How do you get your child to take anxiety tablets?

[FluffyJellyCat]

My junior school girl is on stertraline. She struggles with tablets but really struggles with this due to not being able to swallow and it's taste.

Is there any way to make it easier? I was putting it in melted chocolate but it needs to be completely crushed and she can still taste it. Getting hold of camhs is impossible. The tablet in itself is giving her anxiety. Also should be having it before bed or in the morning? I was thinking her anxiety is all school related so on such a low dose would it be in her system if taken before bed the night before?

Same as any other tablet that they refuse to take unfortunately. All the usual tricks - crush it, mix it in foods, drinks, looks for alternatives like gummies etc. If they are old enough and aware of their anxiety have you tried talking to her about it and explaining that it will help make her worry less and could potentially make her anxiety go away?

My son still can't swallow tablets. He was on propanolol and the GP changed his prescription to a liquid form.

You could:

Put in a slice of banana

Put in a (strong tasting yoghurt)

The key really is to find something pretty strong tasting that they like that the pill will go in.

Ice cream is usually the best thing to try

There's a product called Gloup which is designed to help people take tablets. I've found it very helpful with my son who's autistic. It's designed as an aid to help swallowing whole tablets but I often crush tablets and mix them into this gel & give it on a spoon. My son is 17 & getting liquid medicines for adults was getting difficult. The flavor is very calpol-ish

Definitely before bed.

Thanks everyone. I haven't really explained what the tablet is for but I will try to explain it a bit more.

So definitely before bed? I wish I could get back hold of camhs as I'm sure they do stertraline in liquid form. It's coming up end of year so with all that involves I just want her to be as calm as possible. I think if they did in a sugar coating she wouldn't taste it so much

Crushed and mixed up in a spoonful of sugar (as in Mary poppins lol). Candy afterwards as a bribe.

My DD has to take hers in the morning.

She also struggles to take them, but is currently on 6 tablets a day and is slowly getting the hang of it now x

Hi, I'm a pharm tech, sertraline can be crushed and mixed with food but tastes very bitter. It also has an anaesthetic effect on the tongue so be careful with hot foods or drinks after she has it.
Good luck! x

Your dd may be too young to try this but there's a trick to swallowing pills I've only recently discovered...pill in mouth with a glug of water (or a nice cold drink), turn head a bit upwards and to the side, swallow... the pill should disappear down with the liquid. I think the position must somehow clear the throat? Maybe try it yourself with some sort of vitamin pill or fish oil capsule to see if it works for you, then you could see if she can get that to work, again practicing with something innocuous?

I'm going to be that person, if she doesn't understand what it's for why is she taking it?

My ASD son has various tablets and he swallows them with milkshake as it disguises the taste.

Practice with tictacs?

DD's psychiatrist said to take hers in the morning as it can interfere with sleep

https://www.medicinesforchildren.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2021/08/Guide-to-swallowing-tablets-30.11.17.pdf

Crushing a tablet that tastes awful can be harder than swallowing it whole, I would try some of these suggestions with whole tablets first.

My DC is on Fluoxetine which they get in liquid form because they have psuedodysphagia (fear of choking). It tastes a bit bitter but you can mix it with undiluted cordial or apple juice on a 50/50 basis. They get most of their meds in liquid form or I crush tablets and mix with fruit juice. We ask the GP for liquid meds although some are reluctant as it costs more apparently.

We did try every method possible first though including practicing with TicTacs which only caused a meltdown down followed by vomiting which wasn't helpful for someone who also has emetophobia.
It got to the point where I told the doctor that they could prescribe the meds needed in liquid form or watch a patient self harm and potentially die from suicide. They decided to prescribe all meds in liquid form.

My mum gets things in liquid form as she can't do capsules or large pills. She's 88 and never managed them!

She has got ASD and since Christmas she has been suspended 3 times due to melting down in blind panic. I'd rather she wasn't in such a bad place but there's a real possibility she will be expelled to a SEN school with a IQ of 139. It's not ideal. She was coping before, she needs to get away from her year 4 form tutor to see if she will cope again as she was I the previous 4 years of education. She knows the tablets will help calm her down, I haven't explained how as she is still very young and very immature with a learning disability.

If its take this or her kicking staff, it's this hands down.

Hi, sometimes it's a cost issue and sometimes it's simply a case of liquid form of a drug does not exist 😔
With most, there will be a way you can crush/disperse a tablet but there are the odd ones where there is no option x