My mom is getting worse and worse at taking pills. She doesn't understand when we tell her to just swallow it all. We have tried applesauce, yogurt, a straw, thicker juices, but she likes to hold the pill in her mouth and drink/eat around it. Or she'll swizzle the liquid with the pill in her mouth and then spit it all out. I don't know if we should try to get them compounded into liquids or chewables or if insurance will pay for them that way. I'm tempted to give up on the aricept and namenda, but she's also got zoloft and thyroid and blood pressure meds and while I have read that blood pressure meds aren't always as imporant as they seem, it seems like the others are. Any advice?
Some medicines do come in liquid form. Ask the pharmacist. Also ask if any of her meds should not be crushed.
What finally worked for my husband was dissolving the pills in a very small amount of grape pop (that's soda in much of the country). The strong flavor masked the bitterness somewhat, the small amount made it easier to get it over with. Then he usually drank a fresh glass of the pop.
This can be really hard! Good luck.
.