When did your kid start taking pills vs liquid medication?

[Anonymous]

6 years old

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Early. He started taking thyroid pills at age 8. But they are tiny. Have your son practice with tic tacs or something.

We started with sprinkles, worked up to tic tacs, and then m&m’s. If you hold a big sip of water in your mouth and tilt your head back, then you can drop the pill into your mouth, and swallow without ever tasting the pill.

[Anonymous]

My 15 year old just recently figured out how to take pills. He's been on daily meds for years in capsules and we've been trying for a while.

What worked for him was taking it with a carbonated drink. Get some of the drink in your mouth throw the pill in and take another sip of the drink. Sometimes it takes a few tries but he's able to get them down most of the time.

He still can't take the massive pills but can manage smaller ones. We cut the horse pills in half or crush them up if he's really struggling with them.

[Anonymous]

Spoonful of applesauce was what did it for our teen. Other child still struggling at 14.

[Anonymous]

Early--by age 6 b/c all three boys have been on daily meds since then. They've never had an issue with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was 17. I’m having difficulty getting my 13 year old to swallow pills. We had to get prescription ibuprofen liquid because we couldn’t find adult size liquid over the counter.

You don’t need prescription medicine. Just take more of the children’s. Liquid medicine has a concentration - like 100 mg/5 ml or whatever, and if you need 200 mg, you take 10 ml, 400 mg, 20 ml. It’s annoying to drink all that liquid, but cheaper than ordering prescription. And it might encourage him to learn to swallow a pill.

Rx is the exact same strength as otc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was 17. I’m having difficulty getting my 13 year old to swallow pills. We had to get prescription ibuprofen liquid because we couldn’t find adult size liquid over the counter.

You don’t need prescription medicine. Just take more of the children’s. Liquid medicine has a concentration - like 100 mg/5 ml or whatever, and if you need 200 mg, you take 10 ml, 400 mg, 20 ml. It’s annoying to drink all that liquid, but cheaper than ordering prescription. And it might encourage him to learn to swallow a pill.

+1 we did that after wisdom teeth removal because my DD’s mouth was initially too numb and swollen to take the pill form.

My son was late to take pills; I think he was a senior in high school. It was more of a mental block.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was 17. I’m having difficulty getting my 13 year old to swallow pills. We had to get prescription ibuprofen liquid because we couldn’t find adult size liquid over the counter.

You don’t need prescription medicine. Just take more of the children’s. Liquid medicine has a concentration - like 100 mg/5 ml or whatever, and if you need 200 mg, you take 10 ml, 400 mg, 20 ml. It’s annoying to drink all that liquid, but cheaper than ordering prescription. And it might encourage him to learn to swallow a pill.

I wasn’t sure if there were other ingredients in the medicine that would be a problem if you doubled the kids dosage. I was doing it when she injured her knee but I got nervous.

For next time, read the label. There is nothing added to medications that isn’t printed on the label. Ask a pharmacist how to read for the active ingredients and amount of medicine per dose if you’re not sure.

[Anonymous]

7, no problem.

[Anonymous]

If they are small, my 7 year old can do it. Bigger pills, maybe 10 or so. Both my 11 and 14 year olds can do it. Start with putting it in something they gulp down, like yogurt or ice cream.

[Anonymous]

7. We started with squishy small things like gasX. You can practice with tictacs etc.

[Anonymous]

I had a lot of difficulty doing this as a child so I taught my children early. They hated liquid medication so when they were around 7 each of them I taught them how to swallow pills. Now they are 11 and 9 and are pros at it! They prefer it over liquid and it’s easier for us when traveling too, just one bottle of Motrin or whatever the family uses versus all the liquids! I would say reach them using any method that works, one son pops into his mouth with water and my other son puts it in dry and then sips water like an adult might. You can also put it in a spoonful of yogurt and swallow it that way!

[Anonymous]

Around 10. She’s 12 now. At 10 she started taking 2 regular Advil/Ibuprofen instead of kid dose so that’s when we switched.
Practice with an M&M.
Back of tongue, quick gulp of water; swallow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine could take a pill by age 10. We told them to pretend it was a small piece of ice and just swallow. There is a cup that makes it very easy to learn to swallow - have not used it but it is supposed to work wonders for kids and adults who have trouble with pills. I think it’s this one

https://a.co/d/dra21Qg

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Early. He started taking thyroid pills at age 8. But they are tiny. Have your son practice with tic tacs or something.

In his defense these antibiotics are huge. About the size of a small grape.