16 year old still won't swallow pills

[Anonymous]

My 16 year old still won't swallow pills. He has food issues and just refuses or chews them. At this point I don't know what to do. He just won't try. He was prescribed antibiotics for acne, but he was chewing them so i stopped giving them to him because i didn't want them ruining his stomach.

[Anonymous]

My 16 YO can only take the absolute smallest of pills and that is a new thing. Is it possible to ask for the liquid form of the med? If it is doxycycline, you should be able to get that.
GL. We usually get liquid meds

[Anonymous]

Most meds can come in a liquid form or a form that can be crushed. Did you check with the pharmacist that the acne meds weren't good to be taken crushed?

[Anonymous]

Since you posted in the SN board, it might be more helpful if you think about it as "can't" instead of "won't." That might mean getting liquid medicine even if you think that's not age appropriate and/or only giving medicine that's medically necessary.

Have you tried burying the pill in a spoonful of Nutella or pudding or apple sauce?

[Anonymous]

We had success with practicing with nerds, then tic tacs, then skittles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had success with practicing with nerds, then tic tacs, then skittles.

excellent recommendation

[Anonymous]

If this is helpful, there might be a swallowing center that can run a sonogram of his swallowing. That might give you some information.

[Anonymous]

One of my kids was trained by placing the pill in some nutella on a spoon. He could swallow the nutella for some reason.

[Anonymous]

Cut the pills smaller if you can and have him take it with milk, juice or soda - something thicker as it goes down easier. Put the liquid in his mouth, push the pill in then swallow.

[Anonymous]

I was this kid and the thing that helped was for someone to provide direct and explicit instruction, and I had to start with tiny pills and work my way up.

“First, place the pill in your mouth, then take a sip of water. If the pill floats, you will need to shake your head as you tip your face down until the pill is at the back of your mouth, then swallow the water and the pill will go down with it. If the pill sinks, you will do the same thing but tip your face UP and shake so the pill is at the back of your mouth.”

[Anonymous]

Cut the pill in half. Place it way back on tongue and swallow—even dry at first. Many kids have this problem

[Anonymous]

My dad chewed pills until the day he died.

[Anonymous]

I have a 16 year old with profound ID that will never learn to swallow a pill. We get meds in liquid form or we put them in a grape and she just chews them up. Just ask your doctor how to handle each med. It will be fine.

[Anonymous]

Why? What's the reasoning?

[Anonymous]

I know an adult who is a teacher who has this issue. She puts pills in applesauce to take. You might reach out to an OT for advice. I’d bribe the kid to cooperate. It’s a real hassle when they get old, like the adult I know.

Antibiotics for acne ruined my gut and I wish my mom hadn’t taken the doctor’s advice, but it was back in the 70s.