Swallowing pills?!
Question: I don't know how to swallow pills even though I'm 29 and i really want to know how I've tried everything can it be step by step. Please help.
Guitar Master
Answers: I don't know how to swallow pills even though I'm 29 and i really want to know how I've tried everything can it be step by step. Please help.
Guitar Master
I couldn't swallow pills either for most of my life. The best ones to practice with I think are vitamin E's. Get really small ones. What makes vitamin E so good for practicing is that they are SOFT. They aren't capsules, they aren't tablets, they are like little rubbery capsulish things that if you mess up and get it stuck in the wrong place, won't hurt. So start with little vitamin E's and work your way up to big vitamin e's. Plus, you'll be getting an important vitamin along the way :)
Then, move on to capsules. You won't be ready for tablets (because they are hard) but once you can handle the big vitamin E's, you can handle "Rose Hips" capsules... (Rose hips are a great way to get vitamin C.)
The actual mechanism for swallowing for me, involves putting the pill near the front of my mouth, and taking big gulps of a good tasting liquid (not water) so that I feel what it feels like to swallow normally, and at the right moment, on one of the gulps, I let the pill that I have at the front of my mouth slip into one of the gulps, and I sorta close my eyes (this takes a lot of concentration) and try to pretend that I don't know a pill is going down with the liquid. It usually works, but if it doesn't, I just keep swallowing so it will end up going down anyway. When I first started, it could take almost an entire 8 oz cup to get a pill down - but hey, who cares? Don't be rushed while you teach yourself how to do this.
I really prayed for God to help me figure it out. He will help you too!
Once you are really good at the capsules, now you are ready for tablets. With tablets, start SMALL. These suckers are hard and kinda freaky. Cut them in peices with your front teeth, suck on them a bit to get the edges off, and swallow them in stages... until you feel comfortable with bigger and bigger peices...eventually you'll do an entire (small) tablet without needing to cut it. From there you just work up to bigger tablets.
That said, there are still some tablets that I just can't swallow, but hey, no one says I have to swallow anything that I don't feel comfortable with. I just buy smaller doses and take 2 instead of one, you know?
Getting better at it along with you,
Heather
The key to doing it is to place the pill(s) on top of your tongue, fill the mouth with a swallow of water, and forget that you're swallowing pills...just think of swallowing the water, and the pills will go along with the water.
What about mixing it with some cream cheese? That's what I do for my cat to get him to swallow pills. I think what that other guy said is the trick though. You just have to not think about the pill, think about the other thing, the water or whatever. Just think about swallowing. You could practice with M&M's. Start by breaking them in half or in quarters, and pretend they are medicine.
Good luck.
1. Get a glass of water and your pill out. For me, sometimes lemonade or something with flavor (but not carbonated) works best for me.
2. Take a drink of the water and hold it in your mouth.
3. Put the pill sort of on top of the liquid that's already in your mouth.
4. Swallow.
The altnerate method is to put the pill on your tongue, and then have a drink of liquid, but I find that means I have to actually taste the pill, and if it's a tablet the outer coating will disolve a little bit in my mouth and taste bad. Ugh.
Also, note that if you're having problems with swallowing pills, tablets are a LOT harder than gelatin-filled capsules - a lot of things are available as either so choose the gel-caps if you have a choice!
Good luck!
Try what most people do: put the pill on your tongue, then take a big drink of water; the pill should go right down when you swallow the water. This can take some practice, so try it out with M&Ms, Skittles, Sweetarts, or anything similar before doing it with actual pills. Keep in mind that many people get a little nervous when they first start learning to swallow pills, and that's completely normal. However, if you have a really sensitive gag reflex or other things giving you difficulty to the point that you're unable to take medicine when it's necessary, tell your doctor, as they may know of techniques you can use to make it easier. (By the way, I don't recommend cutting/chewing pills or mixing them with food unless the directions specifically say this is ok, since some pills have to be taken whole or on an empty stomach.)
You may have a smaller esophagus than most people. Or a stronger resistance to unnatural feeling in your throat. I had the same problem as a teen. What helped me was that the doc prescribed a really teeny pill for my thyroid. It was so small that if I put it in my mouth with a small amount of water I almost couldn't help but swallow it. Even then I continued to dissolve aspirin in water for several years. A dry, chalky pill is one of the hardest to swallow.
I would suggest you practice on something very small, like maybe nonpareil candies (like cake decorations) and work your way up to Tic-Tacs and then M & M's.
Also, some people find it easier to swallow a pill with food rather than liquids. You might give it a try. A good one is banana because it is slippery. Or maybe Malt-o-Meal.
There are special cups available to make swallowing pills a snap.
Here are two types:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertai...
http://www.oralflo.com/howthecupworks.ht...
I just pop the pill in, jerk my head back and swallow with the motion, never really touches my tongue and I don't bother with drinking anything unless I feel it in my throat after
i had the same problem for like forever! lol. wat i did was i started breaking them in half and when i was daring, i would try to take a full one...tipping my head back never worked for me. it sorta made me choke and feel uncomfortable...