
Answer:
Some people are particularly prone to pills getting "stuck" in their throat (known medically as pill-induced esophagitis) (Kikendall, Dig Dis Sci 1983). This includes people who produce less saliva (which can occur with age, medical conditions such as scleroderma, or due to medications), those who have esophageal narrowing, and those who have difficulty swallowing (which can be caused by conditions including iron deficiency and calcium deficiency).
In most cases the pill only causes some discomfort and eventually goes down, but there are cases where a pill gets permanently stuck and begins to open, causing irritation, inflammation, and even perforation of the esophagus with serious consequences, as in the recent case of esophageal perforation due to a bone health supplement (Zijlstra, Case Rep Gastroenterol 2022).
Be aware that, in addition to pills lodging in the esophagus, pills can also be choking hazards if they block routes to the lungs, and pills (particularly iron pills) that make their way into the lungs can cause great damage.
Here are seven tips to avoid getting pills stuck in your throat:
1. Drink fluid
Drink water or another beverage (at least 200-250 mL or about 1 cup) when taking the pill (Saleem, StatPearls 2022).
There is some evidence, at least in older people, that it may be best for the water or beverage to be colder (less than 68 F) or warmer (105 to 140 F) than body temperature, as this may help to stimulate the swallowing reflex (Ebihara, J Pharmacol Sci 2011; Watando, J Am Geriatr Soc 2004).
2. Take one pill at a time
If you need to take more than one pill, be sure you’ve completely swallowed each pill with fluid (such as a cup of water), before taking another. This is because pills can potentially stick together, causing a blockage. This is of particular concern with larger pills, those with coatings, and those that contain hydrogels (Kupferman, ACG Case Rep J 2023 Jul).
3. Be upright
Be upright when taking the pill so that gravity can help move it down. It should normally go down within 90 seconds, but it is recommended to be upright for at least 30 minutes.
In general, it is recommended that the head also be in an upright, neutral position with no rotating or bending while swallowing.
Tilting the head back is generally not recommended as it may increase choking risk.
The following two approaches have also been suggested (Forough, Patient Prefer Adherence 2018 -- see illustrations here); however, people with swallowing difficulty due to muscle or nerve damage (as may occur with Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, after a stroke, etc.) should consult with their physician before attempting these:
- An alternative with which many ConsumerLab members have reported success, is to put the pill in the mouth with a viscous liquid or slurry food (e.g., a sip of milk, yogurt, or thick drink, like Ensure, or tablespoon of apple sauce) and then swallow this combination, followed by water or other beverage. Some also drink water or other beverage before taking the pill (as well as afterward).
- Place pill on tongue and take a sip of water, bend head forward and then tuck chin down towards the chest, then swallow the pill and water. However, in people with trouble swallowing, this technique prolonged the time for the pill to enter the esophagus and did not improve protection of the airway (Forbes, Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2021).
- Place the pill on the tongue and close your lips tightly around a straw or spout of a flexible bottle and suck water into the mouth. Then swallow the pill and water together.
4. Don’t take at bedtime
Don't take the pill right before lying down or going to bed. However, if you must lie down right after taking a pill, lie on your right side or your back. Because the stomach curves from left to right, gravity hinders the pill from reaching the intestine if you are on your left side (Lee, Phys Fluids 2022).
5. Eat a meal afterward
If permissible, eat a snack or a meal to help move the pill down. This will also improve the absorption of some supplements.
6. Choose a non-pill formulation
Consider chewable, liquids, or effervescent tablets instead of capsules, softgels, regular tablets or caplets. Gummies can also be considered in some situations, as can crushing tablets. If you must take a pill, be aware that sustained-release formulations may cause more injury, if stuck, than immediate release-formulations (Kikendall, Dig Dis Sci 1983).
7. Choose a smaller pill
The larger the pill, the more likely it is to get stuck (which is why we measure and show pill sizes in all of our product reviews on ConsumerLab.com). The FDA suggests that pills be no more than 17 millimeters long. To reduce pill size, consider, instead, taking more pills of lower strength (such as two 250 mg calcium pills rather than a single 500 mg pill).
