Sweetening Bitter Pills
A matter of taste
To parents, the job of pediatric researchers who make sure drugs are safe and effective can seem easy compared with getting kids to take their medicine. "Often the medicine really does taste horrible," says Edward Cox, a pediatrician in Grand Rapids, Mich., who consults with the American Academy of Pediatrics. Sugar and fruit flavors do the trick for vitamins, aspirin, and some other pills. But the taste of some antibiotics, asthma agents, and cough or cold medicines can be hard to disguise.
One company, Ascent Pediatrics, heads off bitter conflicts by coating the active ingredient and then adding "debittering" agents. The company, which consults with drug firms, also offers an unusually broad menu of medicine flavors, including banana-cherry and butterscotch-vanilla. "Of course you don't want medicine tasting too good," Cox says. "Then your kid will be going after it all the time."
Parents can also try mixing medicine with favorite foods or drinks--but check with your pharmacist before you mix. Keep the amounts small, Cox advises. "The child may drink half the glass and not want anymore," he says. Post-pill rewards can also help. If all else fails, says Cox, "Hold their nose closed, clamp their mouth shut, and tell them to swallow."
This story appears in the April 17, 2000 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.
advertisement
