Getting very frustrated over here. Could use some advice. Our 10 yr old son got twitchy legs from a dose of Biphentin (methylphenidate) back in December. Took a while to settle down (weeks.) Want to try another med--one possibility was Adderall at a low dose but we didn't want to risk more twitches (which I'm sure would go away) but would also make him refuse to try a third drug. So we decided with the doc to try Strattera but its only in a capsule form and he hasn't swallowed pills before, successfully.

So today I had him practice with swallowing tic tacs. Every 3rd or 4th one he was able to get down. HOWEVER, at bedtime he tells me he was FAKING IT! Unbelieveable! I really thought he had swallowed them. And then he says he doesn't want to take the Strattera as he doesn't want any drugs controlling him.

I think we have a real problem on our hands. Any advice out there? His behaviour has been getting really bad over the last 2-3 weeks, refusing to go to school, lower self esteem, lots of agonizing over stuff at bedtime. Pretty worrisome things actually. The pdoc really wants to get him medicated and I agree...its the first step to him feeling good...We also have possible side effects to deal with also so I'm afraid of him getting turned off even if he can take a pill!!!

Welcome any advice, please & thanks!

have you talked w/ your doc about the swallowing issue?

Have you tried putting it in yogurt or applesauce? even a piece of cake?

I'm not sure if Strattera can be taken out of the capsule - but that's a possible option. Something to ask your doc about.

Do you think he could be doing this to refuse meds? or that he really has a problem swallowing pills?
Does he have problems swallowing various types of food like corn? peapods?
(those are all similar to pills)

canukie,


When you get a chance,please check out sensory integration & gastric reflux.

Often times, Occupational Therapy can be a very helpful treatment option.


tc,
mctavish23

(Robert)

I'd be careful about forcing meds he doesn't want to take. Medication makes a big difference in your brain and if you're fighting it, there is less chance it will be helpful. Also we all have some rights to how are brain is altered. I've taken meds and found them helpful, but it's quite an adjustment and sometimes the side effects aren't worth it. You might try Dr. Hallowell's book Answers to Distraction which has a section just for kids in the front. He'll get better results if he's on board with the program.

Thank you. I have read about the ethics and problems with forcing meds and did indeed tell him that it was entirely his choice. I also knew that if I forced him it would backfire...he would just refuse anyway.

Well we managed to get the pills down for three days in a row. I had his dad take over and whatever he did it seemed to work. Have had more peace in the last few days already. We hope it continues!

One thing that might help is to let him know that he might not need to take meds forever--but right now the meds can help him concentrate to learn other methods for dealing with adhd.

Here are some other things that could help--perhaps you're already doing some/all of them:
-high level of communication and planning with his school to establish external prompts for attention and behavior, and all the other good things smart teachers do-- reminders, visuals, etc. If the school isn't a good fit, find another one as soon as possible.
-lots of opportunities for physical movement and exercise--every day, hopefully in school as well as afterwards.
-exposure to nature--green parks, or water. This really works. (Read "Last Child in the Woods (http://www.amazon.com/Last-Child-Woods-Children-Nature-Deficit/dp/1565125223/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206030229&sr=1-2)by Richard Louv).
-Help attention, organization, planning, initiation, etc. at home with behavioral strategies (No Mind Left Behind, (http://www.amazon.com/Mind-Left-Behind-Understanding-Control/dp/0399533591/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206030442&sr=1-1) has great ideas that work)
-healthy diet. In my opinion you don't have to be the food police, but it really helps to avoid too much sugar, dyes, etc. I haven't found a good book about diet yet--most offer "instant cures" or have theories that seem a bit far-fetched, but certainly we see better results (for the whole family) when we eat at home and cook healthy meals.
-give him opportunities for leadership and skills development in an area where he will be challenged and can develop pride and expertise.
-lots of time with Dad. Boys at that age seem to really want to identify with their fathers--and feel lost if Dad isn't around much.
All of these things take a lot of time and attention, but seem to be the things that really worked for us and those we know in similar situations. In our case, that meant a major reorganization of family life/priorities--switching jobs and homes. But as people say, our children only get one childhood, and nobody ever died wishing they had spent more time with office colleagues.

