Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

SN children

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

Flip

Original poster

Who can show her how to take a pill?

22 replies

aaabbbccc · 26/12/2013 19:46

DD (age 8) has ADHD and ODD. We see a private consultant for her ADHD as the NHS keeps losing our notes, forgetting to see us...I could go on. Anyway, we've recently changed her medication as the old one wasn't lasting long. In hindsight, we babied her with the old medication by opening up the capsule and sprinkling it on a spoon of yoghurt.
This new medication is longer lasting which will have a huge benefit for her at school as well as after school clubs, plus home life. This new pill though cannot be opened up, cannot be chewed and just needs to be swallowed with water/milk/yoghurt/anything.
We're on day 6 now of a stand off. She is refusing to take it for reasons only known to herself.
We've talked about the zero taste, the fact some of her friends take the same medication, the fact she will not choke and die etc. still nothing.
We've now taken away all her favourite things like Minecraft, her iPod, her Kindle etc which she can have back the day she swallows that pill.

However, she is digging her heels in and refusing.

Is there someone that we can see who can help her take the pill and show her how to do it. Dhe's not listening to us so maybe an external person can show her.
Who can we turn to? We have no one in the NHS CAHMs team to ask as they have completely failed us.

OP posts:

figgypuddings · 26/12/2013 19:49

Can you ask the chemist if there is a liquid version?

Have you tried snipping the capsule open with strong scissors?

ouryve · 26/12/2013 19:54

Could you get her to practice with tictacs? If she likes the taste of them, then it might be less anxiety inducing for her to practice swallowing those in one go.

We actually taught DS1 with omega 3 chewables. He didn't like the taste or texture of them so was glad to get them straight down!

Original poster

aaabbbccc · 26/12/2013 20:02

We've tried the tic tacs and frozen peas so, she knows she can swallow.
There isn't a liquid form, unfortunately, and we cannot tamper with the pill as it contains a small pump which gives slow release of the drug over the day...hence it has to be swallowed whole.

OP posts:

MariaStillChristmas · 26/12/2013 20:48

Ah, you need to harness her inner boa constrictor

Don't even mention the meds for the next week.
Start by introducing a morning routine of swallowing gummy bears whole. Its fine for her to feel she's tricked you by golloping a whole packet Then move to mini jelly babies.

Then 'accidentally' run out of mini version, which switches the game to 'see how few chews you need' to get the big jelly babies down.
Once she's gulping them whole, you can bury a capsule inside.

Don't tell her it's there first. Tell her later when she asks why her screen are back.

Original poster

aaabbbccc · 26/12/2013 21:20

Inner boa constrictor...love it!

I like your idea a lot. She refuses all sweets so I shall ponder something she will eat...pill stuffed in a pitted olive!

Thank you!

OP posts:

MariaStillChristmas · 26/12/2013 21:35

It's actually easier to swallow something bigger (odd though it sounds) Stops that horrid 'not gone down' sensation.

Ds used to chew a big lump of crusty bread till it was ready to swallow, then bury the pill in it.

MariaStillChristmas · 26/12/2013 21:36

Your pharmacist or practice nurse could help. You'll need to carefully teach them their lines though, don't want them going off-script and agreeing with her

ancientbuchanan · 26/12/2013 21:44

There is a technique that is almost infallible but you need to learn it first to explain.

You put the pill Just behind your front lower teeth. Then you have a drink. Your tongue will flick it up and back and down with no difficulty.

But if course she has to be willing to try.

So perhaps you could all learn this new technique with a pill or a mini tummy bear and whoever learns first gets a prize?

Yup, those jelly vitamin sweets or a v small olive would do.

zzzzz · 26/12/2013 21:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

hazeyjane · 26/12/2013 22:01

Would a spray like 'pill glide' (masks taste and aids swallowing - used for people with dysphagia) help? Or would she not cope with having something sprayed in her mouth?

I can send you some if you want to try it!

Original poster

aaabbbccc · 27/12/2013 10:07

Thank you all. I took her to the pharmacy this morning, they took one look at the pills and said they were too big and heavy for a nervous child to swallow. The pharmacist is speaking to the consultant today and seeing if we can half the dose but give two pills which should help.
...and then we are back to trying to take smaller pills!

OP posts:

HoneyStepMummy · 27/12/2013 13:49

OP I just saw your update. My 8 year old stepson also has AHDH and ODD. I usually give him his pill hidden in a spoonful of pudding (like Angel Delight), yoghurt or icecream. The pill is pretty small and we call them vitamins. I usually ask him if he want's to take his vitamin with icecream or yoghurt rather than saying "take your pill now". This way he feels he's in control of the situation.

Last year when he was refusing to take them we got desperate and ground up his pills and snuck them in his food. I felt really bad about doing that but again as you know the effect of the pills is so positive that you do what you have to do...

DS also tried his meds in liquid form and hated the taste even when we mixed it with juice or soda.

Good luck- hope it works out!

Randonnc · 27/12/2013 13:58

Would this help... www.oralflo.com/Default.asp?.. They are from US but are on sale on eBay uk or Amazon.com

LilTreacle · 27/12/2013 20:17

We practiced with tic tacs as advised by his therapist.
Made it a game with a reward ( another tic tac)
Started with a flavour he liked so if he got it wrong he was not alarmed...then found one he did not like so much (passion fruit flavour.....they were only mint in my day...oh they dont know how lucky they are!) So he was more inclined to just swallow it.

Ds got to the point he was showing off about just swallowing his medicine without a drink...double clever.

He had never taken any tablets prior to this....

MariaStillChristmas · 27/12/2013 20:43

What dose is it? 18mg & 27mg are little. 36mg is quite big

MariaStillChristmas · 27/12/2013 20:45

Very impressed with that gadget, randonnc

thornrose · 27/12/2013 20:50

With my dd we started with quarter of a Smartie, swallowed with juice. (She needed to take Melatonin whole.) She gagged and cried and said she couldn't do it for days but she did do it eventually.

We moved on to half a Smartie then suddenly she was swallowing whole without water and we've never looked back!

Original poster

aaabbbccc · 27/12/2013 21:42

Thank you all for the replies. We now have 18mg pills instead of 36mg...they are so much smaller and DD looked happier about them. She takes Concerta XL so unfortunately they can't be ground up.

That drinking pill cup looks fab, I've bookmarked one in case pill taking tomorrow doesn't go well.

OP posts:

BeeMom · 28/12/2013 00:02

I am hoping that all goes well tomorrow, but we have used a piece of bread balled up (rolled between thumb and finger) in increasing sizes until it is the same as the largest tablet that has to be swallowed.

Unlike tictacs, if it does get stuck, it won't "burn"... but the pill cup is BRILLIANT.

Good luck

Original poster

aaabbbccc · 28/12/2013 08:20

Looks like I'm ordering a pill cup.
This time she just flatly refused to keep it in her mouth longer than a millisecond. She spat it out and walked away.

OP posts:

Original poster

aaabbbccc · 28/12/2013 10:21

I took her back to the pharmacy where, for 90 mins, she demonstrated silent ODD.
I'm at a loss now as to what to do next.

OP posts:

dev9aug · 28/12/2013 13:26

thanks Maria, that cup was a recommendation from Pleasant Spice.

aaabbbccc that cup will help her swallow but if she is anxious about pills then you will still have to build up slowly.

Just get her to drink her favourite liquids from the cup first.
Once she gets the hang of it and can take big gulps from it, you can start adding things to it such as smarties etc as everyone has suggested.

we have that cup and it really is easy to swallow pills with it.

Good luck with it.

Flip