Using Compounding Services to Access Medicines for Children With Sensory Issues
Many children with severe sensory processing issues can gag if they are given medicines that are the wrong texture or flavour. This can particularly be an issue when the medicine is very important to the child's overall health as the parents often become stressed when the child will not take the medicine, which in turn can make the child more stressed and reluctant to take the medicine. Here are some ways that a compounding service can help you to get the right medicine for your child.
Change in texture
For some children, it can be hard to swallow large pills or certain texture of liquid. The pharmacist can take the medicine dosage and switch it to different texture or delivery methods. It can also be possible to switch to a more concentrated version, which allows parents to give a smaller pill or smaller amount of liquid to their child. Generally, young children get more dilute medicines so that it is easier to give the child the correct dosage of medicine, so care in measuring dosages becomes even more vital if the medicine is more concentrated
Change the flavour
Once you've gotten the delivery method and texture right, it's time to change the flavour if you need. For pills and capsules, you can tweak the coating to make it sweeter or plainer. This can make the pill easier and more pleasant to swallow. For liquids, this can involve changing to a more favoured flavour (i.e swapping from cherry to strawberry flavour). Unfortunately in many cases, the flavouring needs to stay relative strong no matter what the flavour as the underlying taste of the medicine may be strong or unpleasant.
Changing the type of medicine
For some children who cannot take the medicine orally even with changes, it may be possible in some cases to tweak the medicine to a non-oral format such as injections or patches for transdermal application. The pharmacist can also look at alternatives to the prescribed medication, as in some cases they may be able to substitute a less strongly tasting medicine which can be easier for the child and parent.
If you are the parent or carer of a child with sensory issues who needs regular medication it can be useful to consult with a pharmacy with a compounding service. They can help you to work out a realistic and palatable way to get your child the medicine that they need.
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