Cant swallow tablets

[prendi]

Hi i saw my doc today who gave me tablets,even tho i told him i couldnt swallow them.He told me to crush them.when i asked for liquid medication he said it was too expensive!! just wondering if anybody has any tips on how to swallow them .the pharmacist said they shouldnt be crushed.is there anybody else with this problem or am i a weirdo??

[Old_Geezer]

Depends on the tablet as to whether it can be crushed or not. some contain time released bits you don't all want at once. Strange doc & pharmacist disagreed though.

Can only suggest gulping down lots of drink with each. Preferable non -alcoholic.

[ladyalex]

You're not a weirdo. Lots of people have this trouble and I think your GP was being mean...in every sense of the word.

Try eating a biscuit or a piece of bread/toast, then just as you are about to swallow the toast etc, pop the pill in and swallow the lot.
Much easier than trying to down them with a drink, IMHO.

[Sqad]

I really have difficulty in understanding the rationale of giving medication in a form that is difficult or impossible to take.

Yes, one could crush them, yes one could take them out of the capsules and swallow the powder..............but why not, if possible prescribe in liquid form?

Good luck.

[wolf63]

Don't try to swallow them - put them in your mouth, fill your mouth with water and swallow the water. It becomes habit after a while and really does get easier.

[tamborine]

drop them in your beer - you wont notice them.

[ubasses]

Had the same problem still have to break large ones in half. Did exactly as wolf recommends and it works. I also try to get them right to the back of my mouth and if they are lozenge shape make sure they are lengthways. good luck

[k8bailey]

don't have any bright ideas but really do sympathise - tablet form of a medication was prescribed for my 6 month old daughter a couple of months back....liquid form was too expensive...tablets didn't dissolve...complete waste of everyone's time and effort and tNHS money spent on prescribing a months worth of something un-useable!

If you can't manage go back to the doctor.

[scotman]

I sometimes have difficulty as well. Having some bread to eat at the same time sometimes helps.

[Mamyalynne]

I have just had 2 cocodamol crushed up in ribena and honey, but some tablets are slow release or coated so not always able to crush them. It is a very common problem.

[lcg]

when attempting to swallow...take a large gulp of water, tip your head back and feel that the tablet/capsule is right at the back of your throat before trying to swallow. most people who have difficulty try to swallow when the meds are still at the front of their mouth...and this is much more difficult. good luck x

[andy-hughes]

This has always worked for me.

Take a large mouthful of water and hold it.

Open your lips just enough to slip the tablet into your mouth.

Bend forward at the waist as far as you can get your head down towards the ground.

You will feel the tablet float in the water in your mouth.

In one smooth motion, straighten up and tip your head back and swallow.

The water will go down, taking the tablet with it.

[what..the?]

maybe try something thicker than water like soup, milkshake, soaked cereal,

I always had the problem growing up but now I can swallow most things....(.no one say anything lol!) But it still depends on the coating of the tablet the powdery ones stick in the back of my mouth and throat and leave a powdery after taste that makes me gag so for my contraceptive I have found one thats more shiny or coated/sugared they go down better, the brand is called yasmin in case people ask.

Good luck

Do you do a coated version/ sugared version of your medication?

[tigwig]

K8 bailey I cannot believe a GP could give a 6mth old tablets, I mean how dumb is that?!
prendi cannot offer any further advice but you are not a weirdo! I was like this until a few years back and it does get easier eventually.

[merciasounds]

I'm the same, I absolutely hate taking tablets - but if I have to I do this, take a small drink of water and swallow it, take a big mouthful, hold it in your mouth, slip the tablet between your lips and swallow the lot. Take another mouthful of water and swallow 9 times out of 10 i don't feel it going down. Good luck!

[shivvy]

What about going back to the GP (or phoning him) and telling him that the pharmacist told you that his advice re crushing the tablets was incorrect?
You could ask him whether he would advise you seeking a second opinion?

[whiskeryron]

something else that has recently crept in unannounced I have been taking Warfarin tabs for years & becase I have to vary the daily dose between 2mg & 1.5mg I have always been prescribed both tabs (in packs of 1mg & 500mcg) when my last script was issued I was informed by the Pharmacist ( Boots) that the manufacturers had stopped making the 500mcg tabs & I would have to break a 1mg tab in half, this is fine but it is imperitive that the daily dosage is accurate & you cannot always break a tab exactly in half so I have had to buy a tablet splitter which cost me over £6. Ron.

[k8bailey]

lol tig it gets worse....consultant peadiatrician at the hospital prescribed them not gp...he really should've known better!

[DaisyNonna]

Try putting a small amount of butter in a tea spoon. Tablet on top , a little more butter, roll the lot in a little sugar. No, without the teaspoon, silly. Pop into mouth, should slide down easily.

[starone]

I've just been trying to swallow my night time ones. The oval ones seem to go down easier than the round ones. Most difficult are the cocodamol. Damn things just wont go down. They keep coming back and they taste vile. I am going to try some of the hints given. Any port in a storm. If others find it easier to swallow the oval shapes it makes you wonder why all tablets aren't made that shape.