My 6 year old hasn't been able to swallow his first pill. It'll melt before it gets down... I was hoping today would be his first day, since he's off school. What is the trick? He's never had to swallow a pill before, just diagnosed with ADHD and is taking Concerta 18mg.
Hesseemsok- My 5 year old was the same way, he just couldnt swallow the pill we tryed everything for him (it just wouldnt fit down his little throat). We even tryed capsules that we could split open and pour the contents out we put it in applesauce, yogurt, pudding, icecream.... nothing helped he would taste it adn spit it out saying it tasted funny. I read a post on this forum stating that there was a new med that was chewable and liquid form it was methyln (grape flavored) it has worked wonders for our son and there are times where he doesnt want to take it so i just crush it up and put in his mornign juice.... the down fall is that it is not time released so it may have to be given to more than 1 time a day. the website of the drug company is below if you want some more info.
good luck and god bless
hi,i've someone who had said to try getting some tic tacs to practice swallowing.i don't know how big the concerta is,if its a tablet maybe you could cut it in half and try to get him to take a half,then if he gets the half down swallow the next half.again i don't know how big the concerta's are.My son was supposed to take Concerta and we found that there was no way he was swallowing a pill and he is 12! You CANNOT break open Concerta. The medicine covering the capsule needs to dissolve first before the beads or whatever the reason is I just know the doctor told me we had to change meds. We switched to Adderall regular which we could crush. I really wanted to go with Adderall anyways so it worked out. We are still trying to figure out if this one is going to really work and at what dosage. Ugh!
Funny you should mention tic tacs. My son practiced with those as we found out after practicing with Concerta that we were wasting the pills because the covering would dissolve and then we'd end up having to throw the capsule away. Tic tacs are good because as you practice it gets smaller and smaller. He may surprise himself when he swallows it because it is so small. I don't think size matters, I think it is the whole idea. Mind over matter. The doctor told my son that he would eventually have to swallow pills because it is a life skill. Every once in a while I ask him if he's ready to practice again and he says no.
Hi,
When my son started taking medication he was 5 and unable to swallow also. He was on Adderall though. His doctor told him he could chew it up. I dont know anything about Concerta but if it is a caplet maybe you could try that.
Wow, yeah, Concerta is usually pretty big.....my 4 yr old swallows pills no prob, but hasn't been on anything that "large" yet.....at first we put it in a single spoonful of applesauce, but now he takes it with just a cup of water.....I know you can't chew up a Concerta, but what about using a pill cutter to cut it in half? Ask your doc about that one and see if that's ok to try....at any rate, half a Concerta will be easier to learn to gag down than a whole one, you know? Good luck, and keep us all posted, alright?
pjcofer
Hi my son is almost 11, and has been on meds since five. He has never been able to swallow the pills, and still can't. He is on concerta now, but has been on quite a few medications over the years all pill forms. What i do is put the pill in applesauce, yogurt, or even pudding. For him it has to be completely covered because if he sees it he says he can't swallow it, and then it goes down with no problem.you cant cut concerta it is in a shell that desolves and then releases the medication through out the day. so if you can not swallow that medication you need to switch it is a huge pill and when my 5 year old was first on i looked at it and went no way..I received the input from all of you, thanks, I've decided to contact his doc and switch meds for the time being. I did find a cup on the internet, looks like a baby sippy cup, that dispenses the pill as the liquid is pouring out. I didn't order it, I don't think it would work for him, was hoping to hear from anyone who has tried it....What website did you find that cup on ? I'd be willing to buy it and try it. Right not we are so limited to what my son can take due to the fact that he can't swallow a pill. Right now, we open up the Metadate and put it inside the filing in a twinkie and he eats it. I don't think he is getting the "full effect" of the medicine as if he swallowed it, though.
Thanks
I am entering my first reply on this website tonight, and I am so excited to be able to talk to others who are dealing with my same problem. My son Bowen is 8 and he was just diagnosed with ADHD after he has been to three different schools. I didn't want to believe it, but I do now. He has been taking Concerta for two weeks and we have seen a complete turn around in school. I have a terrible time with him in the morning however, he can't swallow that big pill. I was glad to hear that you were having the same problem :) I think I will talk to his Dr about Adderall and put in on his food. Is that a time release like the Concerta? It's so nice to talk to you.
newadhdmom
Sorry I didn't get back to you earlier, I looked for the cup that releases the meds as you drink and I couldn't find it again!
My sons doctor is changing his meds this week, so we won't have to worry about pill size. My son isn't having discipline problems... yet... it's more of a problem on focusing, so it's not a HUGE worry for me whether he swallows the pill every day or not.
Did your son change schools because of his discipline? Does it seem to be getting worse over time? Did he always seem to stir trouble? I'm worried that ADHD will get worse over time and he'll start causing problems in school. He's such a loving, well-mannered little man at the age of 6.
Welcome aboard, I am a newbie too.
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