November 1, 2020
Getting your kids to take their meds
Have you ever struggled to get your child to take their medicine? You’re not alone! It’s common for kids to complain about the taste, the texture, or (if you’re really unlucky) even the color.
Did you know that a compounding pharmacy can probably help? Not only can your compounding pharmacist make a medicine taste better (with a unique medication for your child), compounded meds can also solve problems with food allergies, specific diets, and even when medications are only available in a tablet form.
What, you thought it had to be a pill? Or maybe a flavored liquid?
Every kid is different
Compounding pharmacies can make medications in lots of ways — liquids, patches, lollipops, gummies, fast-dissolving tablets, and even suppositories.
And it’s not just a matter of your kids’ preferences, either. Pediatric patients may require medications to be compounded to make taking their medications more tolerable.
Conditions like ADHD and autism are often associated with sensory issues (it’s actually called “sensory processing disorder”): Tastes, textures, and even smells can trigger uncontrollable responses from a bit of discomfort to gagging, vomiting, and/or screaming.
A child might be nauseated and not be able to keep anything down — including medications. And some kids have food allergies or be on a particular diet.
In all these cases, compounding pharmacists are key to solving the problem.
- Is your child vomiting? Compounding pharmacists can make a topical version of anti-nausea medications — just rub it on the wrists before giving other medications.
- Does your child have trouble taking pills? Your compounding pharmacist can make a tasty gummy version, or even a lollipop.
- How about allergies to corn, red dye, gluten, or other ingredients common in mass-produced medication? No problem: A compounder can make a version of the same medicine free of allergens, dyes, or gluten.
In short, compounders can work with children and their caregivers to find the best option taking into account sensory needs, stomach issues, diet, or just preference (watermelon or cherry?) to make taking their medicine easier.
So what do you do?
If you know your child might have an issue with taking a particular medication, the first step is to find a compounder (you may already have one) and talk about what options are available.
If you don’t have one already, you can use our convenient Find a Compounder service to find one nearby. You don’t even have to go in person; compounders are happy to ship medications right to you.
Talk to that compounding pharmacist about your issues. The pharmacist can than work with your child’s physician to obtain the correct prescription and prepare your child’s custom medication.
Illnesses, allergies, or simply preferences — your compounder offers many services that could benefit you and your child. Compounding pharmacists are trained to navigate all of these specific issues with patients and their doctors to produce the right dosage form for each patient!
Should you have trouble finding your commercially made medications, hand sanitizer, or immune boosting vitamin supplements, please consider contacting a compounding pharmacist near you. They’re happy to help you with your health concerns, especially during this difficult time.
Connect with P3 on social media! Please “like” or “follow” our pages and we will provide updates about compounding can help you and your family, and how to advocate to protect your access to customized medications.
