Bad Tasting Pills

[KR]

I have to take a few daily medications. One of them being lamictal, unfortunately the dose is 3 pills. The label clearly says do not crush or chew, all I can say as if!! Those nasty pills dissolve as soon as they hit my mouth and water. I have been taking them for many years. It is just getting harder all the time to swallow them. I literally have to fight back want to gag or worse. Anyone have any ideas or tricks? Thanks in advance:) I take other pills as well but the lamictal is the only one I have this issue with.

[Charge205]

The smiley face was just my way of me thinking if I had to take the bitter pills.. I was picturing the pills in my mouth with peanut butter and was smiling at the thought. I met no disrespect to you.

[dusky1228]

If you like chocolate or strawberry, try taking it with a spoonful of Hershey's chocolate syrup or strawberry syrup. I find the Hershey's Dark chocolate syrup the most intense, therefore the most camouflaging. This is a trick I often use with my pedi chemo patients, since most of their meds also taste abominable.

[Myxel67]

I have to take a few daily medications. One of them being lamictal, unfortunately the dose is 3 pills. The label clearly says do not crush or chew, all I can say as if!! Those nasty pills dissolve as soon as they hit my mouth and water. I have been taking them for many years. It is just getting harder all the time to swallow them. I literally have to fight back want to gag or worse. Anyone have any ideas or tricks? Thanks in advance:) I take other pills as well but the lamictal is the only one I have this issue with.

I went to the Lamictal website and read the complete Rx instructions. The reason they tell you not to chew it is because of the BITTER TASTE! Since it begins to dissolve almost immediately, you know it's not a sustained release formula with a wax matrix.

If the pills won't fit into a gelatin capsule whole, just break them or crush them. Here's a site where you can order empty gelatin capsules.

http://www.capsuline.com/

You can find many more by googling "gelatin capsules." Hope this will work for you.

OR cut a jellybelly jellybean in half, sandwich the pill between the halves, then swallow the JB whole.

OOPS! I THOUGHT THIS DIDN'T GO THROUGH, SO REWROTE IT.

[kcalohagirl]

With cold season coming on,, have any of you tasted Zycam. Now thats some bad tasting stuff. Yuck.

I tried it for the first time a couple weeks ago. Ick!!:barf01:But I really did seem to get over the cold faster. . . .

I have the world's worst gag reflex. Sometimes even 25 mg benadryl can do it to me. So I definitely feel your pain. Can't think of anything else that would mask the flavor better. But applesauce can make things more slippery.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

If you like chocolate or strawberry, try taking it with a spoonful of Hershey's chocolate syrup or strawberry syrup. I find the Hershey's Dark chocolate syrup the most intense, therefore the most camouflaging. This is a trick I often use with my pedi chemo patients, since most of their meds also taste abominable.

That's a good idea. I nevere thought of that, and chocolate syrup is a required staple in my fridge.

[rn undisclosed name]

I know that ice is supposed to "numb" your taste buds. Ok I know numb is not the right word. I have heard that with patients who need to take potassium you use ice to "numb" the taste buds and then take the potassium. That way you won't taste the potassium as much. I wonder if the same would work with this med. Then you could probably also try some of the other suggestions after you do the ice.

Kelly

[Noryn]

Ha! I cannot swallow pills for the life of me. When the day comes I am in the hospital I will be a terrible patient when the med pass comes around.

Antibiotics in my experience are about the worst thing to crush up. The best thing that I have tried is ice cream or something cold. It seems like the cold kind of numbs your tongue a bit.