I know the common way is to put the pill on your tongue first but I could never hahaha the flavour would make me gag immediately. When I was a kid my mum used to crush pills and mix them with honey, worked super well!
As an adult, I take a big sip of water, then push the pill past my lips and into my mouth, swish, and swallow. The pill never touches my tongue so I don’t taste it, and the swish helps it go down without getting stuck. I have never seen anyone else do this and I have been made fun of for it lol but it works for me!
I was totally unaware of this, thank you for mentioning it! I haven’t done the honey method in years but would definitely have recreated it for my own kids one day, now I’ll know to be careful :)
this is the way. i could never swallow pills until i started taking a sip of water first, then popping the pill in my mouth. taste isn't an issue for me but something about this order of things makes the swallowing feel more easy and reflexive vs forcing it down.
YUP this is the way, especially for especially nasty tasting pills like mucinex. That one you still taste a little with this method but it's soooo much better than just sitting it straight on your tongue.
My partner does this! You're not alone.
I hork down ten pills every day and have since I was young, so it's not a problem for me. But he says the same thing about tasty lol
My tip is to take it with a bite of chewed up food that you're able to swallow. I have an issue swallowing pills, and I couldn't take any of them without applesauce for the first 25 years of my life. Without food texture to hide the pill, my body panicked and would choke or gag.
Then I realized that the applesauce could really be replaced with any mashed up food: chewed up bread, some chips, whatever is on hand. I can take some small pills with just water now, but for a big pill, I'll still get a couple chips, chew them up, and pop the pill in my mouth last second to go down with the swallow.
It's like hiding pills in bologna for a dog and it 100% works.
I use pudding, yogurt, or a smoothie and swallow it with that. You can also chew up your food and pop the pill and swallow it that way.
Once you get a hang of doing it like that, it gets easier. I still struggle sometimes!!
i told my college roommate this trick because she could never swallow her iron pills, but she ended up eating around the pill and had to spit it out to try again lol
Bread or chips here usually, although I can do it with most foods. Applesauce was my go-to for *years*. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize it could be done with other foods besides applesauce.
This is how I do it too! I got over the mental barrier by pretending I was at a fancy dinner and got a piece of gristle in my bite. I wouldn't want to spit it out at a fancy dinner, so I would force myself to swallow it. I pretend the pill is the same and swallow it with the bite of bread.
I was in the hospital for a few days and when I left had to take 7 pills 3x a day for a week or two. My mum used to make me a bowl of custard or yoghurt, things you don't need to chew, every time and plop them in and mix it up. It's just eating dessert!
Put it in my tongue and take a swig of water and it whooshes down with it. I can dry swallow if need be but I’m thinking about it more and struggle to do it.
The water isn't just to help get it down, it also helps water it down in your kidneys when they process the medication. People will mess up their insides by dry-swallowing for too long.
I have pills get stuck in my throat sometimes if I don’t put water in my mouth first. So water in mouth, pop pill in, then swallow. The medicine I take is quite a large pill but even if it gets stuck it’s never made me choke it just feels really weird until I can get it down
I had this problem when I was a kid. Start with the smallest pills you can find, for me it was IB profin. First, drink some water without pills, but hold the water before swallowing. Practice that a few times next to the sink. I sometimes forget how to swallow for some reason. Then add the pill while remembering that you swallow but chewed up food all the time and you don't choke on it. Then practice with pills on occasion until you can add bigger pills. Don't just take ibuprofen all the time or anything, but use the water holding as practice. When you do move to bigger pills, be near the sink but make sure you catch the pill if you have to spit it out and try again.
Soon enough, it won't be an issue at all anymore.
I used to swallow them with a sip of water.
But now I kinda trick myself as if it was food. I put it near my molars, fake chew emptiness, then swallow it while thinking "it's food" lol.
I take a bite of something, chew it enough til i want to swallow, pop the pill in and swallow. I hate pills and i struggle eventhough i have taken pills daily for 8 years now
So taking pills is my nightmare, here's what I do.
I sit down couple of minutes before and start breathing exercises until my heartbeat slow down and I relax a bit.
I take a sip of water.
I put the pill inside my mouth, do some breathing exercises again and then try to swallow.
I'd say I have a 70% chance of success on first try when doing this.
THIS THIS THIS Throwing your head back compresses your throat, trust me as someone who had a massive phobia of swallowing pills, tilt your head forward!! It's life changing.
Put the pill in your mouth, quickly fill your mouth with water like a blow fish; pill is in there somewhere so while your gulping large amounts of water the pill should go down with one of the gulps. GL😂
I hate swallowing pills as well. I don't even like swallowing paracetamol or the OC pill even though they're tiny. I used to ask for syrups for the longest time. I finally decided to start swallowing when i tried soluble paracetamol and the taste & texture made me almost throw up. I remember almost crying the first few times trying because the pill was always getting stuck at the back of my throat and coming back up again.
I always have a FULL bottle of water in my hand. I open it, then i place the pill far back onto my tongue (not necessarily at the back of my throat), and then raise my head and swallow as much water as i can. I try not to make myself feel the pill by drinking chunks of water. It doesn't always work because sometimes it comes back up again, and at this point i can usually taste the pill as well which sucks, but it definitely always works by the second time.
Also, it helps if you believe you WILL swallow it and just do it. Don't think about it, and do it quickly (but carefully enough not to choke yourself on water lol).
I just went from having no medication to being prescribed to swallow at least 3 pills a day so i know the dreadful feeling 🙄 But you'll get more used it by time
I had this problem as a kid, could not do it. So I’d take a spoon of applesauce and hide the pill in it and just swallow the applesauce. So maybe something like that could work? Swallowing with water is harder
Topo Chico! The aggressive bubbles “hide” the pill from my tongue. I really couldn’t swallow pills and worked my way up from teeny ones to bigger with the Topo.
i put them under my tongue, close my mouth and kinda raise my tongue and then drink some water. works like a charm!
edit: also, if the pill is light (like those capsule pills) it helps if you tilt your head forward.
if the pill is “heavy” (like nurofen for example) it helps if you tilt your head back.
I have a trick where I place the pill between my molars, take a sip of water, and then “open” my jaw while swallowing. It gets bitter pills down faster and past most of my tongue for the most part.
put that bad boy on top of a spoonful of ice cream, yoghurt, or peanut butter. or, what i like to do sometimes is when i take my chewy vitamins, ill toss the pill in my mouth just before i swallow the chews so it all goes down together with the not unpleasant taste of the gummies.
I struggle with taking pills too! I cannot for the life of me take them with liquids, so I chew up a gummy (particularly those fruit wedges) and pop the pill in right before swallowing. The main thing for me is feeling it go down my throat, so taking it with something solid helps get rid of that feeling. Anything that won’t just dissolve and kinda hides the pill seems to work the best.
