While it may seem like a fairly simple task, swallowing a pill is something that many adults and children cannot do easily. Fear of choking causes the throat to tighten, so the pill stays in the mouth until you spit it out. Fortunately, there are many ways to deal with the problem so that you can relax, overcome the fear of being choked, and make the pill go down easily.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Take the Pill with Food
Step 1. Eat some bread
If you try to take a pill but can't swallow it, try using a mouthful of bread. Peel off a small piece of it and chew it until you are ready to swallow it. Before swallowing, take the pill and make sure it sticks to the mass in your mouth. Once your mouth is closed, swallow it all with the tablet inside. It should come down easily.
- You can also use a piece of donut, cracker, or cookie. The consistency is similar enough to take the pill down once you've chewed the bite.
- You can also drink a glass of water later to make it go down easier.
- Some medications are taken on an empty stomach. Read the package leaflet to see if you need to take the pill away from meals.
Step 2. Cut a gummy candy
To swallow the pill, you could stick it inside a gummy candy. Take it and cut a small pocket in the center, then slip the tablet into it. Eat it, without chewing it. Just swallow, then once it's in your throat, take a quick sip of water.
- It can be difficult if you can't swallow the gummy candy. With a little practice you will learn!
- This method is especially useful with children. By disguising the pill inside a gummy candy you will make it easier to take the drug.
Step 3. Put the pill in honey or peanut butter
The pills can be taken using honey or peanut butter to help pass the lozenge into the throat. Fill a tablespoon with honey or peanut butter. Place the pill in the center, trying to sink it, then swallow it all with the medicine inside. Get some water down.
It is advisable to take a sip of water before and after the operation. Honey and peanut butter are quite thick and can feel like the bite is going down slowly. By moisturizing your throat before and after, you will speed up the passage of food without choking
Step 4. Try soft foods
If you can't take the pill with bread, try using a soft food, such as apple puree, yogurt, ice cream, pudding, or jelly. Fill a saucer, adding the pill. Eat some before taking it in your mouth, then take a bite of the lozenge. It should go down easily with the food as you swallow it.
Make sure you don't chew the pill
Step 5. Practice with small candy
One of the main reasons people find it difficult to swallow pills is that the throat stiffens by refusing entry. To remedy this, you can occasionally do a little practice by ingesting small candies, so that your throat becomes familiar with swallowing anything, without the danger of choking or hurting you. Get a small candy, like a mini M&M or mint. Place it in your mouth as if it were a pill and swallow it with a sip of water. Repeat this until you are comfortable eating sugared almonds of this size.
- Then move on to a slightly larger candy, like a regular M&M or Tic-Tac. Repeat the same operation until you feel comfortable.
- Practice every day for about 10 minutes until you are able to swallow a candy that is the same size and shape as the pill you need to take.
- This method can help children prepare for medication. Just explain that taking medication is serious business and that pills should not be considered candy.
Step 6. Eat the tangerines
Try ingesting whole mandarin wedges. Once you get used to it, pop the pill into a wedge and swallow it all. The slippery texture of the mandarin will facilitate the passage of the tablet, making it easier to digest.
Then drink some water to make sure it goes down more easily
Method 2 of 3: Take the Pill By Ingesting Liquids
Step 1. Take a sip of cool water
If you are taking medications, you need to make sure your throat is as hydrated as possible to make it easier for the pill to pass. Therefore, take a few sips of water before ingesting it. Put it on the back of your tongue, then drink until you swallow it.
- Drink some more water after swallowing the tablet to help her get off.
- The water should be cool or at room temperature, but not cold or hot.
Step 2. Try the two-sip method
Take the pill and place it on your tongue. Take a large sip of water and swallow, without swallowing the tablet. Then, take another sip of water and swallow it all together with the pill. Drink some more water to help the transition.
This method widens the throat on the first sip, allowing the lozenge to flow more easily into the throat, which will not open on the second sip
Step 3. Use a straw
For some people, using a straw to drink water or a beverage will help make the pill go down better. Put it on the back of your tongue. Drink something using a straw and swallow the drink and the tablet at the same time. Keep drinking after you swallow it to help it go down.
The suction used to draw liquid through the straw makes it easier to swallow the pill
Step 4. Drink plenty of water first
Some people find that drinking a large amount of water helps ease the passage of the pill. Then, take a sip of water, part your lips slightly to put the tablet in your mouth, then swallow the water and the pill together.
- If the lozenge seems to stick in your throat, try drinking more water after swallowing it.
- Fill about 80% of your mouth with water. If your mouth is too full, you won't be able to swallow all the water at once and the method will be less effective.
- Maybe you will feel the water or the tablet in your throat. Usually, such a sensation does not trigger the gag reflex and is perfectly harmless.
- You can use this method with drinks other than water.
