Teaching My 11 Yr. Old to Swallow Pills

Use TicTacs. By the time she gets through a box she will know how. This is how Texas Childrens teach their patiences.

I had the same problem with my daughter (now 15) We used mini M & Ms and had her swallow those first. It was hard but she finally did it. We would also have her put water in her mouth and swallow the water with the pill and that worked but the mini M & Ms helped her get past the feeling she was choking. She now swallows pills without a problem

Try chewing up a cracker or some cereal, then have her stick the pill in the middle of the chewed up glob. It sounds gross, but it's worked for me. I'm 24 years old, and I still can't swallow pills without doing that.

I too suffered from not being able to swallow pills up until I was in my 20's. At some point we found a cup that was made just for taking pills. It was just like this one....
Pill Taker's Cup by Apothecary Products
Other products by Apothecary Price: $4.99
http://www.amazon.com/Pill-Takers-Cup-Apothecary-Products...
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Organize.com

and here is another one (that I have not ever used and is a little more expensive).

The Oralflo Pill Swallowing Cup was designed exclusively to help people who have difficulty swallowing pills. Its unique, patented design facilitates the natural swallowing reflex to help you swallow medications or pills without stress or discomfort. The Oralflo Pill Swallowing Cup can be used by anyone who experiences difficulty in swallowing pills, including children, adults and seniors.

Try the Oralflo Pill Swallowing Cup today, and Discover an Amazing Solution to Your Pill-Swallowing Challenges!

Good luck.

There is no way to "teach" someone how to swallow. If she has a mental hang up, she is going to gag, choke, sputter...she just has to decide to do it.

It will help to get the gel caps because they have a coating that gets slippery when wet. Have her roll it around in her mouth and get it slick, then give her water and tell her to just drink normally. Again, is sounds like your daughter has just got to get over the fear...like Nike says, "just do it."

Whether you put the liquid in your mouth first or not (I do), you have to lean your head forward, not back. This opens up the passage to the throat and gives the pill a lot more room to pass. We learned this trick from a speech pathologist, and it works!

My daughter's pediatrician had her practice with small candies...pick a flavor she likes. Lemonheads, Cherryheads,Appleheads, etc.

My daughter puts the water in her mouth first then the pill. That way you can't tell where the pill is and you just swallow the water.

I remember being little and having the same problem. I used to "practice" on bread. We would take a piece of bread and roll it into little balls. No fear of choking because I could always chew it up. I started with little balls and worked my way up. Sounds stupid, but it worked. Good luck.

I remember it being difficult for me to learn. I was scared too. I have real issues with my mouth. lol. Anyway, I would drink a little bit of juice (but not swallow). Then throw the pill toward the back of my mouth into the juice (that way I wouldn't taste anything and it wouldn't get stuck). Then I would drink more juice and this time swallow, pushing my head back some. Then after swallowing, I would drink more juice to make sure it goes down well. It always works for me. My husband laughs at me still because he can swallow pills without any liquid. Ugh! It only took one episode to learn. You might practice it with a tic tac so as not to waste any medication that she might spit out.

Try this: put pill on tongue but when drinking water don't throw head back, put chin toward chest when swallowing. This makes the pill rise and the water takes the pill straight down. It worked for us! Have you tried inserting it in a banana?? Good luck. --MMK

tell her it just like swallowing anything else ,like when she eats she swolls her food ou could have her practice on candy like altoids or anything of about the same size when she is not feeling bad ,have her take a drink 1st then then candy put it way back on her tounge take another drink and swallowhope this will work for her
L.

Hi L.! I was 9 when I had to start taking pills for after my heart surgery and I had to learn also. I still do the same thing I did when I was nine. I take a drink of whatever I'm taking it with to wet my throat and then I fill up my mouth with the drink and throw the pill in my mouth and swallow. It works everytime! Hope it helps.

