Table 2. Tastes and masking flavours.
Taste of the medicine | Examples* | Flavour to mask the taste of the medicine |
---|---|---|
Sour | Multivitamins (e.g. vitamin C) | Cherry, lemon, lime, mandarin, orange, strawberry, raspberry, pineapple |
Bitter | Antibiotics Paracetamol Corticosteroids |
Cherry, chocolate, liquorice, strawberry, peach, coffee, mint, lemon, lime, raspberry, tutti-frutti, orange, cinnamon |
Sweet | Lactulose Sorbitol |
Caramel, lemon, orange, vanilla, bubble-gum |
Salty | Iron supplements Antihistamines Macrogol laxatives Oral rehydration solutions |
Banana, caramel, cream, chocolate, grape, vanilla, raspberry, orange, cinnamon, nut, butter, butterscotch, maple |
Any | Spreadable yeast extract, peanut butter, jam, honey, apple sauce, custard, ice cream |
* Common examples are based on patient reports, although any drug may be considered ‘bad’ tasting depending on subjective taste preferences.