My 7 year old was just diagnosed with ADHD. How do I get him to swallow his medicine.?

Question

He is 7 and never taken real medicine before. He is having trouble swallowing the pills. He needs his medicine, but I don't know what to do.

Answer 1

My ADHD son went through this, he is now eleven. If it is a capsule type pill,open it up and put it inside applesauce. Sooner or later he will need to start swallowing this pill. Have patience with him. Have him relax and put the pill in the back of the throat. Have him take a drink. This will get easier everyday. My son takes 2 pills in AM and 2 pills at night. He is bi polar (runs in my family).
To those who say there is no such thing..........
Don't tell me that their is no such thing as ADHD or bi polar in a young child. Walk a mile in my shoes before you judge me or my son.

Answer 2

Though some will say that ADHD exists or doesnt thats not for me to say. I was diagnosed with the afore mentioned disorder and to be honest after a couple years of taking the medicine me and my parents had agreed to see what would happen now by stopping the doses. It seemed that by stopping the doses i was overall a happier and more attentive child. It may be because of the pills or maybe something else there are to many variables to weigh to find the real reason for it. I do strongly recommend getting a second or third opinion on the matter due to the fact that it is known among the medical community that, that diagnosis is given way to much.
It is ultimately your decision to medicate or not, but from friends that i have had that took Ritalin and the other forms of ADHD suppressants it always seemed that overall we had functioned more propperly without the pills.

Answer 3

Doesn't it just make you angry when people tell you that ADHD doesn't exist? And that you shouldn't be putting your kids on medicines? I have a 7 year old son that has been diagnosed for about 2 years. He is on two different kinds of meds and he has swallowed all along. He thought that he was a big boy for having "grown up pills" like mommy. I would call and ask the doctor or pharmacist if it is okay for you to crush the pills and put them into something like applesauce, yogurt or pudding. Good luck.

Answer 4

He has to learn how to take pills sooner or later. Sooner is better. He is old enough to learn how to do it by now. Do this: Get a glass of chocolate milk, or some other drink that he likes. Remind him that pills are VERY small - much smaller than any bite of food he eats, which he always manages to swallow. Then instruct him to put the pill on his tounge. Then tell him to take 7 swallows of the drink. Then the pill will be all gone. When the pill is all gone, reinforce his good behavior with social praise. It's as simple as that.

Answer 5

Do make sure you check with the doctor to be sure that is it okay to crush the pills. Apple sauce always worked for me when I was younger, but it doesn't taste good so that may become another problem in getting him to take it. Make sure he knows it is important. You may also be able to try just cutting the pills in half. If they are smaller they may be easier for him to swallow. Another tip for getting him to swallow the whole pill: most people I know put the pill in their mouth first and then drink - try it the other way, liquid first, tilt your head back, drop in the pill, and swallow.

As for those of you who say that there is no such thing as ADHD and that medication is not necessary - get off your soap boxes and learn some facts first. ADHD is a neurological developmental disability characterized by patterns of inattention and hyperactivity, as well as forgetfulness, impulsivity, and distractibility. For children and adults, this can be a very difficult thing to cope with. ADHD, particularly the inattention and distractability, can lead to many problems throughout life with things such as school work and later in life even with career work. If one CAN'T focus and pay attention, it is impossible often to get things accomplished. Most ADHD medications won't "change" a child's personality, it will merely curb these disturbances. Read a little bit about what certain drugs do before you criticize their effects. I'm sure the doctor know's what he/she is doing and I doubt this mother just blindly took his advice without considering other ideas, options, and any after-effects.

Answer 6

I would assume you have exhausted all other treatment options before giving your son medication for his disorder, as all good parents would do, so I won't badmouth you for putting him on meds. Some children need them to function. It's unfortunate, but it's true. I work with special needs students so I know this. Talk to your doctor and see if the pills can be crushed and put into food or a little milk or something. Many children have a hard time swallowing pills whole. If this particular medication cannot be crushed, they may have an alternate one that can be, or they may have a liquid form available to you. Good luck to you and your son. Remember, be his advocate at school, make sure he gets everything he needs to be successful. Many special needs children are VERY intelligent once the issues with their disorder are controlled. Don't take no for an answer if he needs an aide in his day or a special class to help, make sure that he gets that.

Answer 7

At 7 mine can take a pill just fine. He puts some drink in his mouth and holds it. I drop the pill in and presto when he swallows the pill is gone. A few times it will get stuck in his mouth but not very often. I would try this a few times with like tick tacks. or something else that is very small. Praise him everytime he does it and he will want to do it like a big boy. I also love the suggestion of letting him think it is to make him stronger. Thats how I get him to try all kinds of veggies w/o a fuss , Letting him know it makes him stronger.

Answer 8

I know Ritalin is a pretty small pill but have you considered cutting it in half and giving it like that with a glass of water? or even crushing it up like others have suggested? My sister had sever ADHD and it DOES exist. Some children NEED the meds to function. It never changed my sisters personality it aloud her to be who she was and to learn. After quite a few years on them she gradually went off because she was able to control her actions much better. Beside pills she had a diet change and eliminated all unnatural sugars, almost all red dyes etc. she also had behavioral therapy which in our opinion is what aloud her to have the control she does over herself at this point. She is now 18 and can feel when her attention is going and she refocuses on her tasks.

Only give one short task at a time, always encourage and praise and one thing you will learn as a mom of an ADHD kid is to tone out those who have 'perfect' children and do what you feel is best. You know him better than anyone on here, they need to get off their soap box and ride their high horse away.

Answer 9

Crush it up and mix it with applesauce or some other food. That is what my mom always did when I was a kid. I couldn't swallow a pill until I was a teen. To crush a pill all you have to do is use the back of a spoon on a counter or plate. Put the pill between the back of the spoon and plate and push the spoon down while hanging on to the pill so it doesn't fly off on the floor when you put pressure on it.

Answer 10

Check with the doctor that it's OK to crush them (some pills have to dissolve slowly in the gut to work properly). Then either put them in something, or (better, since you can do it when you're out, and it'll be easier for him when he goes on a sleepover etc.) encourage him to swallow the crushed pill and follow it up quick with a drink of something to wash the taste away.