Here's a trick that works. And will not freak her out about the choking. My son has severe migraines. He was diagnosed at 5. They started him on the nasal imitrex because they thought he was to young to swallow pills. He hated it. It tasted really bad and would make him throw up. When he was six they decided to put him on Topomax. A preventative medication. It comes in pill form and could not be crushed we were informed. The ped. told us to take little bits of bread and kinda squish them to make them seem like a pill. Start very small and practice swallowing with a drink of water. Gradually increase the size to the size of pill you will be swallowing. Because it's bread you don't really have to worry as much about them choking. The water just makes it to soggy, but keeps it form long enough to practice the swallowing. My son in now almost 10 and can take big huge pills with no problem. And when I say big I mean big. He hasn't had to take liquid meds since he was six and take his meds much better now. It took me a few days to teach him. Practicing a little each day but he got it no problem and is much happy because he can swallow and doesn't have to take the yucky liquid meds anymore.

With my 11 yr old our pedi suggested Tic Tacs for practice. But the straw is what finally worked. We made it a game. Put the pill in, and drink from the straw. Go, go go go go go go. The hardest part is to get their tongue out of the way and not push the pill out. But it seems that the straw helps to open that passage.
Keep up the encouragement she will get it. Good luck and God Bless!
D.

Honestly, some people never learn how to swallow pills...but, my son learned by having to swallow tiny peices first...I increased the size till he was up to the normal pill size.

Hi L.

I have a 9 year old who had the same problem.. So just a few days ago she had some bad nasal congestion. So I went to Walgreens. got the smallest decon. tablet, I explained to her it is just like swollowing food, which is lumpy. She of course fussed and cried. I just waited until she calmed down, and then she tried it. She said you what this is not that bad. now she take other pills that are slightly bigger..I guess all kids need to take baby steps too.

Hope this helps
M. K.

Our pediatrician had my then 6-year-old daughter practice with plain M&M's. For every one she swallowed whole, she got to chew two. Learned very quickly.

Everyone has some great ideas and if none of them work, then try hypnosis. Lots of people have this problem and it isn't so much a physical problem as it is a psychological one. My mom is one and after hypnosis, she has no more problems with it and can't believe she ever did. Good luck.

Naturally infants have to reach an age that swallowing solid foods is possible. And, there is a young age (different for all) that control of certain bodily functions must be "taught." Pill swallowing is certainly a life-skill that will be important at some point, if not simply for daily vitamines.

It seems that an aversion to swallowing a pill -- for an 11 year old and for adult responders who say they still can't swallow pills -- is psychological (which is NOT to say that it is not "real.") If a person is able to swallow food that has small solid elements (tossed salads with raw vegetables, corn, chocolate chip cookies with nuts, OR any non-pureed food) then they apparently have a functioning "swallowing system."

Perhaps people who make "too much" of the fact that the pill is something UNIQUE - ergo, "medicine" - create a psychological inability for their childen to swallow this supposedly unique item effectively. Did your 18 year old son have difficulty? How can having a pill tossed in with masticated food and, followed by several gulps of liquid, be any different from simply swallowing the food?

I suggest that you practice when she is eating. Have her pop in a tic-tac and swallow one (or several) each day with food, until it is no big deal.

Good luck.

Try practicing with M&M's!

We had our daughter and son drink milk...or Cho. Milk...it is thick and helps them swollow things...good luck...our son was afraid too...he is 7 and just one day he decided he was going to be a big boy and swollow pills. I think it has everything to do with when the child is comfortable. My children are on ADD meds so they take a pill everyday of the week during the school year. It may be a little harder for those who only take meds like tylenol or when they are sick.

Good Luck!

My children's doctor told them to practice with the mini M&M's. If they can swallow that they can swallow anything. Also, you might want to try something that foams like coke because the pill will float and then they can just swallow.

Try the "meltaways" they worked for my 8yr old this past week. No chewing or swallowing involved.

I agree with Catherine R. I had a problem when I was younger up until about 16 yrs old I just couldn't do it. But that was because I have sensitive taste buds-and probably psychological issues too :)-and I gagged when I tasted the pills. I though that because everyone popped the pill then took a drink that is how I had to do it too. But I figured out that I could use a flavored drink and fill my mouth with the liquid first then pop the pill in and swallow.
Maybe if you tell your daughter that it is normal and that a lot of people are/were like that but they have figured out how to do it, then she will be okay. Explain to her the ideas you got here and see which ones sound the best to her. Maybe feeling more in control will help her too!
Good Luck!