You can also reduce pill size with ingredients that are more concentrated, such as an herbal extract rather than an herb powder, or a marine oil that provides more EPA and DHA per volume due to less non-omega-3 oils, which we show in our fish oil review (look for pills we've labeled "very" or "extremely" high concentration).
An exception to this is that you may want to avoid pills with strongly acidic or basic contents, as they are more likely to cause a chemical burn if they get stuck. For example, apple cider vinegar pills can be very acidic (you are better off drinking dilute apple cider vinegar than taking a pill, anyhow). Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and alpha lipoic acid are also somewhat acidic (and can also cause gastric (stomach) irritation due to this acidity). Some ingredients, such as potassium chloride, can also injure the esophageal lining by pulling water away from the esophagus (a hyperosmolar effect) if stuck to it (Hey, Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1982).
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Diane22930
June 05, 2025A simple solution: Dip the pill into coconut oil (which is edible and comes almost solid), and it will slide down your throat.
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Donald22803
May 18, 2025What works best for me is putting the vitamins in your mouth and fill your mouth with liquid Don't swallow yet. (thick juices like tomato are better). Swish all the pills around in your mouth for a few seconds so that all surfaces of the pills are wet/moist. Look at the ceiling and swallow. I can down a quite a few vitamins with this method.
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Elizabeth22344
March 25, 2025I choked on a large antibiotic pill. At first I was making a whistling sound, then no sound came out as no air was getting in or out. Fortunately my husband was there. He tried a couple of Heimlich maneuvers, to no avail. I collapsed forward on my knees and lost consciousness. He says he hit me very hard on my back a few times. The pill popped out and I breathed again. Afterward there was much coughing, gagging and saliva.
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Michael22330
March 25, 2025I’m a speech pathologist in a hospital dealing with swallowing disorders (dysphagia) for 33 years. If you have this kind of problem, and you’re at home or somewhere where it’s available, take your pills in a little spoonful of anything viscous, such as applesauce, pudding, yogurt. If those are not available when you have to swallow a pill, such as at a restaurant, chew up any kind of food really well until it’s mushy and pop the pill inside the mushy bolus of food in your mouth and swallow. Thin liquids like water or juice are the hardest, especially if chalky on the outside and large. Pill needs to be smooth, or put into a smooth substance such as mentioned above, and mouth and throat need to be moist in order for pills to slide down throat and esophagus, ie not get stuck.
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Carolyn D.
January 30, 2025I am only lately having trouble swallowing pills no matter the size. I tried everything to help with this. The thing that finally worked was eating a piece of bread to push it down and some water right after.
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Sidqi
December 28, 2024I can take "any" size pill with no problem, but if I notice a problem in pill size (very rare), I'll chew a few blueberries to lube the throat. Small football shaped pills NEVER stay down. My throat pushes it down, but because of the shape, and the way a throat works (I guess) it comes right back up--push down, comes halfway up---push down, comes halfway back up. 100% of the time, not 99% of the time, but 100% of the time it gets caught and eventually my throat coughs it up (with good force) and the pill lands onto the kitchen floor it's a relief because at that point I am gagging. I just got some algal oil pills of that, the label calls the "soft gels." Now I just chew them until the contents squirts out into my mouth. Then I toss the empty pill into the trash.
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Avi21274
December 04, 2024To help me swallow pills I take a large gulp of water, then tilt my head back and wait a moment to let the pill float to the very back of my throat... and then swallow.
Also taking my pills with a mouthfull of food helps.
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Thérèse
October 11, 2024If you have trouble swallowing pills, often choke on food, and find your voice weak or easily fatigued, you may want to consult a laryngologist: voice disorders can affect swallowing as well as speaking.
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David20845
October 11, 2024I take a lot of supplements and medications. Taking with very cold water definitely helps me!
Squirrelgirl
October 11, 2024I have found that taking them with either chocolate milk, (which makes it smoother going down), or tea/coffee with a creamer, also works best for me. I almost choked to death taking an ACV tablet with water that didn't have an enteric coating. It got stuck in my throat and blocked the route to my lung, and I had to call 911.
