Placebo tablets in blister packs

[Icedlatteplease]

DS15 has finally took antipsycotics today. 🥳🥳🥳

However how we did it was me and DD also took a paracetamol at the same time. But given he needs to suck not swallow the risperidone im not sure if he wont get smart tomorrow.

It would help if there was some kind of something very small and round that comes in a blister pack we could take at the same time as DS. We might run with a saccharine tablet as it looks right but if it came in a blister pack it would be better. I wondered if mumsnet hive mind could think of a solution

Thanks zelda. They need to get a fortnight-3 weeks medication successfully in him orally to confirm he can tolerate it. Then they do look at injections

No, pharmacies can't put tablets in blister packs - at least not into the kind of pack that would look convincingly like a blister pack of risperidone. The blister packs a pp mentioned will be the little pots like a compliance aid.

You could possibly fake something yourself using an emptied paracetamol (or something else cheap) blister pack and something that looks like tablets e.g. cake decorations or non-mint-smelling tic tacs (I think there are pink ones). You'd need to get the paracetamol out carefully either by opening the foil using a knife or opening the blister at the back, but is probably do-able.

Food for thought. Tbh we have to store medication carefully anyway because it the start of his illness he has been known to take a double dose or bin them if we don't.

I suppose that does suggest looking for a similar sized vitamin tablet would be better than the sweetener. It might be worth going down the we all have to take something route as opposed to it being the "same" thing.

I think the cold seal blister pack possible look too like his (binned) normal pre mental illness medication packs as opposed to the current blister packs. I didn't know those existed.

Am reading everything and taking it in every if I haven't commented directly

www.nurofen.co.uk/products/adult/nurofen-meltlets-lemon-200mg-self-dissolving-tablets/

Not true. A family member had their tablets put into custom blister packs with each section containing multiple tablets. It was done due to poor compliance as she got very confused with all the different times of day to take various things.

The pharmacy may not physically do it in house, but they were responsible for sorting it all out.

No they were blister packs. To open them you had to push the pills through the foil. Some were larger square compartments to fit 3 or 4 pills in, and others were quite small round sections for two tiny tablets to fit inside. This is about 4 or 5 years ago so I can't remember the name of the system, but the local pharmacy sorted it all out for my relative.

What exactly do his pills look like OP? Presumably the placebos need to look pretty much exactly the same? Eg no point suggesting pink pills if his are white etc.

would these work? Not sure what the minimum order is though but you could order a few samples.

Boots pharmacy puts tablets into blister packs as a service. If you explain your situation they might do it for you with some vitamin C tablets.
Alternatively a helpful pharmacist might be able to select something in a blister pack that would work for the effect.

Hope he takes them X

I think you really need to speak to whoever prescribed the risperidone about the non-compliance and your plan. It usually takes a couple of weeks minimum, could be longer, to have an effect. So whatever you do needs to be sustainable for that long. That could be taking non-active or safe meds at the same time to show him the drug is safe (which is a form of deception but I think pretty mild since hopefully his prescribed meds are safe), but you say its a miracle this worked today. What is plan b for when this doesn't work? Have they discussed covert medication with you and could you conceal his meds in food effectively? I'm not advocating that but it seems the obvious next step - and something commonly practiced in in-patient settings. The practical issue of what tablet will best convince him you are taking the same drug at the same time is relatively minor in comparison and you have had good advice here. It sounds like a horrible situation, really hope he feels more stable soon and you have some support IRL.

We've discussed covert medication being the next step. However last time we did that at the start of his illness he wised up after the 3rd dose and stopped eating anything just in case. (Only got him back eating by sharing food off the same plate). Hospitalisation is a real possibility, CAMHs want a planned local admission if they have to but neither them nor me are sure he will cope in hospital (😅 not that hes coping much now). However Social services making a hash of care might scarper any chance of sensible planning and it may end up emergency admission😖😖😖.

Dd was all the we all have to take medication route today. So I'm thinking maybe it doesn't need to be a perfect match just close enough for the association to be there

Op, why did you and dd taking meds at same time get him to take his? I lived with my ex for last 20 years, of 30 year marriage, with psychotic illness ( various diagnosis’s). He was on olanzapine. Yep, it was hard to get him to take them at times, and in end we divorced as he no longer wanted to medicate and went into crisis again. But at no time would I have taken meds at sometime to convince him. He was medically competent and had choices whether I and psychiatrist agreed or not. I tried my best to keep him compliant but no one can control someone unless they’ve been sectioned

its not like your DS is very young to be convinced you’re taking same meds
so ijust don’t understand why this worked? Not implying anything- it just doesn’t make sense based on info you have given why this worked
i realise you’re desperate, but this is not the path to go. He’s 16 and an adult and currently not sectioned. Therefore, he is now medically competent to decide if he wants to take meds or not. Whilst you can try to talk to him, it is not sustainable or even sensible in long term to embark on this route.

its shit I know. But you do have to accept that along with psychotic illness a symptom is usually anosognosia - look this up if you’re not aware of it.

