How to get my son to take his Focalin? | ADHD Information

ice cream.........no kid can resist ice cream, especially when you let them have it for BREAKFAST

BUT I agree with edbson, teach him to swallow a pill if you can it makes so much easier. I taught my daughter at age 5, this is the one without ADHD and not on meds

Well, it's a moot point now...it seems my son had some kind of reaction to it, and was off the WALL yesterday.  My hubby picked him up from the sitter's and brought him to the park for a little while, and it was like he drank 10 cups of coffee, couldn't focus on anything.  Getting into the car, he went wild, burst into tears, kicked the car, etc. etc. (things he doesn't do) - if my husband, who didn't want him on meds in the first place, could have gotten his hands on that doctor he said he would have ripped the hair from his head.  He also freaked when he read online that Focalin XR should not be given to kids under 6 (my son is 4 1/2).  So, it was a GREAT day <note the sarcasm> :(

My 4 1/2 yo son was diagnosed w/ADHD...the meds came in small capsules, and he cannot swallow pills.  The pharmacist said I could open it and sprinkle it onto a spoon of applesauce, pudding, etc. and make sure he swallows it...I put it onto a spoon of sugar free whipped cream which he loves, but he tasted it before swallowing and made a face and tried to spit it out...I got him to swallow it, then gave him another spoon of just cream.  PS, I KNOW he'll give me a fight about it tomorrow morning...any suggestions??  Thanks :)

p.s. - he asked why it tasted funny, so I told him I put a tiny vitamin into it to help him be healthy and feel good (I don't lie to him, and he's not stupid either)...when he told me he didn't want to take vitamins anymore, I said that when you love someone, and they would like you to do something that's good for them, you do it because you do things for people you care about...he said, 'oh'.

 Applesauce seems to work well, since it masks the taste somewhat, or chocolate pudding.

It might be easier if he learns to swallow pills, start with tic tacs, and move to M&M's. If he can swallow a whole M&M, he can swallow a Focalin XR.

As far as the not wanting to take it again, I would not tell him it is a vitamin, I would say it is medicine, the Dr gave it to him,and not taking it is not an option.

He's not a big applesauce fan, nor chocolate pudding, believe it or not...I figured I'd put it in something he considered a 'treat'.  I give him banana baby food from a jar and tell him it's banana pudding because it's good for him, maybe I'll try it with that...I've had a LOT of problems getting/forcing him to take medicine though - a couple of times when he was sick I had to forcefully give him a teaspoon of liquid medicine, and he would just gag and throw it up :(Banana baby food would be a good option, it would mask the taste. I can just see it now though...'here honey, eat this spoon of banana pudding'.  'No thanks, Mommy', LOL.  THEN what?

All I can really recommend is trying different things until you find something he may like. Drinkable yogurts, different flavors of yogurt, flavored applesauces, different flavors of pudding, etc... are things you can try. The whipped cream which you are already trying is a great idea. My son takes focalin and we have already been through the journey of not being able to swallow a pill and it was horrible. We tried so many different things but I had a very hard time getting him to take it. Thankfully he is now 7 and can swallow a pill. So I wish you tons of luck that you are able to find something that works for him or that he learns to swallow a pill!

When my son was on adderall xr and wouldnt swallow a pill we did pudding. We actually used vanilla and I put a dollop of pudding on the spoon, sprinkle the meds and then a big dollop on top. I would tell him to open up and just swallow! Not move it around in his mouth. He hates chocolate pudding, applesauce and whipped cream! Thankfully he learned to swallow pills young as he hated the taste of any flavor antibiotic and tyleno/advil!

 

As for telling him its a vitamin..do what you need to , to get him to take it but make sure he knows there is not an option. IE The md SAID you have to take it and we have to listen to the doctor..Good luck. 4 is such a hard age !