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MARY ANN20840
October 11, 2024Briefly rolling the tablet or capsule around in my mouth to coat it with saliva has helped me greatly. And I avoid uncoated tablets.
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Peter20833
October 11, 2024I always have problems swallowing large pills like calcium, magnesium, etc.
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Alan20559
August 30, 2024I often open the capsules and empty them into some liquid then consume. Tastes horrid but only briefly.
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Denise18784
February 21, 2024I always use warm water before and after taking pills. It seems to relax the thorax.
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Abby17641
August 25, 2023Applesauce works for me too. Thanks to nurses I've been doing this for several years .
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Margaret17640
August 25, 2023Regarding Iron Pills: I brought my hemoglobin from 7.6 to 13.9 in 4 1/2 months by eating 40 g Total cereal with 5-6 oz orange juice daily, 1-2 hrs after eating other food. Total has 18 mg iron in 40 g. My doc recommended this, but of course, I'm no doc--and this isn't medical advice, just my personal experience.
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Janet17636
August 15, 2023As a veterinarian, one trick my mentor taught me for cat pills is to coat them in a thin layer of butter just before giving them. When I was prescribed a large pill with a porous surface, which I found very difficult to get down, I made sure it was okay to take it with food, and then started doing this, and it worked like a charm!
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Mary Quigley
May 16, 2023A nurse told my husband to take applesauce with his pills. It works great!
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Jack17633
April 15, 2023I take several supplements every day of various sizes. I keep mineral water on hand just for that. It causes the pills to easily "float" down the throat.
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liveto94
January 05, 2023When I take my curcumin caplets ( I take several but one at a time but they are kind of large) they would often get stuck. As it turns out, it is best for bioavailability to take a couple of TBSPs of olive oil with the curcumin
(the curcumin with the black pepper extract built in aka piperine for additional bioavailability) I put the caplets into a small cup and pour the olive oil over the caplets. I use a teaspoon to fish them out (one at a time) to put on my tongue and then wash them down with with water. With a coating of olive oil they all slide down easily. When I'm done I then drink the rest of the olive oil that is in the cup (again, makes for better bioavailability of curcumin).
Mary17631
June 27, 2023This works for me, as well.
X-tine17632
August 15, 2023I like the idea of some olive oil with certain supplements, but "a couple tablespoons" of oil can add a significant number of calories to the daily diet. People should be aware that a single TBSP can add nearly 125 calories and 14 grams of fat to the daily total.
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John17628
October 16, 2022For capsules I take a big mouthful of water that expands my cheeks and this causes my throat to relax then I insert capsule in mouth and swallow. Also believe in leaning forward just a bit and generally relaxing my body. I crush or chew pills. When I take many supplemental caps & pills, I powder them in the blender, then add to liquid to drink.
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Abby17626
October 11, 2022Applesauce works great.
JEFF17627
October 14, 2022TAKE PILLS WITH A MILD TASTING OLIVE OIL .JUST 10 TO 20 CC.FOLLOW WITH A LIQUID.
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Belinda G17622
October 06, 2022Take a sip of water or whatever liquid, slip the medication in your mouth and swallow. Please do not wash it around, just swallow. Works every time in the hospital and at bedside of my hospice patients. I am a RN.
John17623
October 23, 2022Pretty much my method, but one should move it around a little to be sure the pill is fully wetted on all sides. That tends to make it much less adhesive as it goes down. So I don't wash it around, but maybe a tongue flip to get it fully wetted.
Judith17624
January 03, 2023Take a swallow of water to make sure your mouth and throat and esophagus are wet (You'd be surprised how dry they can get!). Insert pill followed by a medium swallow of water, swish pill once to get it to the back of your tongue, swallow and immediately follow with a full glass of water.
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Jackie17621
October 03, 2022I am a 65-year-old woman who hails from the South. My dad, the wisest man I've ever known advised me to take my medication with butter milk. He also treated his heartburn with butter mild and soda crackers. Alas, I have an intense dislike of butter milk. Fortunately, I never get heart burn and I think I could swallow a pumpkin!
Hbelle
April 11, 2025LOL thanks for bringing a little humor! My Grandma was from the south. I take my pills with mushed up wet soda cracker. Then follow with water. Must be a southern thing.
