How to Make Medicine Taste Better

When medicine tastes bad, it can make taking medicine a challenge, especially for kids. Medicines often taste bitter or unpleasant because of their ingredients.

You can often take steps to help medicine taste better. Always talk with your pharmacist or care provider first to make sure that you do not change how the medicine works.

General tips for making medicine taste better

Your tongue has taste buds that detect different tastes. These tips may help medicine taste better by affecting the tongue or taste buds:

• Numb the tastebuds: Suck on a frozen popsicle or ice cube to numb the tastebuds before taking medicine.
• Coat the tongue: Have a spoonful of peanut butter or maple syrup to coat the tongue before you take the medicine. This can make taste buds less sensitive or mask the taste of the medicine.
• Take medicine with food or a flavored drink: Eat or drink something before and after taking medicine. This can help block the taste of the medicine and get rid of the aftertaste.
• Hold your nose: Because your sense of taste and smell are connected, holding your nose can reduce how much you can taste.

Tips for liquid medicine

These tips may help liquid medicines taste better:

• Add flavoring: Check with your pharmacist to see if it is OK to mix the medicine with something that hides the taste. Your pharmacist may have some special flavoring. Or mix the medicine with instant drink powder, chocolate syrup, or maple syrup. Be sure to take the entire mixture to get the full dose of medicine.
• Use a syringe: Squirt medicine to the side of the mouth to bypass tastebuds. Some young children do better if you let them hold the syringe. Then, you can push the plunger. Do not squirt the medicine into the back of the throat. It can enter the windpipe and cause choking.

Tips for pills 

These tips may help pills, tablets, and capsules taste better:

• Coat the pill: Dip the pill in something sweet, such as chocolate coating, maple syrup, or jelly.
• Crush pills and give with food: Add crushed pills or the contents of capsules in a small amount of food, such as gelatin, applesauce, or ice cream. Or you can mix the medicine with a small amount of orange juice or grape juice. Some medicines cannot be crushed, so only do this if your pharmacist says it is OK.
• Place tablets in an empty gel capsule: The gel coating can help mask the flavor of some pills and tablets. Talk to your pharmacist to see if that is an option for you.

Tips for parents and caregivers

• If your child says a medicine tastes bad, do not minimize their feelings. Instead, talk about what might work.
• Involve your child in planning how to take their medicine. This gives them a sense of control and choice.
• Avoid forcing medicine or tricking your child into taking medicine. This can lead to fear and distrust.

Related content