How to administer meds to children? | ADHD Information

When our daughter was dx 'ed with ADD back 6 years ago we began using 'dot's the little candy dots on the paper that you peel off and they come in all kinds of colors. That was the size of a little pill she would put it on her tongue and then drink.

We then upgraded to tic tacs. Once she could swallow the tic tacs she had mastered it and was fine swallowing pills.

We worked with this for about 10 days and then she was fine.

~good luck~
Also, ( hit enter too soon) there ARE some meds that can be opened, Metadate CD can be Opened and put in a spooonful of applesauce.

 

Becky has been perscribed Adderall XR.  I opened up a capsule this morning and sprinkled it on a spoonful of yogurt.  She took it, no problem.  She then washed it down with some juice.  Worked awesome!  She was really good about it too.

Thanks!

 

When my dd was younger, about 3 and did not want to take a liquid med we practiced with tic tacs, and M&M's. It worked for us!

 

Ivanhoe!  would you please enlighten me a bit (or just include a link to an article or explanation) on your last line: "ADD and ADHD are Visual processing problems"?  Thanks....always looking to learn more about myself!

My almost 8 year old cannot swallow any pills, so Concerta is not an option at this time.  He is on Metadate CD, extended release ritalin, which comes in a capsule.  It is approved to open up the capsule and sprinkle the beads on a spoonful of applesauce.  We use yogurt, which works as well.  You just can't crush or chew the beads inside because that would effect the extended release ones.  There are other ritalin based meds where you can do this as well, such as Focalin XR and Ritalin LA.  These meds are sometimes pricier than the others (depending on your insurance), but for us it's worth it.


I started taking big pills early in life and my mom taught me to do it this way:

Take a drink of something and hold it in your mouth.  Tip your head back slightly. Put the pill in your mouth with the liquid and then throw your head back.  Every thing goes down at once.

My ds is on the patch.  It's working well for us.  I would recommend it to anyone trying to find the right med for their child. 

Teach with sweet drinks. Are you aware Caffeine helps some add and adhd people in place of meds? People with this disorder are usually vitamin/mineral deficient also. Try this also a high protein/low refine diet. Remove dyes also. Lots here also have food/chemical allergies. Get the person tested for these also. Start addeing supplements also.

Add and adhd are Visual processing problems.

If a child cannot swallow pills, there is a form of methylphenidate (ritalin) that is liquid and one that can be emptied from a capsule into pudding or applesauce. Then there is the Daytrana patch that is an extended release form in a patch that sticks to the hip. The advantage of the short acting forms when first starting out is that it is in and out of their systems quickly and any side effects will be short lived. The disadvantage is that they need to be given more often (like am, during school, after school for homework) and they can have more abrupt ups and downs as they enter and leave the bloodstream. You can talk to the doctor about an appropriate form for your daughter and start working on teaching her to swallow pills so that you can try other meds if these do not work for her (everyone is different).

THere are some threads on this board with ideas to teach pill swallowing.

I have read that most ADHD medicines can not be broken up, crushed, etc.  How do you administer to a child that will not swallow a pill?  What has worked for you?