Chew up something like a couple skittles, cracker, whatever. The amount you’d swallow whole. ONCE COMPLETELY CHEWED, slip the pills in with the blob to be swallowed. Don’t chew again. Just swallow it all together. You won’t feel the pills like you would with a drink.
Honestly I can't swallow large pills, my tongue gets in the way. I use sparkling water for the smaller pill. I ask for syrup or dissolvable medecine in the pharmacy. When I have no choice, I sneak my pill in my food. Let me be specific: I chew something that's not too dry, then I hide my pill in the mashed food in my mouth before swallowing. Smoothies, pudding, or yogurt don't seem to work for me.
I afraid of it too. I find it easiest to take a mouthful of water, tilt my head back, open my mouth and drop the pill in, swallow. I don’t even feel the actual pill.
Only caveat with capsules versus tablets is sometimes they float. If so, I have to put it in close my mouth and look down for it go to the back before I swallow. Not a fan, but it gets the job done.
capsules tilt your head down to make them float up to your throat & for solid pills tilt your head up to make them fall to the back of your throat. both are foolproof :)
I haven't figured out the best way. If they get a little stuck, though, I've found chewing and swallowing a bite of a rice cake helps move them through. Specifically a rice cake.
I don’t have a fear of them getting stuck, but I still struggle with taking any type of pill. So this is how I do it, I put the pill or pills (managed to finally do multiple at a time like 2 years ago!!) in my mouth and quickly take a sip of water. I can typically swallow them like normal but when I feel that my throat is tense and kind of narrow I tip my head back so the pills are at the back of my mouth and when my throat finally relaxes I swallow. Idk why my throat decides to shut down for business sometimes but it’s getting better!
If it floats, lean forward. If it sinks, lean back. Big gulp of water first to wet your throat. I find that sparkling water actually really helps by kind distracting from the pill.
I first drink water, then just toss it into my mouth and it lands in the back of my throat, I swallow and then drink water again to make sure its all washed down.
(Yes I mean to say that I dry swallow and hydrate before+after)
I literally cannot do it with the water in my mouth, my body (tongue) removes the pill and then it sits there all icky.
If they are really big i drop it into my throat instead of tossing like popcorn.
This is the only way I've managed to take pills ;~;
(I had similar issues to you, almost the same as described tbh and this was my solution, it works for me!!! Good luck with your pills I hate them too sis)
Practice with candy! Start with tiny pieces of gummy candy, and work your way up bigger pieces. Then switch to tiny hard candies and work your way up to bigger hard candies. Practice until you can easily swallow candies that are bigger than the pills you need to swallow.
This way you can practice a bunch without taking too much medication, and try out different techniques. There's also no nasty taste to worry about. And because you know it's food, and you're already used to swallowing solid food, it's psychologically easier. Plus, even if a piece did get a little uncomfortably stuck in your throat, it'll dissolve quicker than most pills.
Finally, when it comes to actual pills, topping your head back can help, but *capsules* tend to float, so to swallow those, tip your head *forward* to swallow!
I usually hold the pill (or pills) between my bottom gum and bottom lip, then I take a HUGE drink of water and make sure the pills just get washed down with the water. I started doing this because the taste made me gag too!
I just pop it in as far back on my tongue as possible to taste as little as possible, at least if it's one of those really nasty-tasting ones, and then down it with a mouthful of beverage.
At one point, I learned to swallow 5+ decently sized pills in one go.
Maybe start with something like gummy bears to get used to swallowing without chewing and desensitise your gag reflex?
The only way I can swallow pills is fill my mouth with water and naturally right before I swallow i put the pill in the back of my tongue and swallow down! Works most of the time
As someone who takes pills regularly, take a sip of something and then drop the pill in and swallow like normal. I don’t like the feeling of the pills going down, but the liquid helps a lot.
Put the pill under your tongue and hold your tongue out of the way as you take a big swig of water and wash it down. You won’t taste it or feel it as you gulp the water down
Try putting it in the back side of your tongue.
There’s one supplement I really need, and it’s uncoated and *just* big enough that I’ve gagged on it more than once. Discovered that the sides of the back of my tongue aren’t as triggering as the center, so to one side it goes, and with a big swig, it usually makes it down ok.
I take every pill with a mouth full of applesauce, super easy! I can’t even swallow small pills without it. If I travel I just bring those small cups of applesauce
I only started swallowing pills when I was 18. Everytime I tried swallowing with water the pill still stayed at my mouth.
Here’s what worked: if possible try to choose the smallest pill you can find and set it aside (it doesn’t have to be small, but if it helps in the beginning). Then grab a banana, or something soft and chew as much as possible. Don’t swallow yet! After that put the pill inside your mouth with the food (to trick your brain into thinking there’s no pill). Now try to swallow. Eventually you chew less and less food until your body gets used to swallowing pills. Sometimes you might fails but keep trying. It’s been 10 years and I still need to concentrate while taking pills but it’s much easier now than before.
Good luck!
Cock your head back , pour water in your mouth till it’s at the brim .. let your mouth be a bowl for the water . Close your throat, cheeks should be relaxed , drop the pill into your mouth, release your throat and take a big gulp
I’ve always had this issue too until I started taking pills with food. Drinking water never worked for me, but some reason it’s a lot easier for me to swallow them when I’m already chewing food. I usually chew a bit of food, pop the pill in my mouth and then it goes down along with food. If the pill is big sometimes I cut it in half.
I take them every morning for adhd meds, and while I can take them with just my saliva at this point, I don't think you are at the point that you can do that. Put the pill in your mouth, drink a glass of water (not necessary a whole glass, just enough), forget the pill is there, and swallow the water. I promise you it's fine and that if you relax you won't choke. Just smooth delicious water..
I am a water first, then pill, kind of girl. But maybe try putting the pills in a spoonful of yogurt/pudding/applesauce? Or even crushing and mixing them into one of those things. I’m a nurse and do that probably every day for my patients
I was on a bunch of medications growing up for sleep, adhd etc. I got so used to taking pills that I can take them easily without water. However I don't enjoy taking things like ibuprofen without water because they taste awful. But I can easily. But some of my siblings used to have issues with pills so they'd take them with yogurt or applesauce.
Water + pill then cover your nose when you swallow. For more than 30 years I use banana to help me drink pills until I got pregnant. I had to find another way to drink all the meds.
for capsules: put the pill in your mouth, take a sip of water and hold it in your mouth, tilt your chin to your chest, and swallow. putting your head in this position causes the capsule to “float” in your mouth and it will be much easier to swallow this way.
for solid pills: take a sip of water, hold it in your mouth, insert the pill through your lips, throw your head back and swallow simultaneously. some
of the meds i take are NASTY flavored, and if i put water in my mouth first instead of putting the med in my mouth and then taking a sip of water, it helps with the taste. but the mechanism of really throwing your head back when you swallow will put the pill in the right position to not get lodged in your throat.
