Is Your Kid Struggling To Take Their Meds?

Everyone struggles to take medication for one reason or another. However, kids present unique challenges. Parents can be especially frustrated and even scared when kids refuse to take over-the-counter or prescription drugs. Most medicines, even those for kids, come in pill form, which can be a challenge to swallow whole. In many cases, the issue is not an unwillingness to take medication but difficulty swallowing. These swallowing struggles can lead to poor treatment, worsening symptoms, and distress for parents and children. Thanks to strategies like compounded solutions, kids can take medications with ease.

Why do kids struggle to swallow medicine?

Children need medication for varying reasons, from treating the common cold to managing more complex conditions. Some medicines are in pills or other forms, which can be difficult for young children to swallow. This can be for psychological reasons, such as the fear of choking, while others may have developmental challenges that prevent swallowing medicine. Dysphagia, the medical term for difficulty swallowing, can also be the underlying reason kids struggle to take medication. Reasons for dysphagia include infections, muscular abnormalities, or obstructions. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), esophageal spasms, scleroderma, or strictures can prevent the movement of medication from the mouth through the esophagus. Whatever the reason, children and parents need a practical way for kids to receive treatment.

A compounded solution

The best option for kids who can’t swallow pills is to source another easy-to-use form of medicine. However, most mass-produced medication comes in a set form and dosage. Compounding allows this customization of medicine. A pharmacist can create a new medication using raw ingredients or combining multiple drugs into a single form. Compounding also allows the pharmacist to make changes specific to the child’s needs. Taking the extra time to compound can be beneficial to children in several ways.

Your kids can enjoy these benefits

Compounding can circumvent the challenges of dysphagia. For instance, children can get a new form that’s more palatable and easier to consume. The compounding pharmacist can create a topical solution, chewable, lozenge, or other easy-to-consume medicine. Pharmacists can even add a preferred flavoring. This new prescription significantly improves medication adherence, reduces symptoms, and improves treatment. Changing the form may also improve the medicine’s bioavailability and absorption. Pharmacists can even adjust dosages or remove ingredients to reduce allergic reactions or side effects. Over time, compounded solutions relieve the stress of parent and child.

Help your child get better

Thousands of children struggle to take essential drugs due to difficulty swallowing. Parents have no choice but to break up the pills, dissolve in water, or find other workarounds, many of which fail to help the child. The best option is to acquire a form that is easier to consume. Compounding can help parents and kids by creating a custom option. By eliminating the obstacles affecting adherence, taking the required dose is easier.