When I was a kid (about your daughter's age), I covered my pills with Magic Shell and put them in the freezer. I found it much easier to swallow chocolate. Just make sure there aren't any sharp chocolate edges. Good luck!

Hi,
My daughter now 9 has been swallowing pills for atleast 5 years. She refused to take liquid meds....she would vomit everytime!!!!! Our pedi doc gave us a little cup similar to the one listed by another person. It worked like a charm. You put a certain amount of water in the cup and the pill has a spot of its own.....as she just drinks the water the pill goes down and she doesn't even know it!!!!! It is a mental thing....she will be soooo proud of herself!!!!!

When my son started having to take a pill that was not crushable we had a few problems at first but using the trick of drinking through a straw works well. I know someone else made this suggestion and it really does help. The suction from the straw helps the pill go down smoothly. I would definitely give it a try and see if that helps for her.
M.T.

You could practice on tic tacs! That way she's not getting medicine, but she'll get used to that feeling of something hard & not chewed going down her throat. I am 34 and it's still hard for me to do!!

I have trouble swallowing pills also (so does my dad.) Many medications come in a liquid form (benadryl, tylanol, antibiotics, ect.) Right now I'd stick to that as much as possible.

S. mom to four girls

My advice is two fold. One has already been covered. At a relaxed time have her practice with mini M&Ms -assuming she likes them.

Two - most pills - especially capsules float. Have her put the pill in her mouth, then drink water while looking down at the floor. If she will swallow naturally, it will float up and into her throat. I suggest trying the technique with the mini M&Ms first - and make sure you have the nicely coated pills the first few times she uses pills.

There are a few people that always have more trouble swallowing - could be a stronger gag reflex or it could be a "reverse thrust" when she swallows. You might ask your dentist if this is the case and if he/she has any ideas.

thanks for loving you daughter enough to try to help her solve the problem in a loving way.

I had this problem myself growing up. The way I taught myself to do it was to put the water in my mouth first then pop the pill in and swallow. My mom started with cutting the pill in half and having me take them that way until I worked my way up to a whole pill. She is going to have to swallow fast that way because she will taste the pill. I hope this helps!

have he try it with a green pea, put it in her mouth big gulp of water throw back head and have the pea go back in her mouth and swallow. Did this with my son and it worked he was surprised at how easy it was.

L.,
I have the same problem with my 11 year old son! What is it? I sure hope someone has some good ideas.

C.

I taught my son when he was 7yrs old with skittles. They don't lose there form and he was okay with the taste in his mouth if it took more than one try.

My daughter had the same problem. I taught her using mini m&m's. that did the trick! good luck

When I was little, I could not swallow pills either. My dad put a pill in a spoon with a small amount of water and then I "sipped" it up like it was soup. It did the trick for me and then later I was able to transition to putting the pill at the back of my throat and then drinking a big gulp of water and tossing my head back at the same time. (This became a habit and I still do this so my husband laughs at me when I take pills to this day. ) Good luck.

A friend of mine taught her daughters to swallow mini m&m's first, then the bigger ones. I tried it on my son and it worked. At 7 he can swallow what ever meds he needs. Good luck!

My son had this same problem when he was young, we always used milk it seems to help the pill slide down better. I had him take a swallow of milk and hold it in his mouth pop in the pill, if it is a capsule lean his head forward since they float so it his closest to his throat then swallow, if it is not a capsule lean his head back and the pill falls to the back of the throat then swallow. Hope you get some information that will help. Good luck.

I taught my son to swallow pills when he was 5. We would buy the capsules...and tell him to take a big drink of water and hold it in his mouth then he would slide the pill in and then I told him to look down to the floor and swallow. The capsules have air in them so they float to the back of the throat when you look down. If you tilt your head up they float toward your front teeth and are the last thing to go down after the water and he would start gagging. He wasn't as freaked out about having to swallow something whole after doing this and now he does any kind of pill. He knows if it's a capsule to look down and if it's a pressed pill to look up. Also the pressed pills are so bitter I would let him take it with juice or something flavored he would take a drink first then the pill. Advil is a good alternetive because it is candy coated and it's bitter. I remember when my mom was trying to teach me I was a total drama queen. The neighbors thought I was being beat because I would scream and cry and not let go of the bed post...we still laugh about that. GOOD LUCK!!!