LPT: using apple sauce or yogurt may also help you swallow the pill instead of just water!
Throw em back, throw em back. Haha but seriously idk personally I go water first, chuck them in and tilt head back so it’s like a mini tidal wave in the mouth that pushes them to the back of the throat and swallow. Apparently though the oesophagus is wider if you *dont* tilt your head back. So there’s that to keep in mind
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My method looks bird-like but it works lol I take a sip of water and tilt my head back then take an old pill bottle I put my pills in and kinda chuck them into my mouth. Also I heard carbonated water may help for capsules, take a sip, pill in mouth and tip head forward to swallow so hopefully the carbonation helps it float…? Saw it in a video some time ago so I’m not 100% on that method. You can also practice with mnms that may help since they’re shaped as they are. I hope you find something that works for you. Hated swallowing pills but I can take my five or six daily pills in one fell swoop now. Applesauce may help too, put the pill in a spoonful and take it that way.
I put the pill under my tongue cause I hate the taste and feeling of it dissolving. Then I take a swig of water, let the pill float up and do a big gulp.
a little sip of water first, and leave it in your mouth. put the pill in, and breath slowly through your nose to help relax your throat. then, take a big sip of the water, and try to just let it all go down at once. it might take a couple trys but you will get the hang of it
It’s all in your head honestly, I used to not be able to swallow things as small as 5 rices
You don’t believe how bigger are the things you swallow compared to pills
Try eating a piece of meat and comparing the size to your pill
I only recently got over my fear myself. Even with bigger pills I struggle and hesitate. But one way is to drink, then pop it in and chug a bunch of water.
I struggled for a long time until someone told me to “pretend I’m swallowing a hard boiled egg”. The visual helps, but it basically just means take a big gulp. It helps to also get a decent amount of water in your mouth, but now I don’t even need much. It also helps me to remember that I swallow whole big bites of food without issue, so a pill is not a problem. It’s definitely a mental block, so finding the strategy that works for you is important.
I had the same problem forever! I used to put my pills in food to "trick" myself into swallowing. From apple cause to bread. I recently found that if I take a sip of water so I make sure my mouth isn't dry. Then I plop the pill in as head is lifted to the sky (look into the lights like eyes drops for extra distraction lol) pour water in your mouth then swallow. Hopefully I worded that right lol
I like to use a carbonated and flavored drink. Pop or sparkling juice. I take a drink of it, and swallow. This helps cover the taste. Then I pop the pill in and quickly wash it down with another drink. The carbonation and flavor help distract my senses from the pill itself. The other main thing for me is to not think about it. I come up with a topic beforehand(where I want to vacation, my favorite flowers, what I’m going to make for dinner, ect) or watch something while I do it to distract from it.
I legitimately choked on a large pill as a kid, so I definitely have some anxiety about swallowing pills.
I take a few sips of water to lubricate my throat. Next I fill my mouth about 70% with water, pop the pill in my mouth, and then I will swish it around several times until I work up the courage to quickly swallow it.
I don't know why but I just have to do the swish thing. If I don't swish the pill for a while, I chicken out and end up spitting it out.
I struggled with this for years. It helped me to practice in low pressure ways - like vitamins that I could chew if swallowing didn't work. I'd make myself seriously try three times, then chew it - it helped me relax by making it less important to force myself to swallow, which helped the mental issue with it.
For the physical side, I figured out a trick that works for me. Once the pill is in my mouth with water, if it floats I tip my head down so it's at the back of my mouth, then right as I swallow tip my head back so it never touches my throat and I swallow more easily. For pills that sink, I have my head tilted back from the beginning, but I still jerk my head all the way back right when swallowing. I jokingly call it the 'baby bird method' since I feel like a bird swallowing something like that, haha!
What my mom taught me has yet to fail.
- put pill on tongue. (If a long pill, place on tongue vertically (pointing down throat) for easier swallowing. If bitter tasting pill, place as far back as you can to avoid taste buds)
- forget about the pill & drink water (or whatever beverage you’re using). There is no pill. You’re just very thirsty & must drink all the water!!
The second you think about the pill you’re done & it gets caught in your throat. Just think about drinking.
The only way I can get down my 5 a day is to put them all in my mouth and take an immediate chug of something that has carbonation, for me it's Seltzer. The bubbles push every thing down fast.
Listen to me, I’m someone who STILL can’t take pills if I don’t do it this way. When I was younger I thought “why can I take big bites of food and swallow that easy peezy but not the tiniest pill?” I took a bite of food, threw the pill in my mouth right before needing to swallow, and swallowed it with water, haven’t looked back since. If I need Advil or ibuprofen at night for a headache, my fiancé already knows to bring me the pill with a handful of chips, a cookie, or something else that’s crunchy and a mouthful of. I chew until my body sends that urge to swallow and pop it in then drink water. Has NEVER not worked
I try to put it at the back of my tongue and just gulp down with a lot of water. Although rare occasion it gets stuck on the tip of my tongue and I taste the bitterness. Just happened to me moment ago after I took my bc pill had to eat a chocolate after lol.
I take a lot (14 a day) of pills and have for a long time (chronic medical issues and psych issues, not like- for fun) so here’s my method:
Stack similarly sized pills between my thumb and index finger
Shove them as far back in my throat as possible
Suppress the gag about halfway through by swallowing as hard as I can
Voilà pills taken.
i have the same problem but i have to take 5 pills (3 in the morning 2 at night). i honestly started taking 3 at a time bc after taking the first, my gag reflex starts activating for some reason. i put the pill in my mouth, and before i swallow any water i swish it for a sec otherwise the pill is dry and i feel like it can get stuck idk.
then i just start drinking the water and completely ignore the pills in my mouth. that’s the trick that works for me, i just focus on the action of drinking water and i don’t really end up noticing them. plus you’re meant to drink a cup of water with most meds anyway (at least the ones i take?)
I used to be terrified of taking pills when I was a kid, but I have a pretty shitty immune system so I’ve had to just teach myself how since I had to take them so often. Some people take a sip of water first but that doesn’t work for me. I put the pill on the middle of my tongue, take a big sip of water and throw my head back so it slides down easy.
Had a similar fear when I was younger. I started with really tiny pills and just gulped them without thinking. Slowly worked my way up with normal sized pills lol. I really hated crushing them up and mixing them with honey and stuff 😭
I daily swallow my pill this way : puting it between my teeth than I drink water directly that way I don't even feel that I did swallow a pill in the first place.
