Chew or swallow pills

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Blondie47

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If you chew and swallow your AED because water is not available, is it still going to be as effective as swallowing whole with water?

There is no warning on the RX bottle stating that the pill must not be crushed.
 
If water isn't available, I still think swallowing a pill would be easier. It would probably taste horrible chewed up, and get in the teeth, etc...but what do I know..?

My Lamictal XR says to swallow whole, as its time released..the actual med portion is enclosed inside a donut like thing, if that makes sense.
 
Yikes, I didn't even come close to answering your question, sorry about that. :p

I'm new to all this.

:roflmao:
 
Thanks...

My DD, 13 was at a birthday party supposedly at a house for the evening...
she took her meds with her and texts me TTP (took the pill) and ate it!

I found out that the mom took the party to the mall--not asking my permission and my daughter had no water and had to chew the pills!!!!!

She was too embarassed to ask for water and had I known that she was going to be at the mall, I would have sent a water bottle along with her!!!!

The thing is that I told the mom (never met her before) that my DD has Epilepsy and will be taking a pill and would ask for a glass of water. She never mentioned the mall and said ok.

UGGGGHHHHHH>>>>
 
Oh wow Blondie. Your poor daughter. :(

That whole thing would have angered me as well.
 
It definitely will make a difference if it's time-released.

What I've learned to do as a kid is swallow the pills with food. Just chew the food first, pop in the pill(s) & swallow the whole thing. I would prefer a liquid though.
 
I am sure that one time will not be a problem, however if she is ever taking a slow release med, chewing it would most likely defeat the perpose of the slow release.

I am going to give the mom the benefit of the doubt and hope that she assumed that the kids had all told their parents where the party would be. Certainly not wise to not make sure that the change of venue was okay with all the parents. You might graciously suggest that in the future she make sure the parents are aware.

Hope she had a good time.
 
Thanks guys...

Trying to calm down. It's Trileptal and not time released.

I am going to call the mother in the morning and put her on the spot, she had the nerve to put a 13 year old in a difficult situation, so what goes around comes around.

Next time, a small water bottle goes with my DD no matter what. Why did I trust that lady????
 
The thing I've found with having a daughter of a similar age, is that the parents assume there is no problem with venues etc. I think it was just a misunderstanding. Could you in future leave enough money in your DD purse to pay for a bottle of water if she needs one? As she gets older it will be more of an issue, it's best to get them used to sorting themselves out and being self sufficient as early as possible. My 11yo daughter has epilepsy that is diet managed (GF/no sweeteners) therefore she has to be very careful what she eats when she has sleepovers and things. My 7yo son is on a GF diet as he has coeliac, and even he is very very careful to read ingredient labels himself if he is round a friends for tea. He knows already (he was diagnosed in April this year) what he can and can't eat. No matter how much you want to wrap your kids up in cotton wool and never let them out of your sight and protect them always, It's not possible for you to be there with them 24/7 and them to still lead as normal a life as possible. So I feel it's best to be proactive and teach them how to deal with these things themselves asap for the times when you aren't there. At 13, your daughter should be able to get a drink when she needs one, without being embarrased about it. I bet the mum that was with them couldn't take a pill without a drink, even a headache pill! The other mum probably didn't realise the significance of a kid trying to take tablets without water, and how important the timings are. It's not something she has to deal with on a daily basis.(((((HUGS))))) to help you de-stress.
 
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