What should I do if I can’t swallow pills?

Category: Health
Published: October 10, 2013
By: Christopher S. Baird, author of The Top 50 Science Questions with Surprising Answers and Associate Professor of Physics at West Texas A&M University

Virtually everyone can swallow pills. If you can swallow food, you can swallow pills. It just takes practice. For those with unusually large tonsils, an unusually sensitive gag reflex, and an unusually large pill to get down, swallowing may seem impossible. But even in such cases, swallowing down these pills can become easy and routine with practice.

WARNING: Children who are swallowing pills for the first time should only do so with adult supervision to avoid choking.

Tips for Swallowing Pills

Here are some tips for those having a hard time swallowing their pills:

1. Be Patient and Practice: For some people, it may take weeks until they get the hang of it.

2. Moisten Your Mouth: Don’t swallow pills with a dry mouth and throat. The pill will stick and scrape on the way down, making it harder. Take a sip of water before inserting the pill and swish the water around to get everything moist.

3. Proper Placement on the Tongue: Put the pill on the center of your tongue and then take several small, quick drinks of water.

4. Distract Yourself: Watch television or observe a child or pet doing something cute so that you don’t think about gagging, which will make you gag. Most pills are smaller than the chunks of food we regularly swallow, so the fear of gagging is irrational and can be conquered.

5. Eat Before Swallowing: If the pill does not have to be taken on an empty stomach, take a few big bites of food before swallowing the pill. Eating will stretch your mouth and throat, stimulate saliva release to help things glide down, and suppress the gag reflex.

6. Swallow Quickly: Swallow the pill quickly. If you let it sit on your tongue for a while, it may start to dissolve, emitting a bitter taste that will trigger your gag reflex.

When Swallowing Pills is Not Possible

There are, however, many cases where swallowing down pills is not an option. For instance:

• A pregnant mother with severe morning sickness may vomit up the pill before it can be completely dissolved.
• Young children have not developed enough to safely master the swallowing technique.
• People with damaged throats, esophaguses, or stomachs may also struggle with swallowing pills.

In such cases, it is important to communicate with your doctor. They will be able to prescribe a different form of medication that, while potentially less convenient than pills, will be more manageable.

The UK’s National Health Service lists the following alternatives:

• A drinkable liquid
• A dispersible tablet
• A buccal tablet
• A skin patch
• A suppository (inserted in the rectum or vagina)
• A skin cream
• An inhaled mist

Conclusion

Remember, practice and patience are key in mastering the technique of swallowing pills. However, if you find it consistently challenging, consult with your healthcare provider for alternative medication forms that suit your needs.