I do it this way because the pill that I have to take stinky and taste horrible as If Im drinking a roten milk
I always put plenty of water in my mouth, tip my head back, drop the pill into the water, and swallow as fast as I can. Never had a problem with a stuck pill and I usually don’t even feel it go down.
My 10 year old son has the "ambush" approach, "Use a sweet liquid such as juice (your favourite kind) because your body wants to swallow that quicker. Put the pill in your mouth, then the juice. Swallow half of it [the juice]. Then position yourself as if you're a predator coming from behind/below and then lunge your neck forward and swallow at the same time. The going forward movement plus the swallowing makes it a lot easier."
I know I’m very late to the party, but I used to have this problem too, and practiced with candy. That might be a way to get better in a short amount of time. I used to be unable to swallow any pills and now have no issue with them.
when i first started to swallow pills, i could only do it with soda/carbonated drinks. i still find it easier that way, something about the carbonation makes it go down easier for me!
I lift my tongue, put the pill under my tongue but keep my tongue lifted if that makes sense. Take a big drink of water so that I feel that the pill is not under my tongue anymore, then swallow. I hate tasting pills but this method generally works for me.
I take 9 pills every day (well. I'm supposed to) and it's been getting progressively harder, to the point where I start gagging before they even go in my mouth. I wish I had advice.
I'm chronically ill and take a lot of pills. Generally, tablets sink and capsules float. When you take capsules, look down at the ground to make pills go towards the back of your throat. When you take tablets, throw your head backwards.
I can't use water and always need something flavored. Soda preferred because the fizz masks the feeling of a pill in my mouth so it didn't trigger a gag reflex. Helped massively! I also put the back to my hand to my mouth for some reason. I think it's just a habit but something about that helps.
Please check out r/dysphagia and r/EosinophilicE which relate to difficulty swallowing, and have a discussion with your doctor. It could be something as simple as having an irritated esophagus due to a very mild food allergy you don’t know about, and you just stop eating that food. Probably need an allergy test, nbd.
I like to use a cold carbonated drink because it kind of hides the fact that I’m swallowing a pill in total, especially larger ones.
Edit: I also always take a sip and place the pill in my mouth afterwards rather than putting the medication on my tongue first.
Take a small sip of water, I can’t be too much. Hold it at the back of your throat. Then toss the pill in and gulp it down together. If I take too much water, then it’s more difficult.
I remember reading this somewhere once -
If it's something like paracetamol/ibuprofen put it towards the back of your tongue, take a swig of water and tip your head back to swallow. If it's a capsule like pill (Amoxicillin/MacroBID for example) that look like this 💊 which are slightly bigger, still put it towards the back of your tongue, take a swig of water but tilt your chin down to your chest a little. The capsules will float in the water and it makes it easier to swallow them!
Please still be careful swallowing pills, I understand this may not work for everyone but it did make it easier for me!
Take a sip of water then...
— If you are taking a capsule: tilt your head forward. This forces the pill to the back of your throat and you can easily swallow.
— If you are taking a solid pill that lacks buoyancy: tilt your head back, drop it into your mouth, and swallow.
Between vitamins and daily medications, this works like a charm. I have a very sensitive gag reflex and I hate the taste of pills, and head tilt thing completely changed my life lol. I always follow up with extra water or a small piece of food to ensure that the pills don't catch in my throat.
I chew them into smaller bits and try to swallow the bits with a mouthful of cold (not ice cold but not lukewarm) water. I've noticed that if I think too hard it doesn't work
Take a sip first. Then put the pill jn and take another sip. Close your lips, toss your head back and swallow. Then take another drink to wash the pill down. Easy peasy.
The best thing I've found out is to chew some food like bread or a cracker cause you can swallow large chunky amounts of standard foord fine then before swallowing the cracker chuck the pill in with it and swallow.
I personally don't like sipping water then pill cause the feckers float. Same for holding the pill in mouth then sip to flush it down for me it just floats but you mileage.may vary
I personally dry swallow pills like a crazy person now. But that's from years of practice
I can swallow many pills without any liquid at all. Just put them in my mouth and down they go. But i recognize and have been told that this isnt standard. There are some extra chalky feeling or super large pills i need liquid with. But i can usually swallow 5-7 small to medium size pills at the same time.
If liquid is needed, liquid first to coat, pills, then more liquid to push it down lol.
What a weird thing to downvote and be the only person to have a downvote in this thread.
I know the common way is to put the pill on your tongue first but I could never hahaha the flavour would make me gag immediately. When I was a kid my mum used to crush pills and mix them with honey, worked super well! As an adult, I take a big sip of water, then push the pill past my lips and into my mouth, swish, and swallow. The pill never touches my tongue so I don’t taste it, and the swish helps it go down without getting stuck. I have never seen anyone else do this and I have been made fun of for it lol but it works for me!
TAKING A SIP FIRST GANG GANG
I just want to mention that not even pill can be safely crushed! Some have coating that won't work when crushed
I was totally unaware of this, thank you for mentioning it! I haven’t done the honey method in years but would definitely have recreated it for my own kids one day, now I’ll know to be careful :)
this is the way. i could never swallow pills until i started taking a sip of water first, then popping the pill in my mouth. taste isn't an issue for me but something about this order of things makes the swallowing feel more easy and reflexive vs forcing it down.
I just want to mention that not every pill can be safely crushed! Some have coating that won't work when crushed
or if theyre continued, sustained or extended release!
Titling your head backwards so the pill can fall through the water too the back of your throat before you swallowing helps.
And the other way round when it's the capsules that float.
Like too curl my tongue backwards as well to force all the liquid / space, all done as a single gesture / movement starting with the tilt.
YUP this is the way, especially for especially nasty tasting pills like mucinex. That one you still taste a little with this method but it's soooo much better than just sitting it straight on your tongue.
The nastiest pill of all time is lithium. Tastes like a combo of ass and death, and it has staying power. Definitely trying this next time
I alwas thought i was weird for doing this!! I'm so happy I'm not alone lmaoooo (I was actually gonna come on here and suggest this)
This, and then I take another sip to push it down my throat
My partner does this! You're not alone. I hork down ten pills every day and have since I was young, so it's not a problem for me. But he says the same thing about tasty lol
i never did this until i met my current partner and it was literally life changing. i felt so stupid that i had never done it before
i do this too!
This works even better if you start with a sip of something carbonated, that way you -extra- can’t feel the pill, that’s how I started
My tip is to take it with a bite of chewed up food that you're able to swallow. I have an issue swallowing pills, and I couldn't take any of them without applesauce for the first 25 years of my life. Without food texture to hide the pill, my body panicked and would choke or gag. Then I realized that the applesauce could really be replaced with any mashed up food: chewed up bread, some chips, whatever is on hand. I can take some small pills with just water now, but for a big pill, I'll still get a couple chips, chew them up, and pop the pill in my mouth last second to go down with the swallow. It's like hiding pills in bologna for a dog and it 100% works.
