Also with a chaser of chocolate.

 

Chocolate solves a lot of problems at my house

[LNN]

One of the really annoying things about humans is we have to want to do something before we'll do it. Add to that that your son has a disease, has been carted off to doctors, been subjected to throat swabs, blood tests, disgusting meds...Add to that the fact that even healthy kids have little control over their daily lives...it sets up quite a power struggle to get pills into a kid who hasn't learned how to overcome the gag reflex.

 

We had the same problem. My son (also 7) is on liquid augmentin and no matter what flavor we add, it's still disgusting. So I made a deal with him. I laid out his options. He had to get antibiotics into his body. He had to get probiotics into his body. When needed, he had to get prednisone into his body (the liquid is the nastiest taste known to kids). These all had to be liquid until he figured out how to swallow pills.

 

So he didn't have a choice about the meds. They had to get inside - not just for his own health, but for the benefit of the whole family. He couldn't use the argument "well, it's my body, I get to chose." Because this disease effects everyone. So he doesn't get to make a choice that effects everyone. But he did get a choice about what form the meds were in. For a few weeks, he struggled and couldn't bring himself to try. Then he made up his mind and we practiced by using easy pills that were "disposable" (if they got spit out, no big deal). We practiced by using probiotic capsules that were coated (Culturelle) and Motrin caplets (the adult Motrin is 100mg/pill and the children's dose for his age/weight is 2 tsp or 100mg - so same dose). The first time, the pills ended up in the sink. The next time, he practiced putting the pill on the back of his tongue where he couldn't feel it as much and taking a large drink of water. That ended up in the sink too. We said "ok, no big deal. You're not ready. We'll stick with the liquid and try again in 6 months." But by now, his stubborn streak kicked in and he became determined to "prove us wrong" and become master of his own destiny. The next time he tried, down it went. We've been practicing for 2 weeks and he's now able to swallow 2 pills at a time. I'll be calling to ask for augmentin in pill form when this script ends.

 

So I don't have any secret ways to sneak in a pill. For us, it was a matter of helping my son make up his own mind and then helping him find ways to practice without the stakes being high (no way could we practice on something as important as the actual antibiotic).

 

Good luck!

[ajcire]

Thanks LLM... exactly! We wasted 2 antibiotic pills and unfairly I was totally annoyed about it. I need to not fight this and get him the liquid until he's ready while practicing with other things that are safe for him and "safe" to waste He is willing to take the liquid without any fights... I just wish he could see that once he can do this it is not a big deal at all.

[Suzan]

HUGS! My dd takes the crushed zith in a strawberry/banana smoothie from trader joes. I can only imagine how horrible it tastes. She cries and carries on but luckily I can get her to take it. She is scared about swallowing pills too. We've tried the candy but it just does not work.

 

I've been wondering how you guys are doing and if you ever got what you needed from the doc.

 

Susan

[peglem]

My daughter takes pills if I chase them with 2 syringes of water.

[JMTho]

You might try soft chocolate truffles (Whole Foods sells some). They are soft enough to dig a small hole into the round chocolate ball... then slide the crushed pill into the hole, pinch it closed and tell kiddo not to chew it... just swallow it down. (if it is too big, can cut in half and mold it into a smaller ball.)

 

Could practice with the probiotics and/or Advil first, in case it doesn't work... that was a great suggestion.

 

Good luck.

[ajcire]

JMTho... great idea but my son already told me that icecream won't work because he will chew his icecream so I am guessing he will say the same about that. Of course chocolate truffles might sound a little better to him...

 

 

 

You might try soft chocolate truffles (Whole Foods sells some). They are soft enough to dig a small hole into the round chocolate ball... then slide the crushed pill into the hole, pinch it closed and tell kiddo not to chew it... just swallow it down. (if it is too big, can cut in half and mold it into a smaller ball.)

 

Could practice with the probiotics and/or Advil first, in case it doesn't work... that was a great suggestion.

 

Good luck.

[emmalily]

Hi, I had the same problem myself with antibiotics when I was 10. Mom finally figured out that in a little bowl applesauce I couldn't taste that much of it. And in the bowl (rather than in a cup) she was able to scrape the sides and make sure I got it all. Then she gave me a piece of chocolate afterwards...

Hope something works for you!

[pixiesmommy]

To teach a child to swallow a pill- start with something small (candy, choc chip or mini choc chip, etc) and give them something CRUNCHY and dry to eat- like crackers or potato chips, etc. and a glass of water. Have the child chew up the food until they are ready to swallow, then put the pill in the back of the mouth and swallow that bite (along with pill) with a big gulp of water. The chewed food will "soften" the feeling of it going down the throat, as well as help with reflexively wanting to swallow.

 

 

For CAPSULES- you can do the same, OR if you want something a little more interesting for the science-y type kids: Put the capsule in the mouth and take a sip of water. Tilt the head FORWARD and the capsule will FLOAT up to the top of the mouthful of water (which will, leaning forward, be the back of the mouth near the throat) and swallow while leaning forward.

 

----

 

On a personal note, we were doing the liquid Augmentin and it tastes horrible unless they use a lot of additives, which can affect the brain, and we didn't want to do. We hid the liquid in smoothies for awhile, but then Pixie preferred the pills, which are white, so that was also preferable since there are no added colors and chemicals to worry about. There are also compounding pharmacies that will not add the chemicals, etc.

 

For supplements, I have heard of putting them in small popsicles that you make at home. The coldness helps you taste the things less, plus it is like a special treat for some kids to have special popsicles a lot.

 

Hope this helps!