We live in an age where many diseases and conditions can be cured simply with a couple of pills or a spoonful of syrup. Unfortunately for us, many drugs have a bitter and unpleasant taste, which makes them more difficult to take. However, there are ways to correct the flavor of a medicine and stay healthy.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Swallowing Liquid Medicines
Step 1. Ask your pharmacist for information before mixing the drug with other liquids
The easiest way to take bitter liquid medicine is to mix it with a better tasting drink. Usually you won't have a problem with most medications, but you need to be careful. There may be interactions between a medicine and some drinks. For example, grapefruit juice is known to inhibit the effectiveness of various drugs, including atorvastatin, simvastatin and fexofenadine. Ask your pharmacist what is the best liquid to dissolve a medicine in and if there are any juices that have negative interactions with it.
Step 2. Mix the liquid medicine with a strong flavored drink
Fruit juices are usually best in this case, because they have strong flavors that can overpower that of drugs.
- Make sure you measure the correct dose of the drug, then pour it into a glass full of fruit juice or water and drink it quickly.
- Drink the whole glass to make sure you get the full dose of medicine.
- Fizzy drinks are not the best for this purpose, because the bubbles make it harder to swallow quickly. Even milk is not ideal, because mixed with a drug it can irritate the stomach.
- You can also accompany the medicine by drinking a glass of something more palatable after taking the drug to eliminate the taste.
- Always avoid mixing medications with alcohol. Alcohol has dangerous interactions with many medicines and it can be harmful to drink alcohol while on drug therapies.
Step 3. Ask your pharmacist if he can add a flavor to your medicine
In some cases, pharmacists can modify medications by adding flavors such as cherry or chewing gum. This helps eliminate the bitter taste and helps you a lot in taking the medicine. An experienced pharmacist should be able to modify almost any drug in liquid form, including over-the-counter or prescription drugs. If you are unable to take a medicine due to its taste, ask your pharmacist about this option.
Ask your pharmacist if there are available versions of the drug with a different flavor
Step 4. Chill the medicine before taking it
Medicines usually lose their flavor when cold. If you can't dilute the medicine you need to take, you can try chilling it to make it less bitter. Leave it in the fridge for about an hour before drinking, so that it is cold enough.
Ask your pharmacist before trying this method, as some medications can become unstable as a result of sensitive temperature changes
Step 5. Suck on an ice cube or popsicle before taking the medicine
This way you fall asleep your mouth and feel the flavors less. Once your mouth is numbed, you will be able to swallow the medicine with less of the bitter taste.
- Suck on an ice cube or popsicle until your mouth feels asleep; this will probably take about 5 minutes. At that point, drink the medicine quickly, before regaining sensitivity in the mouth.
- Have water or fruit juice handy. Drink them immediately after taking the drug. If you don't, you will taste the medicine as your mouth warms up.
Part 2 of 2: Swallow Pills
Step 1. Consult your pharmacist before changing your medicines
Many methods of taking pills involve grinding or breaking them and mixing them with food. Before doing this, make sure that this does not limit the effectiveness of the drug. Some pills have a film that coats them and ensures a gradual release and can become dangerous when crumbled. For example, oxycodone is coated with a slow release film and can overdose if crumbled. Other over-the-counter medications that don't need to be ground are aspirin, ibuprofen, and loratadine.
- The Institute for Safe Medical Practices has compiled this list of pills not to crumble. However, new drugs are continually being produced, so always ask your pharmacist for advice before grinding a pill. There are other options if you can't.
- For some drugs (such as oxycodone), there are anti-abuse formulas that still require the pill to be swallowed whole; by crumbling or altering these drugs, the active ingredient would be rendered ineffective.
Step 2. Crumble the pills and mix them with food
If your pharmacist assures you that it is safe to crumble the medicine, use this option to take it with your favorite foods. At the same time, be careful using this method with your favorite dishes, as the bitterness of the medicine could ruin the flavor and you could end up hating them.
- Before crumbling a pill, wet it with a few drops of water. Let it soften for 15 minutes.
- Purchase a specific tool for pounding the pills. Alternatively, you can use a mortar and pestle or mash them with a spoon. Do this carefully, so as not to lose some of the medicine.
- Add the pill to food. You can choose your favorite dish, but a dessert is usually better. Sweet flavors are most effective at distracting the taste buds from the flavor of the medicine. Try ice cream, chocolate or vanilla pudding, honey or jam.
Step 3. Suck on an ice cube before taking the medicine
If you have to take a bad tasting pill and can't mix it with food, you can use the same trick to numb your mouth you used with liquids. Suck on an ice cube until you numb your mouth, then take the pill, chew if necessary, and swallow it with a glass of water.
If you use this method, be sure to check your mouth after you swallow to make sure the pill has gotten into your stomach. With your mouth asleep, you may not be able to hear it
Advice
- Drink some water before taking any medications. This will lubricate your mouth and the medicine will be easier to swallow.
- If that's okay with your doctor, coat the pill with butter. This will make it easier to swallow.
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If you can't take the pills, the following method opens your throat and can help you swallow them.
- Put the pill on your tongue.
- Take a sip of water, but don't swallow.
- Tilt your chin towards your chest and swallow as you tilt your head.
- Drink before and after taking a drug. If you have to drink the medicine, hold your nose and swallow it all quickly so you don't taste too much.
- Crush a soft candy and wrap it around the pill. The candy will create a patina around the drug, softening its flavor; being slippery, it will help prevent it from sticking in the throat.
- If you can't swallow the medicine, put it in the back of your mouth, take a big sip of water and the liquid will push it down. Be very, very careful with this method, otherwise you risk choking yourself. Try the other techniques first.
Warnings
- Never take medications that have not been prescribed for you.
- Ask your doctor or pharmacist if these methods of taking medications are acceptable. Foods can interrupt the action of a drug or cause negative reactions, while other medicines must be taken on an empty stomach. Always following your doctor's directions on how to take your medications allows you to take full advantage of them.