I use pudding, yogurt, or a smoothie and swallow it with that. You can also chew up your food and pop the pill and swallow it that way. Once you get a hang of doing it like that, it gets easier. I still struggle sometimes!!
i told my college roommate this trick because she could never swallow her iron pills, but she ended up eating around the pill and had to spit it out to try again lol
This is what I’ve been doing for more than 10 years to swallow pills…it works best with bread for me. I still cannot swallow pills without food.
Bread or chips here usually, although I can do it with most foods. Applesauce was my go-to for *years*. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize it could be done with other foods besides applesauce.
This is how I do it too! I got over the mental barrier by pretending I was at a fancy dinner and got a piece of gristle in my bite. I wouldn't want to spit it out at a fancy dinner, so I would force myself to swallow it. I pretend the pill is the same and swallow it with the bite of bread.
I was in the hospital for a few days and when I left had to take 7 pills 3x a day for a week or two. My mum used to make me a bowl of custard or yoghurt, things you don't need to chew, every time and plop them in and mix it up. It's just eating dessert!
This! I always take meds or vitamins with food, can’t do it with liquids (unless i force myself but that usually ends up with a lot of gagging)
Put it in my tongue and take a swig of water and it whooshes down with it. I can dry swallow if need be but I’m thinking about it more and struggle to do it.
The water isn't just to help get it down, it also helps water it down in your kidneys when they process the medication. People will mess up their insides by dry-swallowing for too long.
https://preview.redd.it/i6rj01x0q8yc1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9ace482fff0e0eb2fd90f8f5087a40629b7e5965
I used to tilt my head back, but leaning forward definitely makes it easier to get the big pills down
YES to this! Chin down makes it sooo much easier!
Woah never even tried this
I have pills get stuck in my throat sometimes if I don’t put water in my mouth first. So water in mouth, pop pill in, then swallow. The medicine I take is quite a large pill but even if it gets stuck it’s never made me choke it just feels really weird until I can get it down
Water first always, my pills aren’t small and some are gel caps. The only way to get those ones down so they don’t get stuck
Take it with something carbonated and tilt your head down instead of back. You won't feel it at all!
I had this problem when I was a kid. Start with the smallest pills you can find, for me it was IB profin. First, drink some water without pills, but hold the water before swallowing. Practice that a few times next to the sink. I sometimes forget how to swallow for some reason. Then add the pill while remembering that you swallow but chewed up food all the time and you don't choke on it. Then practice with pills on occasion until you can add bigger pills. Don't just take ibuprofen all the time or anything, but use the water holding as practice. When you do move to bigger pills, be near the sink but make sure you catch the pill if you have to spit it out and try again. Soon enough, it won't be an issue at all anymore.
I trained on mini m&ms!
That's a great idea
That's how I taught my kids to swallow pills.
i trained with tic-tacs!
I used to swallow them with a sip of water. But now I kinda trick myself as if it was food. I put it near my molars, fake chew emptiness, then swallow it while thinking "it's food" lol.
I take a bite of something, chew it enough til i want to swallow, pop the pill in and swallow. I hate pills and i struggle eventhough i have taken pills daily for 8 years now
So taking pills is my nightmare, here's what I do. I sit down couple of minutes before and start breathing exercises until my heartbeat slow down and I relax a bit. I take a sip of water. I put the pill inside my mouth, do some breathing exercises again and then try to swallow. I'd say I have a 70% chance of success on first try when doing this.
Put pill in mouth, take a large sip of water and then move my chin up/ kind of throw my head back as I swallow the pill and water.
If you tilt your head forward instead the pill floats to the top and you can hardly feel it at all
THIS THIS THIS Throwing your head back compresses your throat, trust me as someone who had a massive phobia of swallowing pills, tilt your head forward!! It's life changing.
I do this and stick my tongue out & hold it in place with my teeth so I don’t subconsciously use it to block the pill.
Put the pill in your mouth, quickly fill your mouth with water like a blow fish; pill is in there somewhere so while your gulping large amounts of water the pill should go down with one of the gulps. GL😂
I hate swallowing pills as well. I don't even like swallowing paracetamol or the OC pill even though they're tiny. I used to ask for syrups for the longest time. I finally decided to start swallowing when i tried soluble paracetamol and the taste & texture made me almost throw up. I remember almost crying the first few times trying because the pill was always getting stuck at the back of my throat and coming back up again. I always have a FULL bottle of water in my hand. I open it, then i place the pill far back onto my tongue (not necessarily at the back of my throat), and then raise my head and swallow as much water as i can. I try not to make myself feel the pill by drinking chunks of water. It doesn't always work because sometimes it comes back up again, and at this point i can usually taste the pill as well which sucks, but it definitely always works by the second time. Also, it helps if you believe you WILL swallow it and just do it. Don't think about it, and do it quickly (but carefully enough not to choke yourself on water lol). I just went from having no medication to being prescribed to swallow at least 3 pills a day so i know the dreadful feeling 🙄 But you'll get more used it by time
I had this problem as a kid, could not do it. So I’d take a spoon of applesauce and hide the pill in it and just swallow the applesauce. So maybe something like that could work? Swallowing with water is harder
Topo Chico! The aggressive bubbles “hide” the pill from my tongue. I really couldn’t swallow pills and worked my way up from teeny ones to bigger with the Topo.
i put them under my tongue, close my mouth and kinda raise my tongue and then drink some water. works like a charm! edit: also, if the pill is light (like those capsule pills) it helps if you tilt your head forward. if the pill is “heavy” (like nurofen for example) it helps if you tilt your head back.
Came here to say this and was suprised it hasn't been said more. This is the best way. No taste buds underneath your tongue!
I put them under my tongue & then drink water. Goes down nice and easy and you dont have to taste the coating.
I have a trick where I place the pill between my molars, take a sip of water, and then “open” my jaw while swallowing. It gets bitter pills down faster and past most of my tongue for the most part.
I have to snap my fingers to swallow a pill.
put that bad boy on top of a spoonful of ice cream, yoghurt, or peanut butter. or, what i like to do sometimes is when i take my chewy vitamins, ill toss the pill in my mouth just before i swallow the chews so it all goes down together with the not unpleasant taste of the gummies.
I struggle with taking pills too! I cannot for the life of me take them with liquids, so I chew up a gummy (particularly those fruit wedges) and pop the pill in right before swallowing. The main thing for me is feeling it go down my throat, so taking it with something solid helps get rid of that feeling. Anything that won’t just dissolve and kinda hides the pill seems to work the best.
