{"id":640,"date":"2020-07-18T15:33:11","date_gmt":"2020-07-18T15:33:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/?p=640"},"modified":"2020-07-18T15:33:11","modified_gmt":"2020-07-18T15:33:11","slug":"two-tricks-to-make-it-easier-to-swallow-pills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/two-tricks-to-make-it-easier-to-swallow-pills\/","title":{"rendered":"Two tricks to make it easier to swallow pills"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The expression that something is \u201ca hard pill to swallow\u201d isn\u2019t just a metaphor. Swallowing pills can be difficult and downright unpleasant. It causes one in three people to gag, vomit, or choke. That may keep people from sticking to their medication routines, which can make them sicker.<\/p><div class=\"mxyzw64eef458b6a36\" ><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8209967072221559\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"2673331731\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 1201px) {\r\n.mxyzw64eef458b6a36 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) {\r\n.mxyzw64eef458b6a36 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) {\r\n.mxyzw64eef458b6a36 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 768px) {\r\n.mxyzw64eef458b6a36 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (max-width: 767px) {\r\n.mxyzw64eef458b6a36 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n\n<p>\u201cWe often see people who can swallow food and liquid just fine but have difficulty with pills. Some people have an aversion to swallowing pills, and others have physical issues that affect their ability to swallow,\u201d says Denise Ambrosi, director of the Speech-Language Pathology Department at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to swallow a pill<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A study by researchers from the University of Heidelberg in Germany may help people with pill swallowing difficulties. They suggest two techniques that can help people improve their ability to get medicine down. Their\u00a0report\u00a0was published in the\u00a0<em>Annals of Family Medicine<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19729\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hhp-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/2020\/04\/92f997cd-0cd0-466b-8e38-cf4685ab1ed8.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-19729 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/hhp-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/2020\/04\/92f997cd-0cd0-466b-8e38-cf4685ab1ed8-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19729\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-19729\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pop-bottle method to swallow pills. Image Credit: Annals of Family Medicine<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The pop-bottle method is designed for swallowing tablets:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fill a plastic water or soda bottle with water.<\/li>\n<li>Put the tablet on your tongue and close your lips tightly around the bottle opening.<\/li>\n<li>Take a drink, keeping contact between the bottle and your lips and using a sucking motion to swallow the water and pill. Don\u2019t let air get into the bottle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Researchers asked about 140 people with difficulty swallowing pills to test this method with their eyes closed, swallowing large and very large pills. The result: a 60% improvement in swallowing over the old method of just taking a sip of water from a cup and trying to swallow.<\/p>\n<p>Study participants had even more success with a technique for swallowing capsules called the lean-forward method:<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19729\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hhp-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/2020\/04\/92f997cd-0cd0-466b-8e38-cf4685ab1ed8.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-19729 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/hhp-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/2020\/04\/92f997cd-0cd0-466b-8e38-cf4685ab1ed8-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19729\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-19729\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lean-forward method to swallow pills. Image Credit: Annals of Family Medicine<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Put a capsule on your tongue.<\/li>\n<li>Take a sip of water but don\u2019t swallow.<\/li>\n<li>Tilt your chin toward your chest.<\/li>\n<li>Swallow the capsule and water while your head is bent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This technique showed an improvement of 89% over the old method of taking a sip of water from a cup and trying to swallow.<\/p>\n<p>You can\u00a0download a handout demonstrating these techniques\u00a0from the\u00a0<em>Annals of Family Medicine.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Don\u2019t try this at home<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But don\u2019t rush to try out these pill-swallowing techniques, warns Ambrosi. \u201cThe study mainly found that people\u2019s\u00a0<em>perceptions<\/em>\u00a0of pill swallowing changed,\u201d she says. It\u2019s true; researchers only\u00a0<em>asked<\/em>\u00a0participants if their pills went down easier, they didn\u2019t get any images of what was happening physiologically during the swallowing tests or measure physical differences.<\/p>\n<p>So, it\u2019s not a given that one of these methods will work for you or be safe for you, especially if you have a hard time swallowing pills. \u201cYou\u2019ll need a thorough assessment first. Maybe there\u2019s something\u00a0<em>causing<\/em>\u00a0the swallowing problems that would only be identified with an instrumental swallowing assessment,\u201d says Ambrosi.<\/p>\n<p>Difficulty swallowing is called dysphagia. It can be caused by problems with nerves or muscles. Quite a few of those are involved in the swallowing process \u2014 25 pairs of muscles in the mouth and throat help prepare your food for swallowing. When you swallow, your airway closes, and you stop breathing for a moment. Trouble with the coordination of any of the nerves and muscles involved in the process can lead to choking or getting food or liquid into your lungs, potentially causing a type of pneumonia.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What you can do to help swallow pills more easily<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Until you know what\u2019s behind your swallowing issues, here are a few things you\u00a0<em>can<\/em>\u00a0do to make swallowing medicine a little easier:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Put a pill in applesauce or pudding. The texture can make it easier to swallow pills whole.<\/li>\n<li>Grind a pill into a powder and add it to applesauce or pudding.<\/li>\n<li>Cut a pill with a pill splitter and swallow the smaller pieces one by one.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Make sure you ask your pharmacist if it\u2019s okay to cut or grind a medication. Timed-release or enteric-coated medicines shouldn\u2019t be broken apart. It may also be possible to get your medicine in another form, such as a powder, cream, or liquid, so don\u2019t hesitate to ask.<\/p>\n<p>If you have trouble swallowing pills or anything else, don\u2019t put off getting an evaluation. Start with your primary care physician, who will likely refer you to an ear, nose, and throat specialist or to a speech-language pathologist for a swallowing assessment. Facing the possibility that you have a swallowing disorder may be a hard pill to swallow but learning ways to overcome it will make your future of taking\u00a0medication\u00a0a lot safer.<\/p><div class=\"boyxl64eef458b6a71\" ><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8209967072221559\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"2673331731\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 1201px) {\r\n.boyxl64eef458b6a71 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) {\r\n.boyxl64eef458b6a71 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) {\r\n.boyxl64eef458b6a71 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 768px) {\r\n.boyxl64eef458b6a71 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (max-width: 767px) {\r\n.boyxl64eef458b6a71 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n\n<p>Source:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/blog\/two-tricks-make-easier-swallow-pills-201411137515\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">health.harvard.edu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The expression that something is \u201ca hard pill to swallow\u201d isn\u2019t just a metaphor. Swallowing pills can be difficult and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":641,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[2542,2537,2543,2540,2536,2505,2498,2517,2521,2533,2509,2530,2503,2524,2538,2504,2510,2513,2501,2507,2544,2527,2512,2522,2541,2496,2532,2508,2529,2531,2511,2525,2534,2506,2528,2523,2516,2519,2497,2514,2526,2518,2535,2520,2515,2539,2499,2502,2500,2545],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=640"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":642,"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640\/revisions\/642"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stremon.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}