How can I swallow my medicine tablet easily?

Question

I can't seem to swallow it whole because I'm afraid of gagging and asphyxiating! Help me please!

Answer 1

Well how big of a pill are you trying to swallow? You've probably swallowed bigger bites just during your normal eating habits. I know this sounds difficult- but you are going to have to calm yourself while taking the pill. You've probably got it halfway done several times then panicked and gagged it back up. If you can taste the pill- then you are not putting it far back enough on your tongue. Try eating some creamy peanut butter- that should help disguise any taste still in your mouth as well as "grease up" your esophagus. Stick the pill as far back on your tongue as you can reach- the further back it is the less likely your tongue will catch it and push it back up. Then take a long drink of water- just keep gulping! It should go down in the first swallow but take a couple to make sure. THis should help calm you too so you know nothing is going wrong. If this is a continuous problem then you may want to practice taking pills. Start off with tiny balls of bread which will disintegrate quickly anyway so you dont have to worry about choking. Then try out small candies like red hots and work your way up. Practice it until you feel comfortable - dont wait until you are sick and feeling icky anyway to start trying. And you should know- that pills are going down your esophagus- not your trachea. Even if you do somehow manage to breathe it in (rather than swallowing it- and that is REALLY hard to do) pills are designed to make sure that they dont block the windpipe. Even giant pills wont block your air pipe. So just take a couple of calming breathes, stick it back as far as you can, then down that bottle of water! Good luck.

Answer 2

Fisrt off I understand your fear of gagging but you must take your medecine if you are to get well. I suggest that you break the tablets up if they are scored. Scored tables have a line pre-drawn in them making it easy for you to break the tablet in half. If half is still too much for you you could always crush the tablet on a piece of foil and put the powdered medecine in a glass with some juice. Orange juice is good; its acidic properties usually drown out the flavor of the crushed pill. Or just mix it with your favorite juice or water.
The next time you have to take medicine and if it is prescribed, ask your doctor if the medicine comes in a liquid form and if you could get that prescribed that way. In fact, you might want to talk to your doctor about your swallowing difficulties/fears.
And you wouldn' t die from swallowing medecine (unless you were going for an overdose)..you'd just choke and spit them out. Worse things could happen :-)
So ask your doctor about your fear of swallowing pills. I used to be terrified, now I take horse-pill sized vitamins..I just have to have a glass with a wide rim so I feel like I am getting a lot of room around my mouth so I know I won't choke. Kinda kooky but that's what works for me.
Good luck & Best Wishes!
:-)

Answer 3

I had neck operation then found out thyroid prob. so it is has been the same for me so if I take a drink let my swallowget started it helps for small pills now for my pain medicine I have to crush them with my pill crusher or spoon on top spoon will work sometmes break in half still wont work sometimes I take a bite it seems to open the throat to eat anything to get started. good luck for it is something many have prob with. I have a small growth which I think is scar tissue on thyroid from neck operation. have you been check for the problem?

Answer 4

You don't have to suffer from "Phagophobia", or "the fear of swallowing" to experience problems when you're trying to take pills. Even though some pills are small in size, others are not. Especially when it comes to tablets. Some tablets, such as Vitamin C and E, can be quite large in size. Prescription drugs aren't always small in size either. And they can be difficult to swallow.
But, relax, because you can learn how to swallow pills easily.

Sometimes, a person tenses up when they are attempting to take pills. This can actually cause the muscles of the neck and throat to tense up too. This can make it difficult to swallow even the smallest of pills. If this happens to you, before you attempt to take the prescription drugs or vitamins pills or tablets, stop. Take several deep breaths and relax your neck and throat muscles. Breathe in and breathe out deeply until you feel calm again.

If you still have a problem swallowing pills or tablets because your neck or throat won't relax, don't worry. Try sucking on an ice cube or a Popsicle right before you need to take your vitamins or prescription drugs. The ice cube or Popsicle will help numb your throat. In turn, your gag reflex won't be as sensitive.

If you're accustomed to throwing pills into the back of your throat to take them, that can cause problems too. Because, when your throat is stimulated by- what your mind perceives to be a foreign object- your natural gag reflex kicks in. You can end up gagging and coughing, (and not swallowing the pills or tablets), simply because they were put in your throat.

Instead, learn how to swallow pills easily by placing vitamins and prescriptions on the tip of your tongue. Then, take a small drink of water and tilt your head back slightly. Swallow the water and the pill or tablet should go down easily with the liquid.

Taking a small drink of water before you place the pill on your tongue can also help you swallow the vitamin or prescription drug easier too.

Large pills or tablets can also be cut in half with a pill cutter. Pill cutters are inexpensive, and they can be purchased at your local drug store. A pill cutter will reduce the pill in size and can make it easier to swallow. Before you cut your pills or tablets in half, though, check with your healthcare professional first to make sure it's okay to do this.

You can also learn how to swallow pills easily when they are mixed into food. Some people don't like to take pills or tablets, no matter how small they are. The solution? Crush your pills up and mix them in with a small serving of apple sauce, gelatin, or pudding. Eat the applesauce, and you won't even notice the pills hidden inside. Again, you'll need to check with your healthcare professional before you crush your pills or tablets. Some prescription drugs aren't meant to be crushed before taking them. For example, drugs that are designed to be time-released are not to be crushed.
hope this helps

Answer 5

Random's answer is very good--lots of water will help and tilting your head back can help too; and if it's not a medication that you're not supposed to eat with have a bit of food with more water or some other drink you like that is non-alcoholic after it to help make sure it has gone down. I take a lot of pills and eat a cookie after to make sure they're down.

Answer 6

If you have a hard time swallowing larger pills, you can either crush it up using a spoon and then placing the crushed pill on your tongue and taking it down with water, or you can buy a pill crusher at the local pharmacy.

Answer 7

You might try coating it with a small amount of margarine or try swallowing it with a spoonful of mashed potatoes or even try drinking milk when you take you pills.

Answer 8

I have the same problem... Wrapping it in a layer of break and swallowing it that way helps me a lot. most of the time it's just in my head. I don't get that sick feeling afterward either.

Answer 9

drink water, then put the pill in your mouth, drink water to get it down, then drink more to make sure it gets down. drinking water first helps it get down easier when you do put it in and swallow it

Answer 10

a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down