How to Swallow Pills with Greater Ease

Some people have no difficulty at all swallowing pills, but other people struggle with it. If you have trouble swallowing pills, please read this article to learn tips about how to swallow pills with less difficulty. However, you should always consult your doctor before attempting any of these pill swallowing strategies.

Instructions

• 1

  Remember that certain health supplements and medications come in chewable forms. For instance, you can purchase flavored chewable multivitamin supplements for adults. Also be aware that some medications are available in liquid form. Indeed, if you have been prescribed a particular medication, talk not only to your doctor but also to your pharmacist about your difficulty with swallowing pills, and they may be able to come up with a alternative ways for you to ingest the medications you need.

• 2

  Try your hardest to get yourself into a peaceful state of mind. When you are relaxed, it can sometimes be a little easier to swallow pills. For this reason, try unwinding by meditating or doing some deep breathing before you attempt to swallow pills.

• 3

  Some people place a pill far back on their tongue before swallowing (with water). (Other people find that this method only makes them feel even more nervous. It can even cause some individuals to gag.) You know yourself best, so only try this trick if you feel it would work well for you.

• 4

  If you struggle with swallowing pills in general, never, ever attempt to swallow a pill without a beverage. Some people who do not have any difficulty whatsoever swallowing pills are able swallow pills without water, but for people who struggle with swallowing pills, this is never a good option.

• 5

  A trick that works for some people who struggle to swallow pills is to take pills with a carbonated beverage (such as carbonated water) instead of with a non-carbonated beverage like water. The carbonation seems to provide a helpful distraction from the actual act of swallowing pills. (The writer of this eHow article has used this strategy on numerous occasions, and it does help.)

• 6

  Perhaps you don't mind swallowing small pills, but you struggle with larger pills. Some pills can be cut in half, or even into quarters, and then swallowed one half or one quarter at a time (with a beverage, of course).

• 7

  Some capsules can be opened, and you can consume the powdery substance inside (perhaps mixed into apple sauce), rather than attempting to swallow the whole capsule. Also, some pills can be crushed up and consumed with or without food (depending on whether or not you are allowed to take that particular medication with food).

• 8

  Some pills can be chewed instead of swallowed whole, although be forewarned that most medications do not taste good (as you well know), and so if you do chew your pills, you will want to drink something pleasant tasting (like juice) immediately afterward. You may even want to brush your teeth after drinking the pleasant tasting drink, just so that you can really get the medicine taste all the way out of your mouth. (Similarly, some people find they can consume a small pill if they hide the pill inside of a small mouthful of food.)