Help DD swallow pills

[iambouddica]

DD is 11 and has been prescribed a course of antibiotics capsules. She’s never had pills before and is really struggling to swallow them.
we’ve tried leaning forward, using a straw and even have some tic taks to practise - but so far non have gone down.

Is there any other tips on how to help her before I have to go back to the doctor- I think it’s either this or IV and it’s a 12 week course so we really need to crack it soon.

Things like jam or salty crisps can stimulate saliva to help with normal swallowing. It's the overthinking that's making it harder.

Assuming all medicines are the same is rubbish thinking. Some can be opened, crushed and split. Some - especially modified release formulations - cannot.

Bending over when swallowing capsules makes them float towards the back of your throat.
Head up is the preferred method for other tablets, but I find it impossible to swallow capsules this way as they end up at the top.

I've never found the gulp of liquid helpful.

I learnt by putting the tablet as far back on my tongue as possible. It's then more comfortable to swallow it than not.

Personally I can't have the tablet touch the inside of my mouth or I gag. Like others have said, fill the mouth with fizzy, push the tablet in and gulp. Or ring the pharmacy and see if you can have liquid antibiotics.

I didn’t manage to swallow tablets easily until about 5 years ago and I’m 50 <embarrassing>.

what made the difference for me was turning my head to the side as I swallow (with a big mouthful of drink), for some reason it just disappears so much easier.

Start with tic tacs then skittles.

I really struggled to swallow pills until I was about 16, when I needed to go on a course of anti malaria tablets to be able to go on a trip to South Africa.

but then again, if also refuse to drink the liquid medication 🤣 there was more than one occasion when I would just be left to suffer because I hated the taste of the medicine, but couldn’t have tablets 🤣

I think one big swallow/tipping your head back etc puts too much stress and focus on the pill going down your throat at that moment. I found it much easier to have a sip of a drink, put the tablet in my mouth then slowly drink a whole cup of water without stopping. This requires you to swallow a few times so it will go down without you noticing exactly when. You can always get your child to wiggle their toes while they’re drinking to distract them from their throat even more

Milk rather than water worked for my DD.

Agree with anything fizzy.

My method is to take a mouthful of drink, and tip my head back. Put the pill in your mouth and then once it’s floating in the liquid take a big gulp.

Crush them and put in a jam sandwich..

First of all are they pills or capsules

if pills look up when swallowing
if capsules put head down when swallowing

When I was 12 years old and in hospital recovering from bacterial meningitis, I struggled to swallow the antibiotics after I’d been taken off the IV ones. An elderly doctor came and told me (very nicely) that if I didn’t swallow the tablets, he’d have no alternative but to insert them into my back passage! I instantly swallowed them, and never found it difficult again.
Both my own daughters struggled to swallow tablets until they were about 12, needed a lot of patience and sips of water, so I do sympathise!

Try a mouthful of water/juice, tip head back with mouth open, drop capsule and swallow all in one. Also try a fizzy drink as the fizz can be distracting in a way.

Can your DD take them with a spoonful of yoghurt ? A relative of mine had swallowing difficulties following a stroke , but was able to swallow pills with yoghurt.

Exactly how I swallow a twice daiy torpedo!

I think you'll crack it with all these suggestions. My partner is drink first, I'm drinking after but I'd definitely recommend a thicker liquid eg milk or chocolate milkshake (I believe the temperature and consistency would help). Cheers👍

My DD is 30 and has never/will never swallow pills, crushes them if she absolutely has to take them, it’s ridiculous (she uses child’s hayfever medicine!) I do hope you manage to get your daughter to take them.

I remember my mum pointing out how big a piece of food that I could swallow with no difficulty was and showing me how small the tablet was in comparison to that. It really helped

When I was little, we travelled to malaria regions. We always need to take antimalarials, that tasted awful. We always had them on a tea spoonful of of honey. Super, super easy to just to swallow it down.

This !! Ignore people telling you to open the capsules. So dangerous.

My youngest has the same problem. With her she puts her head back and just has small sips of water. To much and she can't swallow them. And time. It usually takes her a few minutes to build up to it.
But we have aways kept going with tablets as being an adult who can't take them is a big pain. Especially when very sick .
I know one woman who won't even crush her own paracetamol when in hospital. She drives the nurses crazy with how dramatic she is about tablets.

What my mum used to do is put the capsule wrapped up in a piece of bread and I was able to swallow it with a glass of water. Have a go and good luck. It does work

My daughter had this issue when her daily meds went from liquid to tablet form. Failsafe method was to take with a piece of toast or biscuit and lots of fluid - small bite before and swallow with liquid small bite with tablet in with food and swallow with liquid, small bite no tablet and swallow with liquid, repeat till all tablets down. DD has a very strong gag reflex due to medical condition so being tipped off to this by someone at the hospital was a godsend.