Step 5. Help your child swallow the pill
It may happen that a 3-year-old child has to take a tablet. At this age, they may have difficulty understanding how to swallow or fear choking; if this happens, explain the process. An easy way to help him swallow a pill is to have him take a sip of water, telling him to hold it in his mouth, while looking up at the ceiling. Insert the tablet in the corner of the mouth and wait for it to reach the back of the throat. After a few moments, tell him to swallow. The pill should go down the throat with the water.
With your child you can try any of the methods described above, which involve the use of food or drinks, unless otherwise indicated
Method 3 of 3: Try Alternative Techniques
Step 1. Try sucking from a bottle
Fill a plastic bottle with water. Put the pill on your tongue, then tighten your lips around the bottle opening. Tilt your head back and take a sip of water. Keep your lips on the neck of the bottle and suck to introduce the water into your mouth. The water and the pill should go down the throat.
- Do not let air into the bottle when you drink the water.
- This method works best when you need to take larger tablets.
- The action of sucking widens the throat and helps swallow the pill properly.
- This method is not intended for children. Only adults should use it.
Step 2. Try to lean forward
To use this method, place the pill on your tongue. Take a sip of water, without ingesting anything. Tilt your head down with your chin facing your chest. Let the capsule float in the back of your mouth, then swallow it.
- This method works best with capsule-shaped pills.
- You can try using this technique with your child as well. After he drinks some water, just look down at the floor as you slide the capsule into the side of his mouth. When the pill floats, it can swallow water.
Step 3. Relax
For some people, taking the pills can cause tremendous anxiety. If you are concerned, your body will be tighter and it will be more difficult for you to swallow the lozenge. To avoid this inconvenience, you need to relax. Sit down with a glass of water and do whatever you can to relieve anxiety. Find a quiet place, listen to some music to unwind, or meditate.
- This will help calm your nerves and stop linking taking the pill to the stress it causes, so you are less likely to go wrong.
- If you have problems, you can speak to a psychologist to help you overcome the anxiety associated with taking the pill.
- If you are trying to help a child swallow a pill, help him calm down by distracting him from what to do before telling him to take the pill. Read a story, play a game, or find some other expedient to help him relax before the decisive moment. The calmer he is, the more likely he is to take the pill.
Step 4. Relieve your fears
Perhaps you are concerned that the pill will not be able to pass through the throat, especially if it is large. To overcome this fear, go in front of a mirror, open your mouth and say "Ahhhhh". This way you will see how wide the throat is and you will understand that a pill can clearly go down without any problem.
- You can also use a mirror to place the lozenge on your tongue. The further back you put it, the shorter the path it will have to take when you ingest it.
- You can also do this with a child who is terrified of choking. Do this together to show him that you understand his fears, but convince him that he has nothing to fear.
Step 5. Find an alternative to pills
There are many drugs on the market sold in different versions. You have the option to buy what you need in the form of syrup, bandage, cream, for inhalation use, suppositories or water-dispersible tablets, or tablets that dissolve in water. Talk to your doctor about various options, especially if you have trouble swallowing pills, no matter what methods you try.
Don't use the same pill to try various methods, unless your doctor tells you it's possible. Do not crush the tablets, trying to dissolve them in water, and do not try to use them as a suppository, when they are not intended for this use. Always consult your doctor before changing the way you take a drug
Advice
- Try buying pills that have a coating. They slide down more easily and usually do not taste unpleasant if they remain in contact with the tongue for some time.
- Try swallowing the pill with an ice cold drink or something savory to disguise the taste of the drug. However, some tablets cannot be taken with soft drinks or fruit juices. Ask your doctor if you are unsure.
- Any of these methods can be used to help children take pills, unless stated otherwise. Know how big your baby's mouthfuls are when he eats.
- Minimize the time the pill stays on the tongue. Get in the habit of putting it on your tongue and drinking the water by taking a quick sip.
- A lightly chewed banana in your mouth can adequately replace water.
- Use liquid or gel pills to make swallowing easier.
- Don't crush the tablets, unless your doctor or pharmacist tells you you can. Some pills can lose their effectiveness if they are squeezed or opened.
Warnings
- Keep all pills out of the reach of children. To improve its pleasantness, fruit flavors or sweet-tasting coatings are often used and children are attracted to them, thus swallowing a drug in excessive doses. Never tell the children that the pills are candy.
- Don't take pills for practice or play.
- Always consult your doctor or pharmacist to find out if it is possible to take a pill with food or drink other than water. Many medicines lose their effectiveness or even can produce unpleasant side effects when mixed with certain foods or drinks. For example, some antibiotics should never be taken together with dairy products.
- If you are still having serious difficulty swallowing pills, you may be suffering from dysphagia, a swallowing problem. Ask your doctor for information. However, keep in mind that those suffering from this dysfunction also find it difficult to ingest food, not just pills.
- Do not take the pill when you are lying down. Sit or stand up.
