toddlers and enzymes

[anonymous]

Just curious if anyone has some tips on how to get my 3 yr. old son to take his enzymes without having to open the capsule and pour the beads into the applesauce. Don't get me wrong, he takes his enzymes wonderful this way, but his stools continue to be somewhat greasy at times and his doc thinks he is chewing the coating off of the beads, which is making them not as effective. I have tried to give him the whole capsule mixed in applesauce, but he always somehow manages to find it with his tongue and spit it out. Maybe I am trying to do this too early, but I want to ensure that the enzymes are being as effective as possible. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Jodi, mom of Tucker w/cf

 

[NoDayButToday]

You can open the capsules into a spoon and have your son wash it down with a drink. He'd probably be less likely to chew them this way. I started doing this when I was around your sons age instead of applesauce. Make sure the beads aren't too small and don't get stuck to the sides of his mouth and stuff, but I was/am a fan of this method.

 

[anonymous]

Hi i am a mom of a 2 year w/cf. She will swallow her pills whole. I started to put them in her applesauce whole. If she would gag i would put the pill back into the applesauce and try again. I started working with her at 1 year old to try and transition her into it. If you would like some other pointers you can email me at cstewart1@indy.rr.com

 

[anonymous]

Hello I am a single father of 11 year old boy with CF. I started giving my son whole pills at around 3 with a drink. I started him earlier than 3 using a straw and drink. I would tell him to put pills in mouth one at a time take a drink and tell him to swallow. He never choked and picked up on it quickly.

 

[anonymous]

My 4 year old will swallow them whole, sometimes <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> When she doesn't want to, I ask her to open wide, look up high and I poor them in her mouth....towards the back of her throat. She then takes a big drink and down they go. Hope this helps!

 

[anonymous]

My son started swallowing his pills whole at 3 years old - what a blessing! He hated the "beads" and it was so hard to get him to take them. I let him chew up his food, but told him not to swallow: then I stuck the pill in his mouth in the middle of the chewed food. That was how we started out. He also takes Prevacid to help his enzymes work more effectively. I really can't imagine him chewing the coating off the beads, especially with you watching. Maybe he needs an enzymes adjustment (talk to docs first) or there is another problem. If the greasy stools are just occasional, maybe there are certain foods that need extra enzyme?
My sons stools were especially horrible when he had milk. After months of enzyme experimentation, we had him tested for lactose intolerance. The test showed that he was NOT lactose intolerant, but that he DID have an overgrowth of bacteria in the bowel. He took antibiotics for a week and started taking "Culturelle" (over the counter, 1 per day). We have seen huge improvement, though whole milk seems to still bother him. He can usually drink low fat milk with no problem.
Why did he have this bacteria overgrowth?? We don't know for sure, but it could be related to the unusually bulky stools. It can also be caused by heavy use of antibiotics killing the "good" intestinal bacteria and causing the bad bacteria to overrun the colon. Something to think about since many pwcf take a lot of anitbiotics.

 

[anonymous]

Thanks to all of you who posted. We have still been working on getting him to take the pills whole. Once in a great while I can get him to take them whole. I have been watching him take his pills, and i can't say that i see him chewing on the enzymes, so like the earlier post said, maybe it is something else that is causing the loose stools. Thanks again to all of you for your help!

Jodi, mom of Tucker w/cf

 

[allie1]

Hey Jodi,

I am having the same problem with my 3 yr old. Even with her enzymes she is still having occasional loose, greasy stools. We have switched enzymes, increased her dosage and started her on Zantac. Nothing ever works 100%. I can't pin it down to anything specific that she eats either and I watch her carefully to make sure she isn't chewing the enzymes. It's very frustrating b/c it seems like we'll have a week of good BMs and then a week of bad BMs. She has an appointment next week so hopefully, her doctor will have another suggestion. Good luck!

Amy

 

[anonymous]

I still have problems with my 5 year taking enzymes...I open the capsule and sprinkle it on choc pudding or applesause... He fights me alot, but eventually will take them. I have tried teaching him to swallow but he gags and then refluxes everything... I have noticed that specific foods will give him the greasy stools.. Like, hotdogs or chocolate.. Try keeping a chart of everything he eats and try to pin point a food that may need extra enzymes.. When he has these foods, I just increase the enzymes and he is good. Good luck.

 

[anonymous]

I have an eight year old that has taken his enzymes and other pills whole by 9 months. I pushed him, because liquid meds were making him throw up constantly. He can take 16 pills at a time and he's really proud of it now? Who knows, he's 8!

 

[anonymous]

I just wanted to know how u got your son to take the whole pills any tips my daughter has just tuned 2 so we would like to encourage her to start taking them whole now put don't know where to start.

 

[anonymous]

My daughter started taking whole pills right when she was 2 1/2. I would give her one to set on her tongue & then have her swallow her milk. We made such a big deal about it (even her big brother), she just couldn't wait to "show off" to dad. We never tried the whole enzyme in applesauce, that may work. We just told her not to swallow & have a quick drink of milk. With her, it only took one sitting. I can tell you that it improved her bm's tremendously! Started just having one a day & they were formed. We still have the problems with greasy stools occasionaly, but all in all, she is doing better taking them whole.

Karon,
mom of Jon(8) w/o cf & Erin (3) w/cf

 

[anonymous]

Just another helpful hint about helping children learn to swallow their enzymes. My son also takes prevacid (an antacid) twice a day. I first had him practice by swallowing those pills since they are smaller and a lot easier to swallow. Once he was good at swallowing those, we tried the enzymes. Once he did that, we made a huge deal out of it and celebrated with McDonalds and ice cream. Maybe this will help...

--Katrina, mom of Sean (6 w/cf), Carolyn 5 (w/o cf) and Allison 3 (w/o cf)