I always gave my kids the flavored, chewable kind. That always worked.

This was a long time ago, but I had a friend back in highschool who had to practice swallowing pills by using M&M's. Maybe she'll go for that since it's candy.

put pill in - drink from a straw!!!

My now 28 yr old daughter had this problem also for many years. She said it was from a fear of choking. (I was told her tonsils were large but never had them removed.) She recommends the coated tylenol, said the regular ones would get stuck and that capsules were the worse. Now she says she learned that if she puts water in her mouth first she can swallow anything.

I have a friend who used to sit with an elderly man who was bedridden and she fed him his medicine in yogurt.

I had trouble as a child and so did my four children until my uncle taught us a trick. You get a large glass of water say 12 ounces or langer and you put the pill in the childs mouth now you tell them to keep drinking the water without stopping until it is gone. The pill will magically dissappear and the water help dissolve the pill so it does not sit in there stomache.
My Uncle is a surgeon and says this always works.

Hope it does for you.

I was bad about swallowing pills for many years. My grandmother finally got me to swallow pills. We got a bunch of Red Hots candies & practiced with those.

Sounds silly, but it works, if you are talking about capsules, at least. Get a mouth full of water, pop the pill in your mouth, tilt your head forward (chin to chest), and the pill will float to the back of your throat, then swallow. Good luck.

I have trouble swallowing pills. I am also a RN. This is what I do and what I teach my patients. It is easier to demonstrate in person. I hope I explain this well enough.
If the pill is small okay try this:
1.put the pill on her tongue just a little back from the tip.
2.then with her mouth mostly closed, have her drink water from a cup.
The pill should just slide down with the water.
If the pill is large, try having her take a large mouthful of water and swallow everything at once. This is a little trickier.
A lot of cold medicines come in disolving strips. Tylenol and Motrin come in tablets that are flavored and are chewable.
My 9 year old uses these. His pediatrican is still giving him liquid antibotics.
Good luck.

sorry, this may not be very helpful, but I have always had the same problem your daughter has, and now, at 37, though I can swallow small pills, the big ones I just can't do. The few times I've tried , it feels really horrible, like they go down slow and might get stuck. I can feel them going through. Maybe some people just have smaller throats. I chew everything.

I am in my mid-30s and have never been able to do it without gagging. I cannot stand it! I put it as far back as possible and swallow some thick liquid, like a smoothie, so I don't feel it going down. Sometimes I still do, but not so much. I can't do it with water at all.

I understand what you are going through. I taught my son to swallow pills by drinking through a straw. Several of my friends had done the same thing with their kids, and as they get older it just becomes more natural to swallow pills. Sometimes I still have problems especially if they are big ones, but I do it while drinking with a straw. Just makes it easier. Hope this idea works for you.

There is a 'sipper' cup on the market that has a screen inside to separate the pill from the liquid but allows the patient to drink(sip) out of a cup and swallow the pill. We got ours from a psychiatrist's office; I recommend you check with your pharmacist; People's pharmacy might have them. My 22 year-old had a terrible time with swallowing pills for about 5 years and she's now 'weaned' to a regular glass. It works!

when we taught our son we used orange tic tacs. the dr recommended it and it only took him a few times that day to get it.

My 10 yo takes pills. I make sure of their size before I agree to them. If I feel they are big enough to even make her think she will choke on them, then I ask for a chewable substitute, barring chewables, I will request a liquid.

Small pills the size of which I have taught my daughter to take successfully can be hidden in a spoon of applesauce or jelly or whatever and after a few successful takes then you can show your child that she has been taking the pill whole instead of crushed up...

Tylenol specifically has a selection called meltaways. My daughter loves these. Rather than fight with her over a big pill, the doctor adjusts how many she needs for her weight (never go by age for your kids dosage) and this way I do not have to fight her on the smaller pills cause she is not being forced to take large pills in this manner as yet.