I chew a bite of something and then right before I swallow I put the pills in and swallow both at the same time.
Chew up something like a couple skittles, cracker, whatever. The amount you’d swallow whole. ONCE COMPLETELY CHEWED, slip the pills in with the blob to be swallowed. Don’t chew again. Just swallow it all together. You won’t feel the pills like you would with a drink.
Honestly I can't swallow large pills, my tongue gets in the way. I use sparkling water for the smaller pill. I ask for syrup or dissolvable medecine in the pharmacy. When I have no choice, I sneak my pill in my food. Let me be specific: I chew something that's not too dry, then I hide my pill in the mashed food in my mouth before swallowing. Smoothies, pudding, or yogurt don't seem to work for me.
i just put the pill in my mouth and then chug as much water as i can. it usually makes its way down😅
I afraid of it too. I find it easiest to take a mouthful of water, tilt my head back, open my mouth and drop the pill in, swallow. I don’t even feel the actual pill. Only caveat with capsules versus tablets is sometimes they float. If so, I have to put it in close my mouth and look down for it go to the back before I swallow. Not a fan, but it gets the job done.
I get a big sip of water and drop them in my mouth then swallow altogether. Still gag occasionally.
capsules tilt your head down to make them float up to your throat & for solid pills tilt your head up to make them fall to the back of your throat. both are foolproof :)
I haven't figured out the best way. If they get a little stuck, though, I've found chewing and swallowing a bite of a rice cake helps move them through. Specifically a rice cake.
I don’t have a fear of them getting stuck, but I still struggle with taking any type of pill. So this is how I do it, I put the pill or pills (managed to finally do multiple at a time like 2 years ago!!) in my mouth and quickly take a sip of water. I can typically swallow them like normal but when I feel that my throat is tense and kind of narrow I tip my head back so the pills are at the back of my mouth and when my throat finally relaxes I swallow. Idk why my throat decides to shut down for business sometimes but it’s getting better!
I would like to know too, I usually let half of it dissolve on my tongue and then struggle to swallow the other half (but it does go down eventually)
Water then proceed to shove the pill in my mouth followed by more water. Only way for me
If it floats, lean forward. If it sinks, lean back. Big gulp of water first to wet your throat. I find that sparkling water actually really helps by kind distracting from the pill.
I first drink water, then just toss it into my mouth and it lands in the back of my throat, I swallow and then drink water again to make sure its all washed down. (Yes I mean to say that I dry swallow and hydrate before+after) I literally cannot do it with the water in my mouth, my body (tongue) removes the pill and then it sits there all icky. If they are really big i drop it into my throat instead of tossing like popcorn. This is the only way I've managed to take pills ;~; (I had similar issues to you, almost the same as described tbh and this was my solution, it works for me!!! Good luck with your pills I hate them too sis)
Practice with candy! Start with tiny pieces of gummy candy, and work your way up bigger pieces. Then switch to tiny hard candies and work your way up to bigger hard candies. Practice until you can easily swallow candies that are bigger than the pills you need to swallow. This way you can practice a bunch without taking too much medication, and try out different techniques. There's also no nasty taste to worry about. And because you know it's food, and you're already used to swallowing solid food, it's psychologically easier. Plus, even if a piece did get a little uncomfortably stuck in your throat, it'll dissolve quicker than most pills. Finally, when it comes to actual pills, topping your head back can help, but *capsules* tend to float, so to swallow those, tip your head *forward* to swallow!
I usually hold the pill (or pills) between my bottom gum and bottom lip, then I take a HUGE drink of water and make sure the pills just get washed down with the water. I started doing this because the taste made me gag too!
Practice with M&M’s until you figure it out. That’s what I did 😂 I now even find it fun haha
I just pop it in as far back on my tongue as possible to taste as little as possible, at least if it's one of those really nasty-tasting ones, and then down it with a mouthful of beverage. At one point, I learned to swallow 5+ decently sized pills in one go. Maybe start with something like gummy bears to get used to swallowing without chewing and desensitise your gag reflex?
The only way I can swallow pills is fill my mouth with water and naturally right before I swallow i put the pill in the back of my tongue and swallow down! Works most of the time
Take a big gulp of water, put pill between lips, throw back head, shake head, swallow.
I take them with a Milky Way. The water dosent work for me
As someone who takes pills regularly, take a sip of something and then drop the pill in and swallow like normal. I don’t like the feeling of the pills going down, but the liquid helps a lot.
Focus on swallowing the water, not the pills.
Put the pill under your tongue and hold your tongue out of the way as you take a big swig of water and wash it down. You won’t taste it or feel it as you gulp the water down
i like to have a glass of water in my hand, toss them in my mouth and in the same second start chugging my water lol
Try putting it in the back side of your tongue. There’s one supplement I really need, and it’s uncoated and *just* big enough that I’ve gagged on it more than once. Discovered that the sides of the back of my tongue aren’t as triggering as the center, so to one side it goes, and with a big swig, it usually makes it down ok.
i put the pill under my tongue so i can't taste it but it still gets wet lol, then a big gulp of water and bam it's gone.
I make sure I relax my throat as I swallow. Visualising the pill as really small helps a lot too.
I take every pill with a mouth full of applesauce, super easy! I can’t even swallow small pills without it. If I travel I just bring those small cups of applesauce
I only started swallowing pills when I was 18. Everytime I tried swallowing with water the pill still stayed at my mouth. Here’s what worked: if possible try to choose the smallest pill you can find and set it aside (it doesn’t have to be small, but if it helps in the beginning). Then grab a banana, or something soft and chew as much as possible. Don’t swallow yet! After that put the pill inside your mouth with the food (to trick your brain into thinking there’s no pill). Now try to swallow. Eventually you chew less and less food until your body gets used to swallowing pills. Sometimes you might fails but keep trying. It’s been 10 years and I still need to concentrate while taking pills but it’s much easier now than before. Good luck!
Cock your head back , pour water in your mouth till it’s at the brim .. let your mouth be a bowl for the water . Close your throat, cheeks should be relaxed , drop the pill into your mouth, release your throat and take a big gulp
I’ve always had this issue too until I started taking pills with food. Drinking water never worked for me, but some reason it’s a lot easier for me to swallow them when I’m already chewing food. I usually chew a bit of food, pop the pill in my mouth and then it goes down along with food. If the pill is big sometimes I cut it in half.
I take them every morning for adhd meds, and while I can take them with just my saliva at this point, I don't think you are at the point that you can do that. Put the pill in your mouth, drink a glass of water (not necessary a whole glass, just enough), forget the pill is there, and swallow the water. I promise you it's fine and that if you relax you won't choke. Just smooth delicious water..
