NEED HELP SWALLOWING PILLS?!?!

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It is really hard to say, because I am not sure precisely how big they are - I mean, they look kinda big next to the boxes, but then again those boxes might be smaller that the boxes of meds I have. If that is the medication you are concerned about being able to swallow, typically diphenhydramine comes in tablets or capsules that are 25mg each. If that is the same sized dosage you are dealing with, then they *should* be pretty small and easy to swallow. The 25mg pills are small enough that I would not worry about the size of a 50mg pill, either. I would guess that they are about the size of a green garden pea.

I sympathize with you, because I used to have the same problem. I did not know how to swallow pills, and would get scared, and that made it harder. It just seemed like, it was a matter of hearing the right method for me, and it was like a switch went on, and from then on, I was able to swallow pills.


You have some real concerns. But there are ways to prepare for the possibilities, which will hopefully help to set you at ease. Now, there is the possibility that the pill might sit on your tongue long enough to make you cough or gag, those are experiences that are not truly harmful - they are just unpleasant (sometimes extremely unpleasant). Remind yourself that you are strong enough to deal with unpleasantness. And there are ways to cope with the unpleasantness - drinking plenty of fluids is one good way. If need be, have some soft, gentle food such as apple sauce ready in case you need to take the unpleasant taste away.

The rule of thumb is that for a pill, you put the pill in your mouth, take a sip of water (or whatever drink you like - I recommend against any carbonated beverage - the fizziness will *not* help), then tilt your head back and swallow. If you are taking a capsule, then you put the capsule in your mouth, take a sip, tilt foreward (the air in the capsule makes it float), then swallow.

But before you try it, I recommend that you get yourself something to drink. We do this so many times a day, we don't even think about the steps we take. So. Get the drink. Set it down in front of you. Pay attention to what you are doing. Take a breath - inhale, exhale. Take another breath. Then pick up the cup. Take another breath. Notice how you inhale, then exhale. Then notice how you stop breathing when the cup gets to your lips, you pour the water into your mouth, you swallow. Then you breathe again.

So when you get ready to take your pill, think about the steps. Take a few nice deep breaths, inhale, exhale, those deep breaths will help you relax. Inhale, exhale. Get ready, by pausing your breath after completely exhaling. Then you put the pill in your mouth, and take your sip of water. And you swallow. It goes down, and you breathe.

You can do this.

I used to have the same problem when I got hives. I couldn't even put a super small pill in my mouth afraid that I would choke. Then my 7 year old cousin grabbed a HUGE vitamin pill and swallowed it and called me a baby. I tried swallowing champange grapes and bluberries. Then I swallowed the pills!!! Yet to this day I have to try 2 times to swallow the pill.

I was seriously just like you 2 years ago when i swallowed my first pill in junior high. i was pleasantly surprised that it wasnt bad at all! you put it in your mouth along with a mouth full of liquid, and swallow. as if swallowing a gulp of water. it doesnt hurt one bit! :)

Personal experience

"A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down" - Mary Poppins

Although I don't recommend the spoon full of sugar...
One thing you can try is using a soda, or other sugary drink to help swallow a pill.

Have a drink, then put the pill in your mouth, fill your mouth with water and then swallow and as you swallow jerk your head back, and it's done. Drink more water after if you wish.

I am the same, you hold a gulp of water in your mouth then pop the pill in. Then swallow it like you would swallow water. :)

Lots and lots of water. Just keep chugging water with the pill in the back of your throat and it'll go down. Sometimes I don't even realize it goes down.

When I was younger, I used to put the pills in a small piece of banana and just swallow the piece.
Worked for me. :)

hi! it's ok, others i know have that problem too. just put the pill in the middle of your tongue (don't put it at the tip because it won't go down as easily / don't put it way down your throat, because then you may choke) then grab a glass of water and don't even think about it: think of something peaceful. gulp the water quickly, then the job is done and you'll realize it was not even taht bad! just don't overthink it, the key is to relax and act like you've done it a thousand times before. then, give yourself a treat afterwards: thats how i used to do that! :) good luck!

Hello my friend.

