Question on pain meds

[pmsmom]

Have any of you had children who do not take oral pain meds (pills)?

My dd won't take a pill unless it's in peanut butter. And it was an effort to get her to do it then.

So now I'm concerned that when she needs oral pain meds after surgery, she will be unable to take them (although some may say she'll grab those meds and swallow them if she hurts that badly!).

Any suggestions? Or what usually happens when children won't swallow pills?

What happens with the younger pediatric patients who don't swallow pills yet?

Also, any suggestions on how to swallow pills will be appreciated.

[Carmell]

There is always liquid pain medicine. There are many adults who can't swallow pills, and most medications can be made into a liquid, especially for pediatrics. The pain medications are generic and Children's Hospitals understand this very well. In fact, my Braydon (13yrs old) REFUSES to take liquid meds. He demands pill form. 30 surgeries later, and we STILL fight for pill form. They ALWAYS bring liquid meds first. I don't think there will be a problem. However, liquid meds taste NASTY. Hopefully she's up for that.

Some pill swallowing practice techniques - start with the mini-M&Ms. Have her put on in her mouth and take a drink with a straw. Straws cause more motion of the liquid in her mouth and help the pill/M&M go down faster.

If I were in your shoes, I would call the pain services department at the hospital where the surgery will take place and ask for their suggestions on helping with a teenager who doesn't swallow pills. Good luck.

[ARN010]

Yes, same for Amanda

Amanda never swallowed a pill in her life.....they sent us home with liquid Norco but couldn't give us liquid valium (wasn't in stock). One day into the horrible tasting liquid (every 4 hrs. mind you)...she tried to swallow a pill and succeeded....we called the doc and changed to pills...now, she can swallow two advil liquicaps without even water!!! One thing I did (with the liquid) is bribe her......and also do the next dose right on time so she was fairly pain free....I would use candy, ice cream (although she didn't eat much at first), iTunes money, cash, books, etc.....also, pain is a great motivator (the best one I know of).

[pmsmom]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will look into them.

I, too, think that when it comes down to it, she will take the pills. As I said, at home, I have her take the pill and push it into a bit of peanut butter on a spoon.
She'll take it then.

Unless they let her have a jar of peanut butter in her room.

Any other suggestions are very welcome as well!

Thanks!

[ARN010]

Chocolate syrup

Chocolate syrup might be good.

[pmsmom]

Thanks for the suggestion.

It's not so much that I'm worried about pain meds once we get home--she will take pills and swallow them in peanut butter or in chewed food.

I think that she'll only be getting her meds with water in the hospital. I doubt they'll be bringing her food with her pills.

Still workin' on it!

[ARN010]

Post-op In-patient Meds

She will receive her medications IV for the first few days post-op in the hospital. They will try the patient on oral meds to be sure they are tolerated before releasing to home.

One note: be sure to have your SURGEON (not the charge nurse) tell you exactly what he/she has written for: pain, muscle spasms, constipation, how often, how many, what's the maximum amount, what's the minimum hours between doses AND what can be used in between for breakthrough pain....we had a nurse from hell at night who didn't want to give the meds that were written in her chart. If you have it written down from the surgeon you can ask to speak of the unit manager or page the surgeon or the PA if they are not administering it correctly.

We had one horrible night due to this nurse....it was unbelievable...when the surgeon did rounds in the a.m. he apologized and then told me we had plenty of options (namely dilaudid as needed in between for breakthrough pain) this was after she came off the PCA and was adjusting to non-dilaudid meds. Anyhow, it would have saved the night; there were a lot of tears.

Anyhow, take care.

[pmsmom]

She will receive her medications IV for the first few days post-op in the hospital. They will try the patient on oral meds to be sure they are tolerated before releasing to home.

One note: be sure to have your SURGEON (not the charge nurse) tell you exactly what he/she has written for: pain, muscle spasms, constipation, how often, how many, what's the maximum amount, what's the minimum hours between doses AND what can be used in between for breakthrough pain....we had a nurse from hell at night who didn't want to give the meds that were written in her chart. If you have it written down from the surgeon you can ask to speak of the unit manager or page the surgeon or the PA if they are not administering it correctly.

We had one horrible night due to this nurse....it was unbelievable...when the surgeon did rounds in the a.m. he apologized and then told me we had plenty of options (namely dilaudid as needed in between for breakthrough pain) this was after she came off the PCA and was adjusting to non-dilaudid meds. Anyhow, it would have saved the night; there were a lot of tears.

Anyhow, take care.

Thank you for your comments. Asking the surgeon didn't occur to me b/c I know they are busy and rely on the nurses. Others, too, have suggested being on top of things and writing everything down. I guess I get scared b/c I don't know how I'll get through all of this. I am *very* thankful for this board b/c I know that here people will take my concerns seriously.