You mentioned things were going better for you--what has he said about his own experience? Is he happy with how it's going? The twitch concerns me--are you dealing with some Tourette-like symptoms (tics) or could he be especially sensitive to meds? Do you have a good doctor?

My 8 yr old is on his fourth week of Strattera. The first 5 days of trying to take it were dreadful. He would throw up almost. He's now great at it. He has a large cup of water and will gulp the whole lot down with the pill. You must not open the Strattera capsule. I read the literature and it actually warns you myst wash it off your skin if you come into contact with the powder.

I have noticed that when we missed a dose (Thats never happening again lol) the next day we had gone backwards in ds's ability to take the pill.

HOWEVER, at bedtime he tells me he was FAKING IT! Unbelieveable!Don't you love it? :D

Your quote--I don't know how to use this quot feature anyway:...."You mentioned things were going better for you--what has he said about his own experience? Is he happy with how it's going? The twitch concerns me--are you dealing with some Tourette-like symptoms (tics) or could he be especially sensitive to meds? Do you have a good doctor?"

We are now seeing a psychiatrist. She didn't prescribe the drug that caused the twitchy legs which seem to be gone. No tourettes in the family at all. Don't think its that. Doc is good.

He said his concentration is improved, nothing else, although I did not interrogate... if anything was amiss he would say so!

Hmmm...I looked, so I don't think it's be suggested. Have you tried Daytrana? Since it's a patch he might have a better time with that until the pill swallowing thing is in order.

My 11yo recently diagnosed and medicated son is not resistant to taking medication, but he certainly has problems getting it down. He also brings the pill back up if he tries to take it with a full glass of water - I just don't seem to be able to make him believe that if he just puts it in and starts drinking the water, he won't even notice it going down. He also takes capsules of Omega-3s (5 times the size of his ritalin tablet), so he breaks the Omega capsule open, pops his ritalin inside that and swallows the whole thing NO WATER!!! Can you believe it??? LOL I don't think it will help your son, but I thought you might be interested to know in a novel way of getting it down!

My son, 7, doesnt like swallowing pills either. He's taking Aderall, which you can open and sprinkle onto applesauce. But, I dont tell him that beause I want him to get used to swallowing pills! But, he can't swallow with liquide because he says the liquid goes around the pill and doent push it down his throat. Instead, we put the pill on a spoonfull of applesauce (also pudding would work, or Jell-o or something like that!) and he will swallow. It sometimes takes a minute, but he can do it!

So, try some applesauce and see if he likes it better that way! Then, you can always follow it with a glass of water, if needed.

My son also had a great deal of trouble swallowing pills in the begining. If you are using the IR tablets you can get a pill crusher from the pharmacy and "disolve" the dust in a small amount of Kool-aid powder, water and sugar. (Yes, I know - food dyes! sugar! eek!, but it got us through a year of him actually enjoying the meds in the morning :D) Also, mixing the crushed pill in a small amount of softened ice cream may help. It was only after he started taking Zoloft that he was suddenly able to take the pills whole. Go figure - I guess there was so much anxiety involved that it was triggering a gag reflex. Anyway, google "children swallowing pills" and you will find some sights that have loads of suggestions (mostly from parents of kids with Cancer:()

Keep at it, it does get easier with practice. Now my son can swallow anything as long as it's inside a No.4 capsule!

PS - I am definately NOT advocating this, but. . . we did open the Straterra capsules and mixed them with ice cream, until he learned to take capsules.

Hi,

I have another son who has medication and is absolutely hopeless. The new medication he is on only comes in capsules but I have been told by his consultant to open them and sprinkle them in juice. Can you check if you can do this with your capsules?

Good luck

zebs.