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Corra17620
October 02, 2022When a pill feels like it hasn't gone down, I just take a spoon full of refried beans and some more water and bingo the pill is down the hatch and I'm fine.
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csaz
October 02, 2022I find that if I pave the way with a sip or two of water, the pills and capsules go right down. Speaking of capsules, they float! So take a sip of water and then bend your head forward so that they float in the back of your throat. Then swallow. It could make a big difference.
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Marlene17615
September 25, 2022I found that by putting a pill as far back as possible helps in the pill getting down without getting stuck. The oblong pills or capsules I "point" towards the back of my throat when I place it on my tongue (again, as far back as possible) and they just slide right down. I rarely have problems with pills nowadays, but not paying attention when I'm swallowing always gets it stuck for me.
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dleecord
September 11, 2022I find that if I hold the pill between my teeth and start to swallow water then let the pill go with the flow of liquid helps alot
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Felice17612
August 27, 2022I am 90 yo and never in my life have swallowed a pill with liquid. In the hospital jello is allowed even when food is a no-no. Otherwise chewed banana, mash potato, scrambled eggs always work best. Greek yogurt lets me feel the capsule so it's more difficult but possible. Sometimes pills get stuck and I cough them up. The trick is to not feel them as they go down, then the gag reflex does not seem to be engaged.
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Beatrice17610
August 27, 2022Can I chew a pill and swallow it that way?
Only if it is formulated as a chewable tablet. However, depending on the type of pill and its contents, sometimes a tablet (that's not enteric coated or timed-release) can be crushed and mixed with food or a beverage, and the same can be done with the contents of some capsules and softgels.
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Jeanengineer1
August 23, 2022Nothing tastes better or works as well as sugar free Jello especially for pills that need to be taken on an empty stomach. I keep a bowl in my refrigerator at all times.
Jane17608
September 07, 2022Thank you for this
Jeanengineer1
September 11, 2022And since most capsules float, tip your head forward, they will go to the back of your throat for easier swallowing.
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Margaret17605
August 23, 2022I use V-8 juice--works better than water.
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donna17604
August 23, 2022I have OPMD and dry mouth.
I try to buy liquid and sometimes gummies. I empty my supplement capsules into applesauce. And if gelcaps are large i chew them.
I found pushing on the side of my throat and swallowing water when stuck on one side helps.
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nanci17603
August 23, 2022I have Sjogren's syndrome and have very dry mouth and throat. I make sure I take a large amount of water with pills to help flush them down.
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Bernice17601
August 22, 2022I use Yogurt which make swallowing easy.
beverly17602
August 24, 2022I also take my pills with yogurt. The consistency & thickness helps to move the pills quicker down my throat.
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Dale17600
August 22, 2022I have Sjogren's so my mouth and esophagus are very dry. I take all my pills and capsules with milk or non-dairy milk. The glass doesn't need to be all milk; you can cut it with water and the pills will still slide down. If I find myself somewhere with no milk, and I take it with water and it gets stuck, I eat a cracker or two and wash it down with water. That has always worked for me.
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Martha17599
August 22, 2022I have put a bit of oil on large pills.
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Laurie17598
August 21, 2022I use applesauce with pill taking to supplement moisture need. (Drop pill on spoon that is preloaded with applesauce). I follow it up with sipping a liquid to ensure pill and applesauce have cleared esophagus.
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Christie17597
August 21, 2022I have great difficulty swallowing pills of any size. All of my medications say to take with food, so I simply chew a bite of food, place the pill or pills in the chewed-up food, and swallow. I don't even feel the pills go down.
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William17596
August 21, 2022My success is with a tablet 7/8-inches long and 3/8-inches wide. I switched to swallowing it after dinner instead of before breakfast. It seems my throat was much more receptive later in the day.
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Linda17595
August 21, 2022I don’t usually have problems swallowing capsules but here is my foolproof method for hard pills or big capsules- I rub the pill on butter and coat it with the butter - so easy to swallow- slides down!
