My grandson is eight years old and has been diagnosed with ADD (finally, it took the school system about three years to do so!), however he is balking at taking Strattera because he can't swallow the capsules, has trouble getting them down. Any suggestions as to alternate methods of taking the capsules or is that it only (swallowing them)?

Any suggestions will be appreciated! Thank you!

Hey, three years for the school system to find out is a blessing. It baffled two parents, dozens of teachers and principals, and an ex-wife before I finally got diagnosed on advice of my then-girlfriend now-wife. 3 years is luck. 29 years, not so much. :)

To answer your question, swallowing is pretty much all you can do with Strattera. The powder inside the capsules is harmful to your skin and mucus membranes in your mouth and esophagus, or so I heard.

Maybe a change to Adderall XR would work since it can be sprinkled on applesauce.

Just don't believe the hype that Strattera is better because it's a non-stimulant. If anything, amphetamines have a proven record of safety, having been discovered in the 1800's with wide use occuring during WWII for military purposes. Strattera on the other hand was introduced in 2003. Doesn't mean it isn't safe, but it has no track record. Definitely less potential for abuse (taking more than your dose) than Adderall, but hey, if the kid is 8, you don't hand him the bottle, you give him one pill every day and you make sure he swallows it in front of you, right? Personally, I would only give my kids Strattera if the Adderall wasn't effective. (I take both)

I've heard that coating the pill with butter can help, since it "greases" the pill so it will slid down easier. I also heard that putting it (not crushed) into a bit of applesauce and getting them to swallow it all at once, since you won't get the floating pill in water feeling in your mouth.

You can also try getting him used to it by starting on tic tacks. It's less of a big deal if it doesn't work because it's just candy, and it's less of a big deal to the kid because it's not medicine (that psycological responce thing).

Um...that's all I can think of. Fortunatly mine has done awesome with pills so it's never been an issue here. You could also try Daytrana if pills are just too much, because it's a patch.

Hi, I'm a new member and my name is Kim.

I just wanted to say that, this post in particular saved my sanity! ADDled_Brain, my son is close to your grandson's age, he's 9. For the past week and a half, I have been struggling to get him to swallow the pills. The pill taking process has been a far worse strain then the ADD itself. :( So, when I came upon your post via a Google search, I was so happy!

I read Lady Lark's suggestion about coating the pill with butter and thought 'OH MY GOSH! I never thought to try that, what a blessing!' I tried it immediately...because we were in the midst of going thru the process again and guess what....it worked! We got done about an hour ago after trying it with my son. He was happier and so was I. ^_^ So, thank you both so much! <<hugs>> I just had to let you know. :)

Welcome to the forums. :)

I'm glad it we could help.

Maybe a change to Adderall XR would work since it can be sprinkled on applesauce.

Just don't believe the hype that Strattera is better because it's a non-stimulant. If anything, amphetamines have a proven record of safety, having been discovered in the 1800's with wide use occuring during WWII for military purposes. Strattera on the other hand was introduced in 2003. Doesn't mean it isn't safe, but it has no track record. Definitely less potential for abuse (taking more than your dose) than Adderall, but hey, if the kid is 8, you don't hand him the bottle, you give him one pill every day and you make sure he swallows it in front of you, right? Personally, I would only give my kids Strattera if the Adderall wasn't effective. (I take both)

It depends on the kid. Some people don't respond well to Adderall, some don't respond well to Strattera.

Strattera acts only on norepinephrine, Adderall acts on norepinephinre AND dopamine.

Things which act on dopamine are stimulants, and all of them help alleviate ADHD symptoms (unless they do other stuff too, like Ecstasy).

The reason Strattera sees use is because some people have problems mainly with norepinephrine, not dopamine. Supposedly those who don't have a hyperactive component tend to do better on Strattera.

wetting or greasing stuff makes it slide on down. dry things (capsules) can get stuck.

Take it with a small snack and some water?

Trick for little guys taking pills... fill your mouth with water, then put your chin to your chest and swallow. The pill floats to the top of the liquid and is the first thing down. Plus I guess the swallow is a little harder when the chin is tucked. Worked easily to teach my then 4 year old to swallow even gigantic Omega 3 and vitamin pills. Hope it helps.

I don't know exactly what dosage of Strattera so not exactly sire how large the capsule is.. But try to get your grandson to master the technique of filling his mouth with water, pop in the pill, then bend his head downward and swallow.. Since most pills or tablets will "float", it will rise to the back of his mouth and go down pretty easily...

Another poster mentioned this technique earlier and I have to agree that it is very effective even with extremely large pills..


My grandson is eight years old and has been diagnosed with ADD (finally, it took the school system about three years to do so!), however he is balking at taking Strattera because he can't swallow the capsules, has trouble getting them down. Any suggestions as to alternate methods of taking the capsules or is that it only (swallowing them)?

Any suggestions will be appreciated! Thank you!

I also wanted to add that if he is fighting taking the pill or really seems to be having trouble, as difficult as it may seem try to act as cavalier as possible about it..

Try very hard not to let him believe that you think its any more difficult than swallowing his favorite treat.. Because in all actuality it really isn't, its just an action that is foreign because to the brain its not "food" and there was no chewing to precipitate the swallow..

If you think about it, most food that is swallowed is no smaller and in fact much larger than any pill.. Its just natural to swallow when eating so there are no negative reactions to it..