ADHD How do you ...

[kickassangel]

get your child to take the medicine?

dd is 6, and we are doing a trial of medicine, which seems to be working well, EXCEPT that getting the medicine into her is a real struggle. She tries to swallow the pill, but can't manage it, so we open the capsule & mix it with things, but then we have tears & tantrums about it.

So, what strategies do you use to get the medicine down a young child?

(Will have to post & run as it's time for me to collect her from school)

ask the pharmacist if it comes in liquid form, and use an oral syringe... let her play with it in the bath after so it's associated with fun...

but if it's pills, grind them up, or shake out the capsules, but do NOT let her see you mix it in with jam or nutella on a biscuit or toast, or in with her supper. This is the hard bit.. I have only rarely managed to sneak it into food without being seen, but what they don't know...

good luck!

Ds2 takes his pill (equasym xl) - on a spoon with a yoghurt, petit filous or something like that. He crunches it (not easy) and the yoghurt helps him swallow.

If it's the type of meds that you can't crunch, then I have heard of practicing with a tic tac - but ask your Paed/GP. You wouldn't want dd to choke.

ok, back from dance. i will see if i can find nutella, or similar. usually i wouldn't have it in the house (in case i ate it), and i don't like the idea of dd having it for breakfast, but needs must.

it's a capsule, so she can either swallow it or open it & have it sprinkled in food. mustn't crunch it, though.

we've tried practising with 'candy' but she can't swallow that either. she is close to phobic about anything she doesn't like going near her mouth, so i need to find a way to make her get over the 'stupid' fear, so that she actually puts it into her mouth.

any other ideas from the late night crowd?

Chocolate sauce of the type you would put on ice cream is what I had to use for my asd DC's when we had swine flu and had to take tamiflu last year. DD was 11 and DS2 was 5. DS1 was 7 (he's NT) and he managed to swallow the capsule without a problem. DD complained that Nuttella was too 'claggy' and stuck to the top of her mouth, thus sticking the disgusting tablet taste to her mouth.

thanks for suggestions - i think dd is about to get a diet of pure sugar for breakfast. oh dear.

ds is on the same one we still trying to get it in him, we tried every thing some day we do some we dont ( more dont though) but tbh we not see much difference when he does take it, its the 8 hour one. good luck