Trouble taking tablets

[Smowball]

My son still hasnt mastered swallowing most tablets and so when on antibiotics the doc gives him medicine instead. He has just seen doc and been given prescription. Have collected it from chemist, didnt think to look in the bag and when I have got home and opened it have found - tablets, or should I say capsules. Could I therefore break open the capsule and get his to just take the powder inside??

[Sqad]

A good idea Smowy.........that should pose no problem.

[Smowball]

Thats great - will probably taste absolutely vile but hey ho, lol.

[andy-hughes]

You can do that - or try a cure for his problem -

You pop the capsule in your mouth, and take a mouthful of water, being careful not to swallow (yet) - then the tricky bit -

lean forward at the waist to forty-five degrees, and take a mouthful of water and hold it.

you will feel the tab / cap float in the water.

Stand up smoothly and as you reach the upright position, tip your head back and swallow.

the water and cap / tab will go down together, no problem.

Worth a try.

[craft1948]

I'm 64.................I still choke when trying to swallow tablets.

[Smowball]

Hmmm, we've tried him swallowing tic tacs dry and he can just about do that because they are so small, but get a tablet and he just cant think its more psychological now. Will give that way a try though - thanks : )

[andy-hughes]

Some deep breaths first are important - if he is not rrelaxed, it won't work.

[Bazile]

I assume it is not the sort of capsules that's designed for ' slow release ' of the medication ?

[Sqad]

Bazile......a very good point, but off hand I cannot think of any medicine that you would give to a child where "slow release" was important.

Good point though.

[woofgang]

NO DO NOT OPEN CAPSULES!!

MY mother did this and the contents blistered all of the inside of her mouth.

[parkie]

I take both capsules and tablets and give me capsules any day. So much easier to swallow.

[mazie]

swallowing anything at 64 can be a problem craft

[ladyalex]

I'd try giving him a biscuit , getting him to crunch it up then ask him to pop in the capsule just as he's about to swallow the biscuit. I find this works a lot better than trying to swallow anything...tablets, caplets, capsules...with water.
With water you can still feel the tablet etc. It gets lost in the food.

[starone]

Good idea ladyalex. I swallowed a piece of metal which broke from a dental plate I had to wear at the time and didn't even notice it going down with my piece of toast. Only realised it was gone afterwards when I had to take it out to clean it. Fortunately it went down with the prongs uppermost and continued down in the same state. I had to have x-rays at intervals to see what was happening to it. But the main thing is I ate it with a piece of toast.

[shaneystar2]

Fizzy water is best .I'm the worlds worst tablet gagger and have to take medication daily .A friend told me to do this and they go down with no trouble .