Please log in.
Before you can vote, you need to register. Please log in or create an account.
Science: Health: Drug: Delivery: Oral
Tongue Cot   (+1)  [vote for, against]
Protection from evil medicine aftertaste

I am posting this idea as a favor to my dear wife, who must daily swallow a horse-choking wad of excessively expensive medicine.

I propose an item similar to a finger cot - a rolled plastic or rubber device which can be put on the tongue prior to taking the ikky medicine. Afterward, the cot is removed and discarded.
-- lurch, Jan 06 2003

Tongue cover for inhaler http://members.aol....g/index/asthma.html
Patent for something else. [kropotkin, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 06 2004]

Buckleys Mixture.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jan 06 2003


If that medicine is what I think it is, try a chocolate milk chaser with it. No joke.
-- bungston, Jan 06 2003


I think the chocolate milk would work well for the offending medication, which is prednisone. (Made worse by the fact that the cut pills dissolve on contact...) Unfortunately, the schedule coincides with another med which cannot be taken within 2 hours of any calcium.
-- lurch, Jan 06 2003


//the cut pills dissolve on contact//

One solution could be to use a gelatin capsule and put the broken pieces/ poweder in the capsule. Neal's yard and other natural health stores sell these cheaply

Another solution (it worked on my cat) could be to smear the pills in something that disguises the taste, and/or (very temporarily) prevents it dissolving in your mouth. With the cat this was butter.

[IMPORTANT] It's crucial that you discuss anything you plan to do to alter your drug regimen with your doctor, or pharmacist (or preferably both) before you take any action. Many prescription drugs have carefully timed release mechanisms, interactions with foods or chemicals or other hidden surprises.

I hope your wife's condition improves and doesn't need long-term corticosteriod use.
-- FloridaManatee, Jan 06 2003


Capsules are a good suggestion (and, hey, it'll make her feel awfully special that you sit down and crunch up her pills to put in capsules).

On the choclate idea, it's usually more the chocolate that does it than the milk. Chocolate will mask most other tastes (which is why bakeries used to (we hope) dump the rancid stuff in the chocolate cake and ice-cream - you can't tell). You might try the sort of dark, dairy-free chocolate available at health-food stories.

Best of luck.
-- rowlycat, Jan 06 2003


<swisscheese tag><I was able to recover [blissmiss]'s anno from the wayback machine - all hail!>

[lurch] (Sympathies for wifeypoo.)

Perhaps a pea-shooter? (for pill forms). You loving her dearly stand across the room. She armed with thermos of water standing squarely in front of you. Load shooter with pills, inhale with all your might and blow.

She allows chin to drop to floor and gasps as pills fly thru the air aiming right at her. Gooagg sspitte googls guulp, gssag, ahhh down her throat, she takes big sippy, and deed done?

For liquids, the same scenerio repeated but with her lying sideways over the bed with head dangling down, you standing over, but close, and gently blowing which allows fluids to bypass tongue tasting spot, and right into throat.

Trust me, if there were a way to avoid the nasties of med taste, I would have it in my possesion. Every pill/capusle/capsulette ever created makes me gag. The only real solution is hiding in foodstuffs or liquids.
[blissmiss, Jan 06 2003]</swiss>

Thanks for the suggestions. I think the pills are small enough to fit nicely in a gelatin capsule. Some of the others (the ones she calls "skunky pills") might dissolve in butter, but we are considering trying peanut butter.

[bliss] - the wife got a laugh, and said "tell her 'thanks, but I don't think so!'"

<blissy again, via wayback> Nooo problemo, but I don't forsee the peanut butter flying outta the pea shooter without giving you a hernia. </bliss-swiss>
-- lurch, Jan 07 2003


I thought numbing the tounge with an ice cube would work too.
-- shonmao, Jan 07 2003


Taste buds are also found on the roof of your mouth and in your throat, so the cot may not fully solve the problem.
-- crawdaddy, Jan 08 2003


// : Is there any sort of topical anesthetic that might temporarily numb the tastebuds? //

Tabasco sauce ?
-- 8th of 7, Jan 08 2003


// : Is there any sort of topical anesthetic that might temporarily numb the tastebuds? //

Homer Simpon once drank the wax froma lit candle so he could handle eating some mental chilli.

I'm bewildered that no-one has used some kind of "Cot got your tongue?" pun.

I don't think this would work because as said above, the tase comes from roof of the back of mouth. I found that after drinking the dispicably radioactive 'Gastro-graffin' (supposedly flavoured with aniseed), the scottish based soft drink 'Irn-Bru' worked well as a palate cleanser.
-- Jinbish, Jan 08 2003


Down the medicine with a half gallon of chocolate syrup. Heck, down all food you eat with a half gallon of chocolate syrup! Everybody sing! Wheeee!
-- getslostalot21, Nov 12 2003


I always forget this definition of the word "cot." I'm glad I didn't post my "tongue condom" idea (that I've had since I was 6) the other day, even after I did a search of the site to see if it existed...
-- darksasami, Nov 12 2003


Try holding your nose, it stops your taste buds from working, I don't know why though.
-- Micky Dread, Nov 12 2003



random, halfbakery