Is Your Child Struggling To Swallow?

Some children will show signs of difficulty swallowing foods or liquids at an early age. This difficulty may increase over time and show other concerning symptoms. Dysphagia is the medical term for difficulty swallowing. In other words, dysphagia is the inability to safely and naturally move food or liquids from the mouth, throat, and esophagus down to the stomach. A series of muscles naturally work together to make this process possible. If there is an underlying issue, this process can fail to work. Dysphagia is particularly challenging for children who need to take medication to treat illness or disease. The best option is to find an effective workaround so children can get the necessary treatment.

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Symptoms and causes of dysphagia

Dysphagia will present multiple signs and symptoms. For instance, the child may cough, choke, or gag while feeding, eating, or drinking. Some children will need multiple attempts to swallow or even feel food stuck in the throat. These symptoms can severely impact the quality of life and may require treatment. The causes of the condition are varied, with many caused by neurological or anatomical conditions. Common examples include cerebral palsy, cleft palate, muscular dystrophy, and enlarged tonsils. Gastrointestinal troubles, like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), can make swallowing painful. Early diagnosis and treatment of dysphagia are crucial to addressing this condition.

Why you should worry about dysphagia

At times, children may need to take oral medications, which can be challenging with dysphagia. The child may struggle to swallow the pill, create resistance, or regurgitate, leading to poor medication adherence. As a result, the condition or disease can worsen, leading to reduced quality of life for the child and family. Dysphagia also leads to increased medical costs, possibly leading to further treatments since the child is unable to take medication. Until doctors can address dysphagia, families should consider compounding medication.

Change the form with compounding

Compounding is growing in popularity and is an excellent option for children struggling with dysphagia. Compounding is the process of creating custom medication for the individual needs of the patient. A compounding pharmacist can create a new solution by using raw materials or combining multiple medications into a single formulation. The pharmacist can also change the form of the medication to one that’s easier to consume. For children, this means converting pills to lozenges, topical medications, and other easy-to-consume forms. For patients who need consistent medication, compounding has other fantastic benefits.

Enjoy better medication adherence

To get the best out of any treatment, medication adherence is necessary. However, this can fail if the child is unable to swallow the medication. Some children even struggle to swallow certain liquids. With compounding, changing the form can lead to improved adherence. The pharmacist can create a dissolvable tablet, flavored lollipop or other enjoyable option. The child is more likely to take the medicine consistently, leading to improved health.

Skip the unnecessary ingredients

Some cases of dysphagia are due to an allergic reaction to an ingredient in the medication. Once identified, the compounding pharmacist can take action and make the necessary changes. By recreating the medicine using compounding, the pharmacist can omit the allergen. This can make medication easier to swallow and remove allergic reactions. Compounding can lead to long-term health improvement and a better quality of life for children.

Don’t sleep on compounding

For some children, difficulty swallowing is an unavoidable condition. Not only can dysphagia limit the consumption of some foods, but children who need medication are severely limited. Those who only have access to specific forms can struggle to get the necessary treatment. Compounding helps children by recreating the medicines in a more favorable form. These specialist pharmacists understand the challenges of dysphagia and can create the medicine needed for the child to get relief. A compounding pharmacy will strive to work with the family so that the child receives all these fantastic benefits.

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