Does your mother, father, or someone you care for have Alzheimer's disease? If so, you probably know how challenging it can be to take your medication at regular intervals throughout the day. Sometimes they don't want to take it, keep the pill in their mouth, or find it hard to swallow. This is not just a problem for you, it's something that many people living with the condition face. So don't worry. Let's see what we can do about it.
Why is it so hard for them to take their medication? Let's understand the reason.
First of all, we need to understand that Alzheimer's is a disease that affects the brain. This causes their memory, thinking ability, and ability to understand things to gradually decrease. So, when they see a pill, they may not understand that it is something to take or that they need to swallow it.
Imagine, if someone gave you something you didn't know and told you to swallow it, wouldn't you feel scared? The same goes for them.
- Lack of recognition: They may not understand that the pill in their mouth is a medicine or that they need to swallow it.
- Confusion and fear: They may be afraid because of thoughts like "What is this giving me?", "Will this get me in trouble?"
- Difficulty swallowing (Dysphagia): Sometimes, due to the medical condition, the muscles involved in the swallowing process become weak, making it difficult for people to swallow food and drink normally, as well as pills.
The important thing is that they are not doing these things to hurt you or to be intentionally mean. It is part of their illness. So we need to face this with patience and love.
If you have difficulty swallowing medicine, what can you do?
If your loved one has difficulty swallowing pills, there may be a physical reason for it. For example, if their mouth is dry, it can be very difficult to swallow a pill.
Try these simple things first:
- Moisten your mouth: Before giving the medicine, give your child something to drink, such as water, fruit juice, or tea. This will moisten the mouth and make it easier to swallow the pill.
- Change your position: It may be easier to swallow while sitting and tilting your head forward slightly while taking the medicine.
If these don't work, we need to consider other options. But before making any changes, it's essential to talk to your doctor.
| Alternative method | What to ask the doctor |
|---|---|
| Liquid form | "Doctor, is there a syrup/liquid that I can give instead of this pill?" |
| Dispersible/dissolvable tablets | "Is there a pill for this that can be dissolved in water?" |
| Crushing pills | "Is it safe to crush this pill and give it with food? Won't that affect the quality of the medicine?" |
If you are giving powdered medicine, be sure to be aware of these things!
One thing that many people do is crush the pill and mix it into food or drink. While this may seem like an easy method, it's not a good idea to crush every medicine you think of. It can be very dangerous.
Why can't all pills be crushed?
Some medications are formulated in a special way. Their active ingredients are released into the body slowly, over a period of hours. We call this sustained-release or extended-release (ETU) . If you crush a pill like this, the entire dose of medication that should be released over a period of hours will enter your body at once. This can cause serious side effects, and can even be life-threatening.
Therefore, never crush a pill or break a capsule without asking your doctor. He or she is the one who knows exactly whether or not the medicine is appropriate for you to take.
If the doctor gives you permission, do this:
You can only use these methods if the doctor says, "Yes, this medicine can be powdered."
1. Use a device: You can buy a small device called a 'pill crusher' from pharmacies. Or you can use a clean mortar and pestle at home.
2. Simple method: If neither of these are available, place the tablet in a clean polythene bag and crush it gently with a small hammer or the back of a teaspoon.
3. Mix with food: Give a small amount of the powdered medicine by mixing it into yogurt, jam, mashed banana, or pudding. Do not mix the medicine all over the food. If you do, the child will not get the full dose of medicine if he does not eat the entire meal.
4. Be careful about the bitter taste: Some medicines are very bitter when powdered. If that happens, he will not eat that food at all. So, mix it with a food he likes that will completely lose the taste.
Think twice about adding medicine to food.
Sometimes it may be necessary to add medication to food without informing the patient, but we need to be careful about this too.
Especially for someone in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, if they find out that you are secretly giving them medication, they may feel sad and lose trust in you. This can damage the relationship between you and them.
Therefore, before doing anything like this, definitely talk to your doctor. He is the best person to decide whether it is appropriate to give the medication without informing the patient, or whether another method should be followed, depending on the patient's condition. Talk about everything openly and come up with the best and safest plan.
Take-Home Message
- Always talk to your doctor before making any changes to your loved one's medication regimen.
- Never crush, cut, or open capsules without medical advice. Be especially careful with sustained-release (SRT) medications.
- Patience and kindness are very important when giving medication. Understand that they are refusing it because of the condition, not to make you uncomfortable.
- Ask your doctor about alternatives to pills, such as liquids or dissolvable tablets.
- If you decide to mix medication with food without informing the patient, discuss the potential problems and the best method with your doctor before doing so.
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