I have had trouble swallowing pills for so long, and in the last two months have overcome my fear. There is no way to truly overcome it, it'll just happen. Just keep trying and trying to swallow them, and eventually you will. Every time you swallow one, it gets easier.

Just last month I couldn't swallow a pill, now i'm swallowing three at a time!!!!

No worries, this is very very common, its not a fear of pills, its a fear of choking, which is definitely scary...

Keep trying and it'll come naturally.

I don't listen to advice about you have to have them whole. If ever i ever have to take a tablet, headache etc etc, I bite them and gently crush them comfortably in my mouth and the swallow with water, then swish around a mouth full of water again and swallow. I always make sure that I have lined my stomach first, as the impact could be damaging to your stomach lining. I only crush them in my mouth, so it works alot quicker.

I have never had a problem doing this. I would advise to crush them in your normal way and swallow with water.

Hope this gives you more confidence.

Tips

* Many people find these alternate methods helpful:

o Use your natural swallowing cycle. With an empty mouth, try to avoid swallowing as much as possible and you will notice that you cannot avoid swallowing for more than about 10 seconds. Try to avoid swallowing and feel the time just before you are about to swallow. Learn to place the pill on your tongue just before you are about to swallow. This step is important as it will reduce the time the pill stays in your mouth and reduce the possibility of the pill moving from your tongue. Also, the mouth fluids will help the pill slide easily. Now just take a regular sip of water and the pill should go down smoothly.
o Taking a pill can be a completely mental problem. Putting the pill in food can really help trick the mind to thinking that it is just a part of the food. One idea is to make a quesadilla, then placing the pill in the quesadilla, taking a few bites and swallowing them without too much chewing to prepare yourself, then taking a bite with the pill in it, chewing the food around where the pill is and then swallowing it all together. This process can also be done with bread, a banana slice, or other solid foods that are soft. After taking the pill like this for a while, your throat should get used to the feeling of the pill go down and eventually you can take the training wheels off and take it solely with water.
o Fill a glass with either regular milk or chocolate milk. Take a sip, then place the pill into your mouth. Visualize yourself slurping down the rest of a bowl of ice cream, and the pill is only a chocolate chip.
o Fill a soda bottle about halfway. When you tilt the soda bottle up, it can help in three ways. First: the water is following the path of gravity. Second: it can straighten your mouth/throat to make a "clear path." Third: It gives you a healthy supply of water to make sure it goes all the way down.
o Talk yourself out of what could be frightening you. You eat whole chunks of other food without worrying about choking. Tell yourself you are drinking a glass of water and pretend the pill is not there. Chug-a-lug the drink and if the pill(s) go(es) only half way keep drinking even if you swallow air.
o Fill your mouth up with liquid, hold your head back and open your mouth and drop the pill in your mouth with liquid still in it. Then close your mouth, bring your head back to a normal position and swallow; this will be like drinking a beverage. Almost any size pill can be easily swallowed with this trick. When doing this trick, it may help to squeeze your nose. Don't try to swallow with your head back. Physically, your esophagus cannot perform it's job of swallow in that position. You would do better with your face in normal position or chin slightly down.
o Take a slice of bread, chew it thoroughly in your mouth until it becomes a soft mass, and simply shoving the pill into the soft bread mass. Since you have no trouble swallowing chewed bread, and the pill never comes in contact with your mouth at all, it is very easy to swallow the entire soft mass with the pill inside it as if you were just swallowing some chewed bread. Of course many other foods work as well.
o Put the pill in your mouth, take a large sip of whatever liquid you are using, swirl the pill around in the liquid to eliminate dry spots that can stick to your throat and then swallow. Always follow up with more liquid.
o Some people also find that a sort of ritual-like crossing their fingers, breathing in before swallowing, or even just blinking help them swallow the pill. You may want to consider finding your own ritual to do before or during the time when you swallow the pill.
o Take a sip of a carbonated beverage after putting the pill in your mouth. The carbonation floats the pill and you can easily swallow it, because your mouth and throat don't even know it's there.
o Take a mini-marshmallow, rip it in half and wrap it around the pill. Stick it in your mouth for a second or two to get it moist. It should be very easy to swallow.Continued...

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