Taking Straterra Capsule

[JellyBeansMom]

Hi - my 53-pound 5 yr. old son started Straterra this morning. I couldn't get him to swallow the capsule. For the first four days, he's taking 18mg. After that, he'll be taking 25mg each morning. I know you can't break the capsule open, but has anyone tried any techniques that work? I don't suppose it comes in liquid form?

[catseye]

Im not real familiar with stratera... But for sd8 to take the adderall xr 30mg HORSE PILLS, it helped to put it in a spoonfull of applesauce, went right down then... Now she takes it easily with just water..

Also I have seen the suggestion of haveing the child practice with mini m&m's... Another thought... Good luck

cat

[cfredric]

Do not open the capsule and give it that way. The fact that there is currently no alternative for stratera is the reason we can't use it. (i.e no liquid or crushable pill)
My son is four and will not swallow pills. Our dr has stressed the fact that this is one med that you can not break open the capsule and take. It is a time release thing. (we have been bugging dr about it, can you tell ;D)


Try calling the pharmacy. Maybe they can suggest a way to give med.

[Charlotte]

i had this very same problem..my son who's 8 couldn't swallow the capsule either...i called the straterra hotline and they told me not to open the capsule as well..which is why we had to switch him to a different medication...have you tried maybe having him drink thru a straw while the pill is in his mouth.? or drinking a thick milkshake with the pill.? i know what your going thru...i tried everything possible and just couldnt get him to do it either...

[Jenn]

Milk, pudding just about anything that is kind of heavy yet not needing chewed should help. My son takes Strat with no problems but just by how the pill feel when I hold it I can tell it floats which with kids with a gag reflex can make it harder to swallow.

[LitlBaa]

I had my daughter practice with mini M&Ms, one tube to swallow, one to eat. She's been OK with swallowing meds thank heavens.

[Mishamom]

I called Eli Lily about Straterra before starting my 5 year old daughter on it today. My doctor suggested opening the capsule and mixing it with food. The information on the website said not to do that.

When I spoke with a customer service rep at Eli Lily I asked if opening the capsule damaged or destroyed the time release mechanism and was that the reason they said not to open the capsule. I was told that there is no time release mechanism but the medication does have an all day affect for some children, most of the day affect for others. He said there were two reasons for not opening the capsule.

1. They had only performed testing and studies on the medication in its capsule form and swalled hole. Because they no other studies on it in powder form they could not legally suggest doing so.

2. The reason it is encapsulated is because one of the ingredients is a known stomach irritant. The capuse portion provides some buffering.

So I talked to my pediatrician about it again and told him what I had found out. He said that as long as she took it mixed in food and with a full meal he didn't see that it would be much trouble. We went over what a full meal would be just to clarify how much is enough but I felt pretty comfortable with opening the capsule after that.

Today was her first day and I tried to have her swallow it with some apple sauce but it was a no go. She chewed it in half and spit out one half. Then I had to slice it open with a sharp knife tip and mix the rest of the medication in with another spoon full of apple sauce. I'll try again tomorrow and see if we can't just practice our way into this.

[Mayleng]

Quite a few people have opened the capsule and given it with food, ie peanut butter, pudding, ice cream etc. The one thing I want to caution is DO NOT BREATHE it in, it could irritate the lungs.

[JellyBeansMom]

Thanks, everyone, for the info. We've been trying different things for a few days. Hiding in applesauce worked twice; hiding in rice pudding worked twice (texture lumpy so the pill didn't stand out). I even tried to coat it with butter so it would be slippery. Seems as soon as the capsule gets wet, it gets sticky and doesn't swallow easily. I think we're going to open the capsule and give with a full meal while we're practicing with M&Ms. I hesitate to do the open capsule for any length of time to prevent and adverse side effects. Thanks again!