Pharmaceutical companies do not manufacture medicines with taste in mind. Medicines are made to combat illnesses and to stay cost affective. This sometimes means there is no additive to make them taste good. The pill or liquid will be bitter to the taste buds. Fortunately, there are certain home remedies that will disguise that bitter taste and make the medicine easier to swallow.
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Remedies for Bitter Pills
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One easy way to disguise a bitter tasting pill is to crush it and stir it into a small amount of yogurt. If you do not have a pill crusher you can easily mash the pill with a rolling pin. Simply dump the powder into the yogurt. The yogurt will disguise the bitter test of the medicine and it will go down smoothly.
If the patient does not like yogurt, use a bit of pudding or applesauce. The consistency is smooth and creamy, so the patient merely needs to swallow and the pill is ingested. Some doctors advise against crushing or breaking certain medications. For these pills, give the patient a bite of the yogurt, followed by the pill, followed by another bite of yogurt.
Coating the patients tongue with a thick liquid such as milk or tomato juice will also disguise the bitter taste of medicine. The patient should take a drink of the liquid to coat the tongue and then quickly take the pill, followed by another drink of the thick liquid.
Some medications need to be taken on an empty stomach. There is nothing to do but take the bitter medicine, and then remove the taste from the mouth by rinsing with either salt water or mouth wash. If the bitter taste lingers, brush the teeth, making sure to brush the tongue with the toothpaste.
Remedies for Bitter Liquid Medicine
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Always ask your doctor if the medicine can be mixed with something before you try to disguise the bitter taste. If it can be mixed, add the liquid medicine dose to a small amount of yogurt, pudding or applesauce. This will make the food thin, but it will be easy to tip up and drink down.
Children's medicine has an additive to make it taste good, but if you have to administer a bitter tasting one, give the child a slice of cheese to eat just before taking the medicine. If the child will not eat cheese, try a small sip of milk, or a bite of yogurt. Any of these will coat the tongue so it will not be so sensitive to the bitter tasting medicine.
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