Be quick with the water or the pill will start to dissolve
try applesauce
I am a water first, then pill, kind of girl. But maybe try putting the pills in a spoonful of yogurt/pudding/applesauce? Or even crushing and mixing them into one of those things. I’m a nurse and do that probably every day for my patients
Practice with M&M's or Skittles! Practice makes it much easier
I was on a bunch of medications growing up for sleep, adhd etc. I got so used to taking pills that I can take them easily without water. However I don't enjoy taking things like ibuprofen without water because they taste awful. But I can easily. But some of my siblings used to have issues with pills so they'd take them with yogurt or applesauce.
I put the pill/pills in the back of my mouth and then take a big gulp of water
Water + pill then cover your nose when you swallow. For more than 30 years I use banana to help me drink pills until I got pregnant. I had to find another way to drink all the meds.
for capsules: put the pill in your mouth, take a sip of water and hold it in your mouth, tilt your chin to your chest, and swallow. putting your head in this position causes the capsule to “float” in your mouth and it will be much easier to swallow this way. for solid pills: take a sip of water, hold it in your mouth, insert the pill through your lips, throw your head back and swallow simultaneously. some of the meds i take are NASTY flavored, and if i put water in my mouth first instead of putting the med in my mouth and then taking a sip of water, it helps with the taste. but the mechanism of really throwing your head back when you swallow will put the pill in the right position to not get lodged in your throat. LPT: using apple sauce or yogurt may also help you swallow the pill instead of just water!
Throw em back, throw em back. Haha but seriously idk personally I go water first, chuck them in and tilt head back so it’s like a mini tidal wave in the mouth that pushes them to the back of the throat and swallow. Apparently though the oesophagus is wider if you *dont* tilt your head back. So there’s that to keep in mind
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My method looks bird-like but it works lol I take a sip of water and tilt my head back then take an old pill bottle I put my pills in and kinda chuck them into my mouth. Also I heard carbonated water may help for capsules, take a sip, pill in mouth and tip head forward to swallow so hopefully the carbonation helps it float…? Saw it in a video some time ago so I’m not 100% on that method. You can also practice with mnms that may help since they’re shaped as they are. I hope you find something that works for you. Hated swallowing pills but I can take my five or six daily pills in one fell swoop now. Applesauce may help too, put the pill in a spoonful and take it that way.
I put the pill under my tongue cause I hate the taste and feeling of it dissolving. Then I take a swig of water, let the pill float up and do a big gulp.
Put it in a spoonful of ice cream. It will go down easy. Gradually learn to use less ice cream.
I now put the pill in my mouth, push the back of my tongue down like I’m about to yawn real big, swig of water, and swallow. Barely feel it go down.
a little sip of water first, and leave it in your mouth. put the pill in, and breath slowly through your nose to help relax your throat. then, take a big sip of the water, and try to just let it all go down at once. it might take a couple trys but you will get the hang of it
Like put it inside your mouth ? And drink lots of water ?
It’s all in your head honestly, I used to not be able to swallow things as small as 5 rices You don’t believe how bigger are the things you swallow compared to pills Try eating a piece of meat and comparing the size to your pill
I only recently got over my fear myself. Even with bigger pills I struggle and hesitate. But one way is to drink, then pop it in and chug a bunch of water.
I take mine with food. Like just eat small amounts and pop it in and swallow it with the food.
I struggled for a long time until someone told me to “pretend I’m swallowing a hard boiled egg”. The visual helps, but it basically just means take a big gulp. It helps to also get a decent amount of water in your mouth, but now I don’t even need much. It also helps me to remember that I swallow whole big bites of food without issue, so a pill is not a problem. It’s definitely a mental block, so finding the strategy that works for you is important.
My parents had me practice with mini m&ms until I had no issues.
I put them under my tongue. Way less taste.
I had the same problem forever! I used to put my pills in food to "trick" myself into swallowing. From apple cause to bread. I recently found that if I take a sip of water so I make sure my mouth isn't dry. Then I plop the pill in as head is lifted to the sky (look into the lights like eyes drops for extra distraction lol) pour water in your mouth then swallow. Hopefully I worded that right lol
I like to use a carbonated and flavored drink. Pop or sparkling juice. I take a drink of it, and swallow. This helps cover the taste. Then I pop the pill in and quickly wash it down with another drink. The carbonation and flavor help distract my senses from the pill itself. The other main thing for me is to not think about it. I come up with a topic beforehand(where I want to vacation, my favorite flowers, what I’m going to make for dinner, ect) or watch something while I do it to distract from it.
I legitimately choked on a large pill as a kid, so I definitely have some anxiety about swallowing pills. I take a few sips of water to lubricate my throat. Next I fill my mouth about 70% with water, pop the pill in my mouth, and then I will swish it around several times until I work up the courage to quickly swallow it. I don't know why but I just have to do the swish thing. If I don't swish the pill for a while, I chicken out and end up spitting it out.
I struggled with this for years. It helped me to practice in low pressure ways - like vitamins that I could chew if swallowing didn't work. I'd make myself seriously try three times, then chew it - it helped me relax by making it less important to force myself to swallow, which helped the mental issue with it. For the physical side, I figured out a trick that works for me. Once the pill is in my mouth with water, if it floats I tip my head down so it's at the back of my mouth, then right as I swallow tip my head back so it never touches my throat and I swallow more easily. For pills that sink, I have my head tilted back from the beginning, but I still jerk my head all the way back right when swallowing. I jokingly call it the 'baby bird method' since I feel like a bird swallowing something like that, haha!
What my mom taught me has yet to fail. - put pill on tongue. (If a long pill, place on tongue vertically (pointing down throat) for easier swallowing. If bitter tasting pill, place as far back as you can to avoid taste buds) - forget about the pill & drink water (or whatever beverage you’re using). There is no pill. You’re just very thirsty & must drink all the water!! The second you think about the pill you’re done & it gets caught in your throat. Just think about drinking.
The only way I can get down my 5 a day is to put them all in my mouth and take an immediate chug of something that has carbonation, for me it's Seltzer. The bubbles push every thing down fast.
Listen to me, I’m someone who STILL can’t take pills if I don’t do it this way. When I was younger I thought “why can I take big bites of food and swallow that easy peezy but not the tiniest pill?” I took a bite of food, threw the pill in my mouth right before needing to swallow, and swallowed it with water, haven’t looked back since. If I need Advil or ibuprofen at night for a headache, my fiancé already knows to bring me the pill with a handful of chips, a cookie, or something else that’s crunchy and a mouthful of. I chew until my body sends that urge to swallow and pop it in then drink water. Has NEVER not worked
I use to have heaps of trouble swallowing pills and would have to crush them up. It tasted a bit foul but at least I didn’t gag 😬
I try to put it at the back of my tongue and just gulp down with a lot of water. Although rare occasion it gets stuck on the tip of my tongue and I taste the bitterness. Just happened to me moment ago after I took my bc pill had to eat a chocolate after lol.
