My son started out on the 3hr ritalin which he chewed and swallowed with water. When the dr. switched him to Concerta, he couldn't chew these as they are hard shelled pills. We used a drink bottle (the kind with the hole in the lid you pull to open), and we had him put the pill in his mouth, tilt his head back a bit and take a slurp of water then swallow. It worked! There's no after taste with Concerta either.

Hope this helps.

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Have you tried having him swallow it with something smooth like pudding, yogurt or applesauce? My girlfriend got her son (who had trouble swallowing pills) to take his in a spoonful of applesauce each morning. I would also suggest a goal to work toward. For example, each time he can swallow an M&M without chewing he gets a sticker on a chart, when he gets 5 stickers he gets a little bigger reward,etc until he can swallow a regular pill which will earn something he would really like. Breaking down something hard(for him) into small manageable tasks worked well for my son. Be patient and keep trying!

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Hi there

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I mentioned to my son that he wasn't the only one having difficulty with swallowing the pill and that other children had used apple sauce to help. He then looked at me sideways and said "Well, maybe I can try it in my porridge. As long as I can't see it it should be OK". So we tried that - the pill hidden in a spoonful of porridge, washed down with some milk. He had no problem and has now taken it everyday for a week with no fuss. In fact, he has asked to take it in the weekends (we haven't been doing that) as he wants to "be happy". This means, he doesn't do things 'wrong' rather than any stimulant effect!

I now have a happy boy who can participate in school without the lunchtime drop-off in behavior. However, he is being terribly bullied at school as he seems to be unable to handle the usual social ups and downs that occur. This will be the subject of a separate post in the future.

Again, thank you so much for your advice. It was invaluable.

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The new medication Vyvanse is designed for children who cannot swallow pills. It can be opened and poured into food w/out compromising the efficacy of the med. It is an extended release med that works w/ your child's metabolism as the delivery system. The applesauce, ice cream trick works pretty well too. Have you tried letting him suck and chew on ice for a few minutes before giving the meds? It acts like a local anesthetic "freezing the taste buds and helping to calm the gag reflex that the sharp taste can create. Good luck!

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Their is also the Daytrana patch that you place on the hip every morning and remove every evening. It releases a smooth level of medication all day so your child won't have to worry about what to do with pills. You might want to mention that to your psych doc.

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