I've never been able to swallow pills. Now I need to and every day is a struggle.
I was recently diagnosed with a condition requiring daily pills. One of the pills can be crushed, but the other must be swallowed (delayed release). There is another option, but the delayed release pills are more effective, and I'm pretty miserable right now so I'd really like to make this work. Whenever I try to swallow a pill, it's like my tongue stops working and I can't move the pill to the back of my throat. I'm aware it's all psychological as I can swallow candy and chunks of food way bigger than a pill but this has been a lifelong struggle.
First, I do not have any general swallowing difficulties. I have a completely normal swallow for all other things. Secondly, my pill has no restrictions on taking it with other food or drink and I don't have dietary restrictions. Thirdly, my pills are small. These are not horse pills by any means. They are also solid tablets, not capsules.
Question: What strategies have worked for you or someone you know for swallowing pills?
Every time I search online, it talks about a study using the pop bottle method. where you place the pill on your tongue, and basically make a suction with your mouth to a plastic bottle while drinking. This has been successful for me; however, every day I struggle more and more. It now takes me drinking 30-60 ounces of water, 20+ attempts, and I often have to wait an hour to try again because I get so bloated. It also makes me pee excessively for the next few hours, which is a problem as it's a nighttime pill and due to my medical condition, I already sleep poorly, so combining that with waking up to pee is not great.
But it's the only method I can really get to work. But this is a huge timesuck. The two issues I have are, the the pill is sucked out of my mouth into the bottle, or the pill just kinda floats around my mouth, sometimes getting stuck between my teeth and my gums.
I've also tried hiding it in my own food. I tried bananas, but I couldn't get the mashed banana to hold itself together, and if I can feel the texture of the pill at all, I can't move it to the back of my throat. Pudding was also a failure, I think for the same reason - it doesn't hold the pill suspended in it. Also tried rolling it up in a small peice of meat, but as always could feel the pill which means my tongue won't help me move it to the back of my throat.
The only food I've been successful with was macaroni and cheese, but it has to be elbow macaroni so I can stuff the pill inside the actual noodle. Due to the thick nature of the noodle, I can't feel the pill easily, allowing me to swallow easily. And the thick sauce means that it still feels like food to me, so I can be successful. The thing, having to have macaroni on hand all the time is annoying. Also I can't use just some basic kraft macaroni because the noodles they use are too narrow.
So to further clarify the question, are there any strategies to make taking the pill with water easier? Secondly, are there any other good foods to try putting it into? Anything soft, or that can melt are not working for me. |
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