They will get to an age where this micromanagement of meds will be unneccesary, but until them make it as easy as possible...I stick by Mary Poppins in this "...just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down...in the most delightful way..."

In this case the "sugar" could be your loving attention to her needs... ;-)

Good Luck... ;-)

I have to put the liquid in my mouth before the pill or it sticks and I can't swallow it. Sometimes I still have trouble getting them down. I usually have to drink at least half a glass of water after my pills. I drink it pretty fast too, b/c I think a lot of it is psychologial!!! I have to trick myself to thinking it will go down. If I think that I can't swallow a certain pill, it won't go down.

Hey! I had the same problem when I was younger and it was so frustrating! To this day I still have trouble with larger pills. The doctor had us start practicing swallowing tic tacs and then moved our way up to M&M's. Patience is the key and to not get frustrated with her when she cant do it. That made me dread pill taking for years, it was almost like I got in trouble because I couldnt swallow the pill. I also used to babysit some girls that would put the pill in a bite of yogurt everynight and just swallow it that way. but to me I would just have her practice ... and try to make it fun for her. I hope that helps.

Have her "practice" with green peas or raisins. Pop the "pill" in, fill mouth with water, swallow. My oldest had trouble. The peas work the best as they are soft. This exercise is mainly just to get her mind past the fact there is a pill in the drink of water. Tell her not to think of the pill but of the drink of water, milk, juice...Not too much liquid though, it can make it hard to swallow.

I am having the same problem with my 13yr. I was told by a nurse to try and put the pill on their tounge and have them take a drink then bend over and then swallow. something about the pill will float to the top and goes right down.

K.

I would suggest putting it in a little bit of peanut butter, not a big glob but just enough to cover the pill then she will think about swallowing the peanut butter and not the pill. My son has taken pills since he was 3, he wouldn't take the liquid.

A little about me: I am 41 years old, retired from the USAF and now learning to be a stay at home Mom. I have a 17 year old (boy) and a 12 year old (girl) we too have a strong christian faith.

We taught our girls to think "I'm thirsty" when taking pills. It works every time! (It gets the mind off the pill and water goes down quickly.) Good luck!

I have the same problem w/my 11 yo daughter. Instead of crushing it up, try it whole w/applesause, jello, ice cream...something soft. And have her drink plenty of liquid so her mouth won't be dry.

some people never learn to swallow pills very successfully. my 19 year old daughter still gags everytime she swallows a pill. she can get it down, but she always gags. my husband is the same way. he has a very difficult time swallowing pills. some meds that can't be crushed may be available in liquid form. the problem is she will have to take a larger amount because liquids are for babies and young children. she may decide to swallow pills instead of several tablespoons of liquid.

My name is D. W. and I am a Speech Language Pathologist and Feeding Therapist and I specialize in teaching pill swallowing to children as well as adults. Due to the fact that the majority of the pediatric clients I see are on a specialized diet (Gluten-Free Casein-Free, Specific Carbohydrate, no soy, no dyes, no sugar, no yeast, no corn, etc.), I have chosen to use Mung beans rather tic tacks, jellybeans or other sugar-based ingredients that are usually used in the teaching of pill-swallowing. Mung beans are not commonly considered a highly allergenic food and generally these other products include ingredients such as: sugar, high fructose corn syrup, dyes and aspartame. Since sugar can increases behavior issues resulting in pill refusal I advise avoiding these other products as much as possible. I use the Oralflo pill swallowing cup in the teaching of pill swallowing and have even wrote a protocol for using the pill-swallowing cup. Please feel free to go to my website for more information: www.SpectrumSpeech.com or to www.Oralflo.com.
Sincerely, D. W., M.S, CCC-SLP

Hi i'm 47 and still have trouble swollowing pills. They litterly get stuck. I've had my tonsils removed and the problem still exist. May sound crazy but its like a shelf in my throat that the pill sits on and gags me. I always buy something that can be cut up smaller and taken, if it is a perscription i tell the dr and he orders something i'm able to take. Good -luck.your daughter is not alone. tilting the head way back helps a little