More: How To Swallow A Pill

More suggestions for teaching a child to swallow a pill:

1. Put the pill under the tongue and take big gulps of water. This will usually wash the pill out from under the tongue and down the throat.

2. Place the pill on the middle of the tongue and fill the mouth with water until the cheeks are full, then swallow the water. The pill should slip down too .

3. Put the pill right at the back of the tongue rather than in the middle.

4. Have a few sips of water before trying to swallow the pill, this should help the pill to slip down more easily.

5. Put the pill on the tongue then ask your child to take 3 gulps of water using a straw. When he swallows the water he will probably swallow the pill too.

6. Have your child try swallowing pills standing up rather than sitting down.

7. Try the pop-bottle method (This method reduces the tendency to gag on the pill.)

• Place the tablet anywhere in the mouth.
• Take a drink from a soda-pop bottle, keeping contact between the bottle and the lips by pursing the lips and using a sucking motion.
• Swallow the water and the pill.

8. Try the two-gulp method (This method helps to fold down the epiglottis (the flap of cartilage at the back of the throat that folds down and protects the airway during swallowing.)

• Place the pill on the tongue.
• Take one gulp of water and swallow it, but not the pill.
• Immediately take a second gulp of water and swallow the pill and the water together.

9. If your child’s medication is in capsule form, try the lean- forward technique. Capsules are lighter than tablets and have the tendency to float forwards in the mouth during swallowing. Leaning the head slightly forward while swallowing causes the capsule to move towards the back of the mouth where it more easily swallowed.

10. You could give your child different liquids such as milkshake or yogurt drinks to take the pills with. Thicker drinks slow down swallowing and make the pill less likely to separate from the liquid. Some children can swallow pills in spoonfuls of peanut butter, applesauce, pudding or jello. Pills can also be tucked inside mandarin orange segments, and the segments can then be swallowed whole. Chewing a cookie or some crackers and popping the pill in the mouth just before swallowing can also be effective. Always check with your physician or pharmacist before your child takes his medication with anything other than water in order to avoid a medication interaction with food.

11. If your child isn’t ready to learn how to swallow pills explore alternative forms of the medication. Many medications come in liquid, sprinkle or chewable forms and some can be crushed or dissolved. Never crush, break or dissolve tablets or capsules unless your doctor or pharmacist has advised you to. Some specialized pharmacies can make up an elixir that contains a palatable tasting liquid containing the required medication if your child cannot swallow pills or capsules.

12. If swallowing pills becomes essential, e.g. a condition for entering a research study or if the pill only comes in pill form and cannot be cut or crushed, ask for a referral to a therapist who has experience teaching children how to swallow medication. Your child may learn this new skill more easily from a neutral figure than from a parent.

Be sure to reward your child’s efforts with praise even if he is not successful at each try. The goal is to help your child succeed with a variety of techniques that will make taking daily routine medication less of a challenge for you both.

This material was originally found at: Newsletter of the Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation www.bpkids.org
http://www.imakenews.com/cabf/e_article000203313.cfm 

This is no longer a working link. 

How To Swallow A Pill

Swallowing Pills

I found this article about helping kids swallow pills at Northern County Psychiatric Associates Website   

Teaching Children How to Swallow a Pill

Carol Watkins, M.D.

Many children have trouble swallowing pills. There are a variety of reasons for this difficulty. 

Some children truly do not have the mouth and throat control to swallow a solid pill. This can be seen in the very young child. It may also be present in a child with a developmental delay that affects his ability to swallow or speak. If a child cannot swallow a moderate mouthful of water without it dripping out of his mouth, he may have a physical problem with the swallowing reflex. If you are not sure whether your child has the physical maturity to swallow pills, consult his doctor or a speech therapist.

Children may also have trouble with pills for emotional reasons. They may associate pills with frightening medical experiences. The pill may be a symbol of sickness or weakness. The child may misunderstand what the pill is supposed to do. He may fear that it will change his personality or cause frightening side effects. The pill may be the focal point of a control struggle between parent and child. In such situations the child may actively refuse to swallow the pill. If the child has mixed feelings about the pill, he may agree to take it, but will gag and be unable to swallow it.

Sometimes addressing the mixed feelings about medication can help with the swallowing problem. A child may not be able to verbalize all of his concerns.

If your child has mixed feelings about the pills

• Talk to him about the medication and why he needs it.
• Ask a member of his health care team to explain the disorder and the way the medications work. Diagrams and visual aids help some kids especially if there are take-home handouts. 
• Find some kid-friendly books about the condition or about taking medication. Otto Learns about His Medication is good for children who take stimulants. 
• If the pill swallowing seems to be part of a control struggle, take a look at how you and your family handle conflicts. See if there are other ways for your child or teen to express his independence. 

Some children are more sensitive to new foods and new textures. They have sufficient physical control to swallow but need some extra training. They may need specific instruction to gradually get them used to pills. Go to the baking section of your grocery store and find the candy decorations. Buy about five different sizes of items, ranging from the tiniest—the multicolored sprinkles—to larger—Tic Tacs. Help your child practice swallowing the small candies. Put one on his tongue and give him a cup of water. Once he has been able to swallow the candy four or five times in a row, move to the next larger size. Limit each practice session to about 10 minutes. Do not forget to limit the amount of candy eaten too!

Not all children need to go through this gradual process. Sometimes, giving the pill with a semisolid food makes it go down easier. Applesauce pudding or yogurt make swallowing easier and can mask a pill’s unpleasant flavor. A few kids may chew up a cracker and pop the pill in the middle just before swallowing the mass of cracker.

Liquid and Chewable Medications Sometimes we can avoid the pill problem altogether. Many medications come in liquid, sprinkle or chewable form. . If the child objects to the taste, pharmacists can often add flavoring. Be extra careful with liquid medications. It is easy to measure wrong and accidentally give the wrong dose. Do not use an eating spoon out of your kitchen drawer. When I prescribe liquid medications, I prefer that patients or parents discuss measuring technique with their pharmacist.

• Antidepressants: Several of the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft and Celexa) come in liquid form. Paxil has a relatively palatable orange flavor. It was difficult to find in pharmacies for a while but is now more available. Celexa has a mint flavor with a slight medicinal aftertaste. 
• Stimulants: Adderall XR and Metadate CD capsules can be opened and sprinkled on pudding and applesauce respectively. Avoid swallowing amphetamines with citrus or other acidic juices.
• Mood Stabilizers: Lithium comes as a syrup. Tegretol comes in a chewable form. Depakote comes in sprinkles. Some antipsychotic medications come in liquid or suspension forms.

Some pills can be dissolved in certain specific liquids. Years ago, Prozac came no smaller than 20 mg. When patients needed a smaller dose, we told them how to dissolve the capsule in cranberry juice—we called it Cranzac. Consult your doctor and your pharmacist before attempting to dissolve or crush a pill. Dissolving or crushing some medications, will change how the pill works.

Carol E. Watkins, M.D.

http://www.ncpamd.com/swallowing_pills.htm 

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I am not promoting the use of medication for children or adults with ADHD. The decision to use medication is a personal decision to be based on each individuals needs or personal beliefs.