Fgs..I can’t believe people are advocating the op and dd take a pharmaceutical active ingredient they don’t need necessarily .
stop
It’s bloody dangerous to take any meds long term, even OTCs, without medical advice or a prescription

there is not a medicine or substance in a tablet form in a blister strip that doesn’t have some counterindications - read the bloody PILs and stop being so irresponsible to suggest this - taking nurofen for extended periods causes ulcers of the stomach for instance. If you’re prescribed nurofen for extended periods, for instance, you’ll be given a non OTC version with enteric coat to prevent this. Same goes for aspirin. You can’t buy that version OTC

I can recall taking lots of vitamins that come in blister packs - including the Skin, Nails & Hair type ones from H&B/Boots etc.

Some of the other suggestions like taking caffeine or paracetamol everyday seems incredibly unnecessary when there are lots of vitamins or minerals which come in those packs (more expensive, granted, but much safer long term)

A pharmacy will not dispense medicine into a compliance aid for anyone unless it is prescribed specifically for that person. It would be dangerous and against the law.

Why does your son need to see you taking medicine for him to feel able to do so? Can you work on that as opposed to coming up with all these complex ways to try and fool him?

There is absolutely no way a pharmacist will make up a dosette box/pill box for anyone based on an anecdote. That is utter nonsense. They need a prescription from the GP with the instructions on, it's up to the GP not the pharmacy. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes, you can't just 'pay a service fee' to make one up with vitamins 🙈🙈 Jesus wept.

OP, you can buy plastic monthly boxes to dispense his meds into and then get one for yourself too if that is what works. Then use vitamins, tiktaks, sweeteners to fill yours? You can always put vitamins in his too. I wouldn't say it was the most ethical way of getting him to take his meds but I realise you haven't much choice. Have you spoken to cahms about this?

Betife Pill Box 4 Times a Day, Weekly Pill Box Organisers, Pill Organiser 7 Day 4 Times, Pill Dispenser 7 Day 4 Compartments, Tablet Box with 28 Copartments for Medication, Vitamins and Supplements amzn.eu/d/77R5igC

Yes I also agree that your daughter shouldn't be involved in this. Your son will not trust anyone if he were to find otut and it is not fair to put that responsibility on your daughter, whether she wants to or not.

Buscopan is small and white and comes in a blister pack. They’re pretty harmless.

Pharmacies do make up blister packs, my mil drugs come in one.

He is not 16 that's my DD. Actually he isn't Gillick competent either. It's a very difficult set of circumstances. It's easy to make assumptions the other end of an Internet screen

What happened last night was a slightly more nuanced than I presented here. Which it why perhaps it doesn't make sense to you. More along the lines "we all have to take medicine sometimes if I took mine at the same time as yours would it help?" DD and i were deeply shocked when he said yes given his usual comment to everything is shut up. It wasnt a planned out thing. Yesterday it was a thundering great paracetamol capsules that looked nothing like his medication.

I didnt include all that information, because as random internet strangers you don't actually need to know all that information to answer the question. Many people did indeed answer the two topmost questions in my mind which were can you blister pack sacherrine tablets and can you get hold of placebos in this country. I appreciate that greatly.

I do actually also appreciate discussion about why exactly the same style tablet might be problematic. It's definitely food for thought.

Actually there's no guarantee anything
will work today because as you so rightly say, you can't control people and today DS may revert to no fuck off.

Just finally there are similarities in our circumstances but differences too. Your husband was clearly a competent adult prior to his illness. DS is a bright young man but with lots of additional difficulties and dependencies. You could walk away when his behaviour became too much happy in the justification that he is an adult. Us or me walking away not only breaks up our family but it puts a very vulnerable young man into the care system and not necessarily the best place in the care system given the level of violence that has been involved in the last year. It's very very complicated. There's lots left out the OP cos simply I don't want or need to share.

Not exactly placebos (and not that cheap either!) but folic acid tablets look pretty medical and come in blister packs from boots?

www.boots.com/seven-seas-trying-for-a-baby-vitamins-28-one-a-day-pills-10141707?cm_mmc=bmm-buk-google-ppc--PLAs--Health_Pharmacy-_-UK_Smart_Shopping_Health_Pharmacy_Google&gbraid=0AAAAADrIajW9o2ncG-gFdEkvpLnEPcoHv&gbraid=0AAAAADrIajW9o2ncG-gFdEkvpLnEPcoHv&gclid=CjwKCAiA68ebBhB-EiwALVC-NvSFzdTdPHM_tq_plJa-UJUS9Nva1jUBQvH4onqZ1Z9sCZas2Du56BoCb6QQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

As mentioned previously pill organisers are not appropriate as most likely he will bin it.

Vitabiotics vit D are in blister packs, small white pills, completely tasteless.

I have no advice op but it sounds like a tricky situation. I hope you are successful again today in persuading him to take his medication. It sounds very stressful.