Anyone managed to teach their child to swallow tablets?!

[Quokkafeet]

11 year old has been prescribed a 3 month course of antibiotics but they come in hard capsules and we cannot get her to swallow them. She is trying but continues to choke on either the tablet or the water. Any tips?! I just sort of assumed at her age she would be able to do it but it seems not!

This isn’t very helpful but it sticks in my mind. My late father saying what is going on ? You swallow food bigger than this so just get it down you and weirdly I did and now anytime I’m unsure I just remember that yes I do swallow food bigger than tablets

It's lymecycline.

I agree it's a good skill to have so we will give all of this a good go over the weekend. The bottle method looks good!

I had her tilting her head back so I've done completely the wrong thing! Thankfully she's still willing!

The problem may be the cost rather than it being completely unavailable. We tried to get my DS's medication in liquid form for a similar problem but apparently the liquid form cost the NHS £1000 a bottle so unless there was an actual documented physical reason for not being able to take tablets they refused to prescribe it.

We got DS taking tablets from about 6 by giving him something to eat (often a bit of bread but could be anything easy to eat). We got him to chew the food until he was ready to swallow, then pop the tablet in and swallow the food. It works because the body is expecting to swallow something solid and doesn't notice the tablet going down too. I've used the trick myself with big tablets, it's so much easier than water.

The sports bottle method above works well. If it’s a capsule, then they ‘float’ on the fluid in the mouth, so by tipping the head slightly forward, it floats to the back of the mouth and goes down easier followed by the liquid. Tablets ‘sink’ so a neutral head position works better

Thanks so much for all of the tips. Unfortunately, having tried absolutely all of them multiple times today, nothing at all is working. The bread was hit and miss, she got 2 tictacs down with it but she's since vomited it all back up with another failed attempt.

I will contact the GP but don't know what they will suggest as there isn't a liquid form of the antibiotic. She's taking it for 3 months for acne, which she has had for 4 years 😞i got the impression that due to her age there weren't a lot of medications available. Maybe we will just keep trying every couple of days and see if something clicks!

Tablets float, we taught our two tablet in, water in, head down/chin to chest (so the tablet is floating at the back of your mouth) and swallowing. Leaning your head back puts the tablet at the front of your mouth which can make it harder to swallow.

thick Greek yoghurt absolutely works. Tabs in the middle of a medium sized spoon full and down in one

A way to get my kids to take tablets is they fill their mouth with water then carefully put the tablet in and swallow. It really helps.

My DD had tablet only medication from 3 - lots and lots of practice with m&ms 😁 Also had success with using a straw rather than fluid directly from a cup.

It also helps to eat something afterwards, if the medication allows.

Don't be disheartened - it may take a few weeks, but persevere. You are effectively trying to re-train her gag reflex to be less sensitive. We also spent time sticking straws / lolly sticks / toothbrush to the back of her mouth to reduce her overactive gag reflex...

In case someone hasn't mentioned this yet Amazon/chemists sell pill cutters. A godsend when we had to get malaria tablets into non swallowing DC each day!!

I usually eat something, chew my mouthful up until it’s at a consistency I’m about to swallow and pop the tablet into the middle of that chewed up mouthful of food and swallow that mouthful with the tablet wrapped into the center

Doctor told us to try them in banana or yoghurt if she couldn’t swallow them. Putting her chin towards her chest helps too. I’m rubbish at taking tablets, sometimes result to chewing them but that was a great tip as I often used to flip my head back.

I transitioned both my kids on to tablets at 6 as I couldn’t afford calpol and paracetamol is about 30p. I said have a big drink, put the tablet right at the back of your tongue then drink the rest of the glass of water in big mouthfuls. Seemed to work for me they are 12 and 9 and both take tablets now.

Yoghurt. A nice, fruity and sweet one. Crumble or cut up the tablet and add it to a teaspoon of yoghurt.

It seemed to help my elderly mother anyway as she became more frail and whenever she was ill she would lose her ability to swallow tablets. We could often get at least some into her with the yoghurt though, even if it wasn't perfect.

Tilting your head forward is the way, as others have said, or my mum (who has some swallowing issues) puts her pills in a spoonful of apple sauce - I guess jam or something would have a similar effect.

We can't cut the tablet as it is a capsule containing powder and the capsule cannot be opened because it has to travel in the capsule to the stomach.

We have tried the food/ yogurt swallowing. I think it has to be psychological and practice may help.

Water in the mouth, head back, open mouth, drop tablet, swallow.

So much easier than tablet then water.

ah you beat me to it. I can only take tablets by water first then dropping the tablet in.

Yes! I used TicTacs, small, taste nice and don’t just dissolve.

We used peas not tic tags. Taught them a bit younger than this - more like 6 or 7. In only say this to nudge others.

Op I suggest staying calm and keep encouraging her. Good luck!!

I still only take tablets with juice or milk and I’m 41 🤣 Absolutely dread being prescribed antibiotics or those giant iron tablets

Cannot emphasise enough the head forwards not back for capsules. I only recently learned this after decades of taking various medications. I now have swallowing issues also and this is what works best: pop capsule in mouth, swig of water through a straw (my bottle has a hard plastic mouthpiece attached to a straw iyswim), head down so the capsule floats to near the throat. No gagging as it’s suspended in the water. I think I’d be scared to try tictacs as they feel harder somehow?!

Thank you!

This has definitely made me realise I need to train my 8 year old as well 😂 I'll move onto him next!

My 12 year old is fine. My 15 year old has to break them up, open and mix powder in food or use dissolvable paracetamol 🤷