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Andrew17594
August 20, 2022Warm to hot herbal tea...or non-herbal earlier in the day, will also help get pills down the throat into the stomach a bit easier
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karin17593
August 20, 2022I have a gag reaction .. especially to what is considered the easier to take pill: the soft coated ones. But..they float and so it's worse for me to swallow them!... Here's what i do: I IMAGINE A LARGE OPEN TUNNEL... and using my IMAGINATION in this way... it generally works great. I also snap my fingers or raise my arms... this creates a bit of a distraction/command.. to swallow. xok
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Christine17592
August 20, 2022I have a fail-proof way of swallowing my pills. While I'm eating a meal, I chew every bite thoroughly and pop a pill right before swallowing. It works like magic. But that's only if you don't have to take pills on an empty stomach.
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D.
August 20, 2022Somewhere I read that swallowing water before taking the pill prepares the esophagus by avoiding a dry pill getting stuck to a relatively dry esophagus. My experience with stuck pills tends to involve fairly dry tonsil areas or dry throat, and swallowing a gulp before the pill makes sticking harder to happen, all the way down to the esophageal sphincter at the stomach, where I've also had a few stuck pills.
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Patricia17590
August 19, 2022I have never been able to take a pill even with water. I take a bite of food, chew it well and then pop in the pill just before I swallow the food. It seems to trick the throat to swallow. I can swallow a whole glass of water and the pill does not move.
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Joella17588
August 19, 2022Personal experience has show me that taking the pill with milk or a liquid protein drink like Ensure or Boost makes the pill much easier to swallow. It even allows swallowing several pills at once.
Cynthia17589
August 22, 2022Taking pills with warm water has been very helpful in reducing stuck pills.
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John17587
August 19, 2022Has no one but me figured out the fool proof way to take ANY pill? It's simple. Just take a large sip of water FIRST, but keep the water in your mouth without swallowing. Then, immediately slip the pill in between your lips. No water should leak out if you lips are at all functional! Then, swish the pill briefly so that it gets covered in water and swallow. Follow with another large sip of water. Simple as pie! Never fails.
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James-Henry17586
August 19, 2022When pills get stuck, I take a swallow or two of a carbonated drink. It seems to *fizz* the pill loose.
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Stephanie17584
August 18, 2022I have found that a teaspoon or more of olive oil helps to get stuck pills to move down my esophagus. Once I feel them finally traveling downward, I drink some water.
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carol17581
August 17, 2022Natural Grocers chewable Theanine with mannitol burned my esophagus- kind of exploded, burned for hours! There was a phone number on the bottle but when I called they said they didn’t make that product. Very painful, almost required ER visit.
Debra17582
August 19, 2022I use applesauce, put it on a spoon, put the pill on top and down it goes. I drink the water after swallowing the pill. I was getting water logged trying to get my pills down with just water.
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Patricia17580
August 17, 2022Wish I had followed #3 but was fooled because of how small baby aspirins are - the 81mg size. After months of taking them dry I finally realized they weren't going down when I developed a gurgling sound originating somewhere south of the back of my throat that hasn't completely healed years later. Recent articles suggest taking even just 81mg of aspirin can do more harm than good, live and learn.
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carlton17579
August 17, 2022I take a junior Mint to make it go down.
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Gene17576
August 17, 2022Speaking of vitamins, I don't fight it when swallowing is a problem, just chew it.
Just be aware that some pills have ingredients that can be irritants to the esophageal and lining may be intentionally coated to protect the esophagus, and some are coated or formulated to release later in gastrointestinal tract. It is generally best not to chew or break such pills.
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Lonnie17575
August 17, 2022For capsules, it works to suck on it and soak it with saliva and it slides right down with water.
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linda17574
August 16, 2022I put the pill on the middle of my tongue and press the tip of my tongue to the back of my front teeth and swallow a medium swig of water. But some pills are just too big and get stuck anyway ?? Then I ask about different formulas. It creates anxiety
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Rob17573
August 16, 2022Taking supplements with a high-viscosity liquid (such as a protein drink, V8 Juice, etc.) helps. Another danger: I was hospitalized with pneumonia after aspiration of a curcumin supplement that (unknowingly) stuck and dissolved in my throat.
