We're all familiar with medication or nutritional supplements in pill form. The shelves of pharmacies, drug stores, health food stores, and even groceries are crowded with them. However, many people have trouble swallowing pills. Research suggests that as much as 40% of the population may have this difficulty.
Checking on the internet will quickly let you know that you're not alone, if you're one of those who has this problem. The web is a great resource, in fact; there are lots of tips and information on this problem. Private individuals and medical professionals have advice and ideas that could help.
One tip concerns the position of your head during the process. People may think that throwing the head back will make things easier, but this is apparently the wrong approach. Doing this actually makes your throat narrower. Experts suggest tucking your head into your chest, which relaxes the throat and should help a tablet or capsule go down.
Some people tense up when they face the fact that it's time to take their medication or supplement, making the problem worse. Others have an over-active gag reflex which any un-chewed object can trigger. Very young children find taking a pill almost impossible, while the elderly may have ever-increasing trouble with swallowing pills, food, or even liquids.
It's not always a good idea to chew a tablet or a capsule, since often the delivery process involves a special coating or protection from enzymes in the mouth and stomach or stomach acids. The label should indicate the best way to take the substance. One way to take a whole pill that makes it more appealing is to wrap it in a fruit snack or gummy bear. These little treats should slide down easily when taken with a sip of warm liquid or held in the mouth long enough to get slippery.
Other tips include using a straw to get a mouthful of liquid or chewing a mouthful of food, popping in the tablet you need to take, and swallowing the whole deal. Sucking on a straw creates suction in your mouth, which makes swallowing easier. A mouthful of already chewed food can take the pill with it and keep it from getting stuck halfway down.
Water is the safest liquid to use when taking medication, since it doesn't interfere with the ingredients or the efficacy of the pharmaceutical. You can check and see if there are any warnings about food or beverages which should be avoided. If not, many find that carbonated beverages work well. If you have trouble with liquid or regular food, you may have dysphagia, a condition which may require a special diet and medical supervision.
There are pill-cutters and crushers on the market, but this way of reducing the size of a tablet might not be recommended by the manufacturer. Some pills are enteric-coated to resist stomach acids or formulated as timed-release to dissolve over a long period. This kind of preparation should be taken in the original form. Check and see if you can get what you need in a liquid, spray, sub-lingual, or chewable form, or in a patch. You may be surprised to find that you never have to struggle with another tablet or capsule.
Checking on the internet will quickly let you know that you're not alone, if you're one of those who has this problem. The web is a great resource, in fact; there are lots of tips and information on this problem. Private individuals and medical professionals have advice and ideas that could help.
One tip concerns the position of your head during the process. People may think that throwing the head back will make things easier, but this is apparently the wrong approach. Doing this actually makes your throat narrower. Experts suggest tucking your head into your chest, which relaxes the throat and should help a tablet or capsule go down.
Some people tense up when they face the fact that it's time to take their medication or supplement, making the problem worse. Others have an over-active gag reflex which any un-chewed object can trigger. Very young children find taking a pill almost impossible, while the elderly may have ever-increasing trouble with swallowing pills, food, or even liquids.
It's not always a good idea to chew a tablet or a capsule, since often the delivery process involves a special coating or protection from enzymes in the mouth and stomach or stomach acids. The label should indicate the best way to take the substance. One way to take a whole pill that makes it more appealing is to wrap it in a fruit snack or gummy bear. These little treats should slide down easily when taken with a sip of warm liquid or held in the mouth long enough to get slippery.
Other tips include using a straw to get a mouthful of liquid or chewing a mouthful of food, popping in the tablet you need to take, and swallowing the whole deal. Sucking on a straw creates suction in your mouth, which makes swallowing easier. A mouthful of already chewed food can take the pill with it and keep it from getting stuck halfway down.
Water is the safest liquid to use when taking medication, since it doesn't interfere with the ingredients or the efficacy of the pharmaceutical. You can check and see if there are any warnings about food or beverages which should be avoided. If not, many find that carbonated beverages work well. If you have trouble with liquid or regular food, you may have dysphagia, a condition which may require a special diet and medical supervision.
There are pill-cutters and crushers on the market, but this way of reducing the size of a tablet might not be recommended by the manufacturer. Some pills are enteric-coated to resist stomach acids or formulated as timed-release to dissolve over a long period. This kind of preparation should be taken in the original form. Check and see if you can get what you need in a liquid, spray, sub-lingual, or chewable form, or in a patch. You may be surprised to find that you never have to struggle with another tablet or capsule.
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