I have to take extra calcium every day, I really have a hard time swallowing pills, especially the big ones. I found a solution, I put the pill between a paper towel and bang on it with a hammer until it is a fine powder. I sprinkle it every morning on what I am having for breakfast; i. e.: toast, cereal, eggs, etc. You can do this with any daily pill you have to take.
By Eileen Hays from Yorktown, VA
Editor's Note: Slow release or capsule type pills should be taken whole to work correctly. Consult with your doctor before grinding up your prescription medications.
This page contains the following solutions.
If you have trouble swallowing pills, there is a very easy solution. Place the pill in your mouth, then drink your water (or other liquid) through a straw. There's something about the closed-mouth sucking motion that helps the pill go down.
I have a lot of difficulty taking pills and vitamins I was thinking I have no trouble swallowing food, so what I do is when I'm eating I take my pills just before I swallow my well chewed food.
When I have to take a large pill I get a little pat of butter and coat the pill. It goes down very easily. No more cutting the calcium pills into small pieces.
When you are trying to take a capsule, you should put it in your mouth with a sip of water then tilt your head forward (down). When the capsule floats to the back of your mouth, swallow it.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How do you swallow a pill? I am trying to swallow the smallest pill ever, but I just can't do it. I'm scared I will choke on it, because I have in the past. Any ideas?
By A K
This is a trick my husband uses. First take a big drink of liquid, but do not swallow and then open your lips just enough to get the pill in, and swallow. You will need a mouthful of liquid to do this, but I have found it easier than any other way. Hope this helps you.
If it is a pill like asprin and not a capsule type you might try crushing the pill to a power and mix with water.
This will sound weird. Put the pill in your mouth, take a good size drink of water and lower your chin to your neck and THEN swallow. This actually opens the back of your neck much wider and makes swallowing easier. I used to have trouble swallowing pills for years. You do have to learn to relax and realize you are most likely not going to choke to death on them (in fact, all the frantic stuff makes it more likely it will be a problem).
Use might use applesauce or pudding. It helps to go down easier.
Another odd one. Take a bite of bread, chew it well, take it out and wrap the pill in it. Then pop it back in and swallow without any more chewing. Sounds gross but works for me. Good luck.
Try putting the pill on the tip of your tongue and then take a swallow of water.
If you can tollerate milk, take your pill with a swallow if it. It coats the pill and makes them rather slick and they go down easy.
Often the problem is that your mouth is dry, especially if you feel nervous. Take a sip of water first, put the pill on the back of your tongue, then take another drink of water.
I put the pills on a spoon full of apple sauce or sour cream and just swallow. Works great. No problems and can not feel the pill. Even large pills are done this way.
I didn't see this until tonight, but I have 2 ideas for you, which I and my friend Bill have used to give pills to pets. 1 - You can coat the pill with a little butter and it will go down easier.
Swallowing pills can be hard for some people. Here are some tips to help. Post your ideas.
I have found that the easiest way for me to swallow a nasty pill is to coat it with peanut butter. This completely hides the taste and size of the pill. Works for me every time!
Ok. So, I'm 14 and my mom recently got my vitamins that I have to take every single day. I suck at taking pills because I can always feel it in my mouth, so I know it's there. But, today I found out when you eat ice cream with a topping (mine had chocolate chips) just take a spoonful of it, place the pill & pretend its one of your toppings (: [Plus , you get ice cream everyday !
I have been taking pills since I was 4 (I was allergic to most liquid forms of medication, the flavorings mde me hyper) - Here's how I do it.
- Have beverage ready
- stick out your tongue
- place pill on the back/middle of your tongue
- pull in tongue and drink beverage
I have gotten down some big and unpleasant pills/vitamins this way. The more you practice, the faster you get.
A great trick/solution with concrete step by step advice!
My new 14 year old stepson had never once been able to swallow a pill. His major problem, as I assume it is with most people, was that his tongue kept involuntarily pinning the pill against the roof of his mouth when he went to swallow, keeping it from traveling to his throat. Therefore it occurred to me the key must be to control the tongue reflex.
Here's what we did if you want to try the same:
1. Pour a medium amount of water into your mouth, tilt your head back and let it settle back towards your throat
2. Pop the pill into your mouth as far back as you can toss it, hopefully to the point where it's submerged in water
3. Gently hold your tongue between your teeth, letting it stick out just a little
4. Swallow the water SMOOTHLY in one gulp while holding the tip of your tongue softly between your teeth until your done swallowing.
If you don't seize up and swallow in jerky motions, the pill will slide down easily before your tongue can slip back and trap it in your mouth. If you need to, stick your tongue out a little farther.
We practiced the above first with water only, then with progressively bigger candies, and finally with a pill. Ultimately we solved an 8 year problem in about 20 minutes. Give it a shot.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
Swallowing pills can be hard for some people. Here are some tips to help. Post your ideas.