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Pat17572
August 16, 2022Place capsule or pill on a soup spoon of applesauce and swallow; easy does it, one at a time. Pat
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Scramble
August 16, 2022I strongly recommend (especially for those huge pills) to take them with a teaspoon of some substance that is somewhat thick. Applesauce, yogurt, cottage cheese, pudding, or any other food that is similar in texture. Most who have difficulty swallowing also are fearful of the pills getting stuck, which leads to a reluctance to perform a vigorous swallow. Taking the pill with something pleasant that (by its viscous nature) requires a vigorous swallow (and adds lubrication at the same time) works wonders for getting the pill down easily.
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Janann17570
August 16, 2022Ditto on the applesauce!!
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Don17563
August 16, 2022In my 60 yrs. of taking supplements and harrowing escapes of blocked pills has taught me some lessons.
And here they are, Always take the hard-coated tablets with buttermilk, reason, it is the thick viscosity
that lets the pill slip on thru. If you do get a stuck pill that is preventing breathing, do the following, Do a deep-knee forward crunch ,this forces air back thru the esophagus and has always worked for me. This should be done very forcefully and repeat until relief is accomplished. If a pill has become lodged but breathing is still possible , then eat a piece of bread , chew well, and swallow tiny bits of it , and this has always worked for me. These situations will happen when we are preoccupied with other distractions. I reccomend liquid. powder form, or the caplets for those that have had previous bouts
of this dangerous dilema. A mortar and pestal for powderizing the hard coated tablets is another method of avoiding the problem. A note here, some mfg.s intend for the hard-coated tablets to pass thru the hi acidic stomach and on to the intestines where it is dissolved and metabolized.
One further note, People with diminishing HCL. (Hydrochloric acid), cannot dissolve the hard coated tablets or the encapsulate container which ends up stuck to the intestinal wall cavity.or will block any critical duct leading to a forced operation to remove the debris. I do not use water to swallow tablets because it is too stringent and not viscose ,(slippery).
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Laura17562
August 16, 2022I am very cautious when swallowing any size pill - just have difficulty - I crush the pills, break open large capsules and sprinkle on food - best for chewable pills. My last try was Advil PM - seemed small enough, plenty of warm water and it stuck in my throat - I gaged and coughed - really frightening but finally came back up and out.
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Jean17561
August 16, 2022Good suggestions. I also sometimes coat a pill with butter first.
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Babette17560
August 16, 2022The best position to swallow is with your chin down. This closes the airway and opens the gullet. Tilting your head back does the opposite. I am a nurse and don’t understand why so many people think that the latter position helps you to swallow. You lose control when you do that.
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Jeffsan
August 16, 2022I take a mouthful of pills with warm water and they go right down. I used to get pills stuck when I took them with cold water.
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Parkinson's Patient
August 16, 2022A viscous substance such as yogurt or kefir is a great help in getting pills down and removing stuck pills.
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AnnAnn
August 16, 2022Since I take many nutritional supplements I used to speed up the process by taking several at a time. Until the day I almost choked to death. I was alone in the house and couldn't breath. I did a sort of Heimlich maneuver on back of kitchen chair and managed to cough/vomit them up. Now it's ONE pill at a time, even if they're tiny!
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Shirley17556
August 16, 2022I put the pill on a teaspoon filled with apple sauce.I put my head down while swallowing. Putting your head back is an invitation to choking. Add more apple sauce after swallowing.
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Glenn17555
August 16, 2022I filed a complaint with the FDA against Puritan's Pride for their Calcium Citrate+Vitamin D3 Miniatures. These pills are square shaped and very large. They are painful to swallow do lodge in the throat. I never heard back from the FDA. I have no financial in this, or any other supplement supplier.
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Jim17554
August 16, 2022I have also had problems swallowing larger capsules or pills, which often got stuck. I found that water or thin liquids like tea were not the ideal lubricant when pill-taking. Instead I now use thicker liquids like vegetable juice or kefir (liquid yogurt). These make it easier to swallow the pills, and I have far fewer problems.
