Opening strattera capsule?

Thank you for your help.  It sounds terrible, but I've been shoving the pill down His throat.  I hope he'll do it on his own.

Have a good night.

Planets. that does sound terrible for your boy.  But I hope he is seeing the benefits of it.   Maybe writing a letter to the manufacturer.  In fact why doesnt someone on this board do up a draft letter (anyone good at writing - and willing to offer?) and post the letter on the board.  We can all copy it and Everyone can email or post in the same letter.

The letter should request, making them smaller and easier for children to swallow.  Something like that - I dont have the pills in this house so I am unsure of what their problems are, but I know from this forum a lot of kids have probs swallowing them.  Surely there must be something that can be done to them to make them easier to swallow. 

MafiaKiddo, Assuming is not a good thing when you are talking about medications.  Do your research especially when giving advice to others.

Planets, You should not open the Strattera capsule it will loose it's time release action.  Strattera is in powder form inside the capsule and not the little pellets inside the Adderall XR capsule.  They are different drugs and the Strattera capsule is designed to help with the slow release function.  The passage below is taken right from the Lilly web site about Strattera.  If you have any more questions i have included a link to the sight.

http://www.strattera.com/1_9_faqs/1_9_faqs.jsp#q5

Gettingagrip

My daughter's doctor recommended this and it actually works......

The only way my daughter can take a pill is to use a sports bottle (with the large, flex straw) filled with chocolate milk.  We end the tip of flex straw so that the pill can be placed in the tip of the straw (which will be kind of flat).  When she takes a big slug of milk, the pill goes right down the hatch!

I open it and mix it in milk or juice or soda- whatever

she drinks it fine

"When i cant swallow my pills after a hard night of drinking neat bacardi 151, i just crush them up, make a line, and snort that bada$$ mo-fo like theres no tomorrow!"

[/QUOTE]

At first my heart skipped a beat !  Thanks for the laugh & welcome.  We could use some good old sarcastic humor on this board every now & again.

"When i cant swallow my pills after a hard night of drinking neat bacardi 151, i just crush them up, make a line, and snort that bada$$ mo-fo like theres no tomorrow!"

If you couldnt tell, im being sarcastic. PLEASE read the directions on the bottle. thats why they are there, and why they are called DIRECTIONS. I know some pills are just direct ingestion, but extended release are designed the way they are for a reason.

One things for sure, i bet your kids look forward to 'juice time' in the morning. getting two hits of speed in the morning is enough to put a grin on anyones face. :P

Thank you for all your help.  Fortunately my son has begun to swallow the pill with minimal choking.  I made some calls and I know you can't open Strattera.  I appreciate all the help.

To Planets, Mamacat & anyone that opens the Strattera Capsule.  This is taken direct from the Eli Lily site, makers of Strattera.

How To Take Strattera Take Strattera exactly as directed by your physician. Strattera offers flexible dosing, once or twice daily. Discuss a convenient schedule for taking Strattera with your doctor. Strattera may be taken with or without food. If you miss a dose, take it as soon as possible, but do not take more than the total daily dose in any 24-hour period. If possible, take Strattera at the same time every day to keep on schedule. Strattera capsules should never be broken and sprinkled on food. They must be taken whole. As you can see from the last bullet, Strattera IS NOT to be opened.  I believe the reason for this has to do with the release of the meds into the system, & you are doing your child a diservice if you do not administer the med the way it is intended.