So You’ve Been Prescribed A Pill The Size of A Nickel: How to Swallow a Pill?
Conquer your pill-swallowing fears with our comprehensive guide, packed with proven techniques and strategies to make taking your medicine easier. Perfect for those with difficulties swallowing pills - discover how you can turn this challenging task into a breeze!
Are You Having Difficulty Swallowing Pills?
Having trouble swallowing pills can often feel like an uphill battle, particularly when faced with a pill the size of a nickel. Notwithstanding, encountering problems swallowing pills is far from a rare phenomenon. People across all age groups find themselves grappling with this task - from children to adults. Large or distastefully flavored pills, a dry mouth, fear of choking, or physical limitations can make swallowing tablets even more challenging.
How to swallow pills?
Despite some of these hurdles, taking medication isn’t optional for many of us—we have to figure out a way to push through. Thus, finding strategies to overcome the trouble of swallowing pills becomes critical. Here, we've compiled a set of pill swallowing techniques that can help you to swallow pills easier and safer.
The Lean Forward Technique: A Simple Yet Effective Solution
The 'lean forward method', studied and published in the Annals of Family Medicine, has been proven successful for a staggering 90 percent of study participants [1]. The trick lies in positioning the capsule on your tongue, taking a moderate sip of water, and leaning your head forward towards your chest as you swallow a pill. This technique can greatly reduce the difficulty of swallowing capsules and increase the odds of successfully swallowing your medication.
The Pop Bottle Approach: Use a Soda Bottle to Your Advantage
The 'pop bottle method' was devised by German researchers and demonstrated success with 60 percent of those involved in the study [1]. This technique involves holding a filled bottle of water with a narrow opening, placing the pill on your tongue, and closing your lips tightly around the bottle opening. The trick is to swallow the water without allowing air to sneak in, creating a reflex movement that facilitates pill swallowing.
Priming with Sprinkles: A Clever Strategy for Kids
Making kids swallow pills can often be a challenge. A practical method, which can also be used by adults who find swallowing pills difficult, is to start with small candies, or 'sprinkles'. Once a child is cleared to eat small candies without choking, usually around the age of 4 (although you should always consult your pediatrician), you can try this technique. Place a sprinkle on the child's tongue and coax them to take a sip of water or even suck on a straw, encouraging a natural swallowing reflex.
Pill Swallowing Cups: A Handy Tool for Easier Swallowing
Pill swallowing cups are an innovative solution available at many pharmacies. These cups are designed with a tube-like extension to support the person's gag reflex, making it easier to swallow pills. They help prevent pills from getting lodged in the throat, thereby making the process of pill swallowing less daunting.
Complex med schedule? We solved it.
Hero’s smart dispenser reminds you to take your meds and dispenses the right dose, at the right time.
The Unforeseen: When A Pill Gets Stuck
Despite your best efforts, a pill might get stuck in your throat. This situation can quickly escalate into a potentially dangerous scenario, posing not just a choking hazard, but also the risk of burning your esophagus lining if the pill dissolves there.
If this occurs, stay calm. If you can still breathe, take small sips of water or bites of food to try and dislodge or wash down the pill. Forceful coughing can also help. If your airway feels completely blocked, call 911 immediately and perform the self-Heimlich maneuver if you're alone [2]. If you're with someone else, or assisting someone who's choking, ensure 911 is called and the Heimlich maneuver is executed.
In Conclusion: Making Swallowing Pills Easier
If you are having a hard time swallowing pills, remember, you are far from alone in this. It can seem like an intimidating task, but with the right techniques and tricks, such as the ones detailed in this article, the process can become a lot more manageable. Try these strategies and see which ones work best for you.
However, it's important to note that if swallowing difficulties persist, you should not hesitate to consult with your doctor or pharmacist. They can provide advice tailored specifically to your needs and might suggest modifications to your medication intake method if needed. Here's to a healthier, smoother medication routine!
Sources:
[1] https://www.annfammed.org/content/12/6/550.full
[2] https://www.procpr.org/blog/training/self-heimlich-alone-and-choking
The contents of the above article are for informational and educational purposes only. The article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified clinician with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or its treatment and do not disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of information published by us. Hero is indicated for medication dispensing for general use and not for patients with any specific disease or condition. Any reference to specific conditions are for informational purposes only and are not indications for use of the device.