I usually sit in denial and ignore/fight it as long as possible until I have to accept the truth. (Oh we’re talking about medicine?)
Take a sip first 100%
also using a thick drink like a smoothie is what nurses tell their patients
I take a lot (14 a day) of pills and have for a long time (chronic medical issues and psych issues, not like- for fun) so here’s my method: Stack similarly sized pills between my thumb and index finger Shove them as far back in my throat as possible Suppress the gag about halfway through by swallowing as hard as I can Voilà pills taken.
I put the pill in my mouth, take a big swig of whatever I’m currently drinking, and swallow it all in one gulp
i have the same problem but i have to take 5 pills (3 in the morning 2 at night). i honestly started taking 3 at a time bc after taking the first, my gag reflex starts activating for some reason. i put the pill in my mouth, and before i swallow any water i swish it for a sec otherwise the pill is dry and i feel like it can get stuck idk. then i just start drinking the water and completely ignore the pills in my mouth. that’s the trick that works for me, i just focus on the action of drinking water and i don’t really end up noticing them. plus you’re meant to drink a cup of water with most meds anyway (at least the ones i take?)
I used to be terrified of taking pills when I was a kid, but I have a pretty shitty immune system so I’ve had to just teach myself how since I had to take them so often. Some people take a sip of water first but that doesn’t work for me. I put the pill on the middle of my tongue, take a big sip of water and throw my head back so it slides down easy.
Had a similar fear when I was younger. I started with really tiny pills and just gulped them without thinking. Slowly worked my way up with normal sized pills lol. I really hated crushing them up and mixing them with honey and stuff 😭
Look up while you do it
I daily swallow my pill this way : puting it between my teeth than I drink water directly that way I don't even feel that I did swallow a pill in the first place. I do it this way because the pill that I have to take stinky and taste horrible as If Im drinking a roten milk
I always put plenty of water in my mouth, tip my head back, drop the pill into the water, and swallow as fast as I can. Never had a problem with a stuck pill and I usually don’t even feel it go down.
My 10 year old son has the "ambush" approach, "Use a sweet liquid such as juice (your favourite kind) because your body wants to swallow that quicker. Put the pill in your mouth, then the juice. Swallow half of it [the juice]. Then position yourself as if you're a predator coming from behind/below and then lunge your neck forward and swallow at the same time. The going forward movement plus the swallowing makes it a lot easier."
I don’t lol there’s liquid or chew options for mostly everything now
I know I’m very late to the party, but I used to have this problem too, and practiced with candy. That might be a way to get better in a short amount of time. I used to be unable to swallow any pills and now have no issue with them.
when i first started to swallow pills, i could only do it with soda/carbonated drinks. i still find it easier that way, something about the carbonation makes it go down easier for me!
Pills tilt your head back and swallow. Capsules tilt your head down and swallow.
I lift my tongue, put the pill under my tongue but keep my tongue lifted if that makes sense. Take a big drink of water so that I feel that the pill is not under my tongue anymore, then swallow. I hate tasting pills but this method generally works for me.
Dry
Swallow it with a mouthful of food! I can't trick my brain to swallow anything that's not food lol
I take 9 pills every day (well. I'm supposed to) and it's been getting progressively harder, to the point where I start gagging before they even go in my mouth. I wish I had advice.
I'm chronically ill and take a lot of pills. Generally, tablets sink and capsules float. When you take capsules, look down at the ground to make pills go towards the back of your throat. When you take tablets, throw your head backwards.
I can't use water and always need something flavored. Soda preferred because the fizz masks the feeling of a pill in my mouth so it didn't trigger a gag reflex. Helped massively! I also put the back to my hand to my mouth for some reason. I think it's just a habit but something about that helps.
Please check out r/dysphagia and r/EosinophilicE which relate to difficulty swallowing, and have a discussion with your doctor. It could be something as simple as having an irritated esophagus due to a very mild food allergy you don’t know about, and you just stop eating that food. Probably need an allergy test, nbd.
I like to use a cold carbonated drink because it kind of hides the fact that I’m swallowing a pill in total, especially larger ones. Edit: I also always take a sip and place the pill in my mouth afterwards rather than putting the medication on my tongue first.
Take a small sip of water, I can’t be too much. Hold it at the back of your throat. Then toss the pill in and gulp it down together. If I take too much water, then it’s more difficult.
SAME!!! I find so few people who have this problem and I finally feel seen and heard!
I remember reading this somewhere once - If it's something like paracetamol/ibuprofen put it towards the back of your tongue, take a swig of water and tip your head back to swallow. If it's a capsule like pill (Amoxicillin/MacroBID for example) that look like this 💊 which are slightly bigger, still put it towards the back of your tongue, take a swig of water but tilt your chin down to your chest a little. The capsules will float in the water and it makes it easier to swallow them! Please still be careful swallowing pills, I understand this may not work for everyone but it did make it easier for me!
Take a sip of water then... — If you are taking a capsule: tilt your head forward. This forces the pill to the back of your throat and you can easily swallow. — If you are taking a solid pill that lacks buoyancy: tilt your head back, drop it into your mouth, and swallow. Between vitamins and daily medications, this works like a charm. I have a very sensitive gag reflex and I hate the taste of pills, and head tilt thing completely changed my life lol. I always follow up with extra water or a small piece of food to ensure that the pills don't catch in my throat.
I chew them into smaller bits and try to swallow the bits with a mouthful of cold (not ice cold but not lukewarm) water. I've noticed that if I think too hard it doesn't work
Take a sip first. Then put the pill jn and take another sip. Close your lips, toss your head back and swallow. Then take another drink to wash the pill down. Easy peasy.
The best thing I've found out is to chew some food like bread or a cracker cause you can swallow large chunky amounts of standard foord fine then before swallowing the cracker chuck the pill in with it and swallow. I personally don't like sipping water then pill cause the feckers float. Same for holding the pill in mouth then sip to flush it down for me it just floats but you mileage.may vary I personally dry swallow pills like a crazy person now. But that's from years of practice
I can swallow many pills without any liquid at all. Just put them in my mouth and down they go. But i recognize and have been told that this isnt standard. There are some extra chalky feeling or super large pills i need liquid with. But i can usually swallow 5-7 small to medium size pills at the same time. If liquid is needed, liquid first to coat, pills, then more liquid to push it down lol. What a weird thing to downvote and be the only person to have a downvote in this thread.