Tips on how to get an 8-year-old to take a pill?

[CalyCoRose]

Daughter just started taking a medication for ADHD. (Today was first day). She has never taken pills before. Fortunately with this particular capsule, I can open it and mix it in with say yogurt (which I did this morning).

But I have this insane (or not so insane) worry that she's going to stop taking the medication mixed in with something. Then do I do?

She's seen me take my pills, but I don't know if she understands the concept of: put pill on tongue, take swig of water, swallow water and pill.

Or am I over-thinking this?

[trailerparkmedic]

An 8 year old is old enough to understand the concept of taking a pill. That's not to say that it's easy, especially with stubborn kids.

Try giving the pill to your daughter on a day that you aren't rushed so that you can give her an explanation and you aren't worried about missing the bus. She probably will want an explanation of what she's taking, and something as simple as "This is medicine" will probably work. If you've had a discussion about her ADHD, you can remind her that this medicine will help her focus or however she understands her ADHD.

[Mishi]

My grandpa's suggestion for learning to take pills is to get the kids to practice with M&M's or other small, easily dissolvable lollies. It worked for me, and since I used to take a lot of different tablets, his other tip helped a lot too - Take a medium mouthful of water/fluid, close your throat, tip your head back and drop the lollies/tablets into the small pool of liquid and swallow right away. Follow with a nice big drink of water.

Making sure that she takes her tablets in a responsible manner is another issue. You could make a reward chart that has taking her tablets lumped in with other chores. That way, taking her medication contributes to a reward at the end of a day/week/month and you can hopefully have overall improvement rather than risking her od-ing by accident for extra treats. (Not calling her stupid, I just don't trust kids around medication)

[fireheart]

Mishi probably has the best way to go. Admittedly, that's the way I do it too.

I do it with ice cold water straight from the fridge

[RealUnimportant]

The single most important thing is not to make a big deal out of it. The more importance you place on having to take the pill, the more stress will involved.

[Seshat]

There's two parts to this.

1. Becoming physically able to take pills.
2. Becoming willing/able to take pills responsibly.


8 is definitely old enough to be physically able to take pills - unless she has a swallowing problem, or an abnormally high choke reflex, or something else. So as Mishi suggested, start with something like M&M minis or other tiny, dissolving candies. Work up till she's able to swallowing a dissolving candy that's larger than her pill.
(Yes, I know: adding sugar onto an ADHD kid...)

If she starts out willing, then baulks, assume she's getting tired of it or something and end the session, try again in a few hours.

If she consistently baulks at the same point, or near the same point; or otherwise has some consistent problem; she may have a technical problem. Her technique is wrong, or she has a swallowing mechanism failure, or something. Talk to her family doctor.



In my opinion - and I am NOT an expert, I don't have children of my own, disclaimer disclaimer disclaimer - 8 is not old enough to reliably take psychoactive medications. They do need to be taken at close to the same time every day, they do need to be taken every day, and you can feel weird and 'wrong' and 'off' if you're not taking them consistently enough (and during the uptake period, even if you are).

So I would strongly, strongly recommend than an adult dispense the pill. Once she starts wanting to handle it herself, I recommend discreet adult supervision.

You know your own child far better than I do, of course. But many, many adults find psychoactives difficult/stressful to take with the reliability they require; I wouldn't expect a child to be reliable with them. (I am, however, willing to be pleasantly surprised.)

[scruff]

It took me years to get the hang of swallowing pills, I was into my teens before I got the knack.
:-)
On the few occasions I needed to take pills, Mum used to put them in a slice of mars bar, so I could just eat them stress-free. This method also worked when giving the dog medicine.
(Not the most efficient way of taking time-release versions, but at least it gets some of the medicine in you.)

[CalyCoRose]

Thank you everyone for the tips! I'm still a little worried, she's on the autism spectrum also, so that might cause a problem with her understanding the concept of swallowing a pill. I'll try the small candies trick. Hopefully she won't decide to chew it instead.

[Lurking Sockpuppet]

I had an adult friend that had a hard time swallowing pills. Someone else suggested she place the pill (intact) in a spoonful of apples sauce or pudding and take it that way. It worked!

[Mishi]

I had an adult friend that had a hard time swallowing pills. Someone else suggested she place the pill (intact) in a spoonful of apples sauce or pudding and take it that way. It worked!

QFT! Rugz's nana takes her pills with custard, because she has a strong gag reflex. It's the only way she can take pills without them feeling like they're stuck in her throat.

[Sparky]

Taking pills is a learned skill, but it comes easily to some of us and not to others. I had no problem with "horse pills" even as a child. My sister had trouble swallowing birth control pills, which are teeny! My son had a molar which was coming in at such an odd angle it was impacted on his developing wisdom tooth. He had to have the "pre-tooth" removed when he was not quite 13, and we had to ask for liquid pain medicatin because he still could not swallow pills.

But most 8 year olds can learn. The trick to swallowing pills, in my opinion, is learning to gulp, not swallow. Take a big mouthful of water, jiggle your tongue to get the pill floating in it, and swallow in one gulp.

[42_42_42]

I was sick a LOT as a kid and I HATED the taste of liquid antibiotics so I learned to swallow pills at a very young age. I think I proved to the doctor that I could do it around the age of 5 or so by swallowing a tic-tac whole (my mom happened to have some in her purse). I can swallow a huge handful of the buggers at once now. My husband, on the other hand, didn't learn to swallow pills until he was an adult and had to start taking daily medication for a skin condition. He would choke trying to swallow a sudafed, and those things are itsy!

[BlaqueKatt]

I'm still a little worried, she's on the autism spectrum also, so that might cause a problem with her understanding the concept of swallowing a pill.

there's always stuff like this, can be found at many pharmacies....and a slightly different design

[Sapphire Silk]

My grandpa's suggestion for learning to take pills is to get the kids to practice with M&M's or other small, easily dissolvable lollies.

Excellent idea. Smarties might work too, they're pill like in shape.

You want to be careful though, to remind the child he is NOT taking candy, but medicine.

The single most important thing is not to make a big deal out of it. The more importance you place on having to take the pill, the more stress will involved.

Quoted for truth.

There's two ways to take a pill.

Some people take a swig of liquid (usually water), then pop the pill and swallow. Others pop the pill then take the swallow of water to wash it down. Either is fine, it's just a matter of personal preference.

[Seshat]

My wife has to have someting to eat to take a pill - she swallows the pill with the bolus of food.