Can I use Coke to unclog my feeding tube? It’s not recommend by registered dietitians. Soda and juice are acidic and can react with any formula left in the tube, making the clog worse.
Research shows that the best way to resolve a feeding tube clog is to use warm water and a “push-pull” motion with a 60-mL syringe.
Prevent clogs by frequently flushing your tube with water, especially before and after every use.
You may hear from others that they have had success with using Coke, or other types of sodas, when clearing a clog in their tube, but water is the only method recommended by registered dietitians.
You can also find a video and an article with instructions about how to unclog a feeding tube.
Check out these links for more information and resources about feeding tubes:
- Introducing Our Pediatric Tube Feeding Guide
- Tube Feeding at School: 8 Tips to Prepare Your Child and School Staff
- Shield HealthCare’s Enteral Videos
- Tube Feeding My Child: What is the Safest Way to Handle the Bag Between Feedings?
- How to Prepare for Home Tube Feeding
You can find more support for tube feeding at the Oley Foundation or the Feeding Tube Awareness Foundation.
After blending real food for my son for the past two years, I tell every tubie I know to FLUSH with water after every meal and every medicine. Only time we’ve ever had a clog is with Prevacid!
My husband has feeding tube and he is in rehab center. After giving him Flomax through g tube gets clogged. Twice he was taken to hospital. How can we unclogg tune and how to prevent.