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Nancy17553
August 16, 2022I saw a tip years ago about tilting the head a bit forward instead of backward when swallowing a large pill. I drop my chin about an inch just before swallowing. Maybe this position opens up the esophagus? It works great for me.
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Lynda17552
August 16, 2022I once ended up in the Emergency Room due to 2 tablets getting stuck in my throat right at the juncture of the esophagus and Trachea. They tried to move it with instruments (very uncomfortable) to no avail. After hours of alternating attempts to dislodge them followed by X-rays they finally scheduled me for surgery the next day. They also told me that If I could just let a few drops or more of Coca Cola go down my throat it would slowly dissolve the pills. I tried that when I had it happen again (but not so deep this time). It worked! I now keep one can of Coca Cola (similar colas would probably work too) in the pantry at all times.
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Wendy17551
August 16, 2022The label on my prescription states to "take medication with plenty of water." Plenty? A large gulp? A glassful? I think the label should be more clear.
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Sheri17548
August 16, 2022My magic formula for taking pills:
Hold water in my mouth first. Slip pills in & then swallow all. Pills never touch, so no gag reflex ; )
John17550
August 21, 2022Yes! And here I thought I was the only one who had figured that out! (See my post above (or below, I'm not sure who posted first.))
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Debra17547
August 16, 2022I take my pills with tepid or lukewarm water rather than cold water. Seems to help them go down a little more easily.
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Mark17546
August 16, 2022I have had terrible problems taking supplements in the past with pills getting "stuck". If the other suggestions here don't help, this very likely will work. However, it is more involved, so it is probably not your first option to try.
You need a thickener like guar gum or gum arabic (acacia) and a second non-thickening powder. I suggest inulin. Mix 1 part gum powder with 8-10 parts of inulin. This can be done in sizeable batches. Add a spoonful of the powder blend to water and stir it until all the powder is dissolved. It should make a nearly clear solution. The solution will probably continue to get thicker for a while so it is good to make this 10 minutes or so in advance at least until you have figured out the best powder/liquid ration to get a nice viscous solution that is not so thick it looks like pudding. Take your pills with a mouthful of this liquid and the pills should slide right down. The 8-10 powder ratio is a starting point. You could add more guar but too much makes it very hard to dissolve. Also, the powder will hydrate quicker in warmer water.
BTW, another tip on taking pills: don't lean forward when you swallow. Keep your head erect. Many older people (and, now, many younger ones) have a tendency to lean forward when eating/drinking/taking pills. This constricts the esophagus a bit and makes it easier for pills to get stuck on the way down.
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LIDA17545
August 16, 2022It also helps to look up at the ceiling as you swallow.
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Banzie
August 16, 2022The best way for me to take a big pill is how they did it in the hospital with a teaspoon full of applesauce. I keep those small containers of applesauce just for that. You can put the pill on top of the sauce and swallow without chewing.
Jan17544
August 17, 2022I wish this worked for me! The pill is a solid lump on my tongue despite the applesauce, the urge is to chew, not swallow the pill whole. But I understand this works great for most people.
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Marilyn17542
August 16, 2022My husband is a diabetic with type 2 and has Hypertension, Gout. Chronic pain from digestive disc disease and too many other conditions to mention. He takes many pills thought-out the day and he makes sure he drinks plenty of water and sometimes the pill gets struck. The problem is with the pharmaceutical companies. You have NO choice as to the size of pill!
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clyonesse
August 16, 2022Suggest drinking some water also BEFORE taking the pill. This should lubricate the throat when swallowing the pill with more water.
Jennifer17540
August 16, 2022Absolutely.
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Total Wellness17538
August 16, 2022I once refluxed an antibiotic in my sleep. I got an esophageal ulcer. Taking medication at bedtime can lead to real health issues. Now with the scarring swallowing is more difficult. Thank you for sending out these tips.
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Candis17536
August 16, 2022You can also move the pill around in your mouth to make sure it’s wet before positioning it to swallow.
Olivia17537
August 17, 2022I've had good luck with a (well-chewed) bite of a juicy apple - including the skin too. It feels as if the smoothness of the apple, plus its small bulk, nudge the pill on down.
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