How can I get DD to swallow tablets?

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My 14 year old DD has been prescribed antibiotics which come in a rather large capsule! The problem is that she hasn’t had to take tablets before and is finding it really hard to swallow them. I feel a bit of a failure for not getting her used to taking tablets before now but thankfully she has rarely needed to take medicines so it hadn’t really occurred to me.

Any tips please?

We started with one hundred and thousand, then onto a mini silver cake ball, a mini smartie then horse-tablet anti bs were okay. Tuck chin down into chest not tip head back (counterintuitive).

Good luck.

Thanks Flibberty - will give that a try. Good tip to not tip head back. I tend to do this but it actually makes swallowing harder.

Drinking a fizzy drink first and with the tablet is meant to help. That’s what a nurse told us and my DD insists it works!

We had a similar issue and were told to put the pill in the glass of water and then drink it as normal. It wasn’t always successful - we ended up with a few very soggy tablets!

or put the capsule onto something slippery, like yoghurt or jelly.

Definitely look down, most pills float so looking down means it's towards the back of the throat.

Get her to practice drinking water in one go, like a shot? Then she should be able to do the same with a pill in her mouth.

I'm going to go against the grain a bit here, but as someone who has had lifelong issues with taking tablets, here's my method: get a glass of squash, take a gulp ( not big enough to fill the mouth but more than a sip) then 'hold' it in your mouth. Tilt your head back, open your mouth and drop the tablet in so it sort of floats in the squash. Close mouth and swallow hard. Tablet should go with squash. Take another mouthful of squash to make sure it's gone.

Whatever you do, don’t be tempted to open the capsule and have her swallow the contents. I know someone who did this and it made them ill.

If she really struggles, could you ask for the antibiotics in liquid form?

Whatever you do, don’t be tempted to open the capsule and have her swallow the contents. I know someone who did this and it made them ill.

that depends entirely on the medicine. and you need to ask the pharmacist if it's ok for these ones.
some are designed to only dissolve in the intestine, those you shouldn't open up, but others are fine. dc as toddler got medicine from a capsule as no liquid medicine was available. we mixed the powder with jam to get it down.

You could try cutting the pills up and getting her to take them with yogurt or ice cream.

I like to swallow them whilst eating. So chomp a bit of biscuit into goo in my mouth, pop in the pill, swallow altogether then finish biscuit. Then the pill doesn’t float or start to dissolve and taste bad

People tend to tip their head backwards when they try to swallow pills, you should hold your head tilted forward and down a bit. Back closes the throat, forward opens the throat. I learnt this at 30 and for the first time in my life swallowed pills easily!

You need to pop tablet in her mouth and get her to drink through a straw.
The concentrating on the straw makes them forget there’s a tablet in their mouth.
Works 99% of the time. Including for my almost 40 year old DH who struggles with tablets.

In hospital I was also advised to not have too much liquid, just a normal large sip.

Taking with a fizzy drink works for me/ us!

Fizzy drink does work, I put tablet in mouth, add drink, let the tablet float in the liquid so I can't feel it then swallow. Could never manage those horse tablet size monstrosities though (looking at you pregnancy multivitamin...I had to take the liquid in the end!)

Thanks everyone. She ended up chewing the tablet tonight but then was nearly sick as it tasted so disgusting and I’m worried that they are not meant to be chewed so will definitely be trying some if your suggestions.

Ds age 11 was in hospital earlier this year and had to take a lot of medication then and for weeks afterwards. He had never swallowed tablets before and the doctor suggested buying TicTacs and practicing with them - same size and shape as pills, taste ok if stuck in your mouth. Ds practiced on and off and could do it by the end of the morning!

I've always struggled.
The only way I can do it, is the same as poster above, take a half mouthful of squash but don't swallow it, tip head back, pop tablet in, and literally swallow everything in one big gulp.
I absolutely cannot put the tablet in my mouth first. I'll be sick.

I always took mine in a teaspoon full of jam when I was little. Helped to swallow the tablet down and stopped me getting any nasty tablet taste.

Interesting idea about leaning head forward, will try that next time

Another vote for fizzy drink, I like the topping head forward tip!

My Mum hated to swallow tablets, she used to put them in a teaspoon of jam swiftly followed by a drink, to help get them down.
Try not to chew capsules, they will work better if swallowed whole,

Yy get them down with food after chewing.

Sports top water bottle OP - the vacuum when u suck from it seems to do something to help it down a lot easier.
Sip from it tablet in whilst holding water in mouth then another sip!

Drink from a bottle, either sports type or ordinary water bottle. I think the “sucking it down” action washes the tablet straight down.