A glass of water should free even the stickiest capsule. Eating some food after swallowing a pill makes sure that it goes down. Tipping your chin toward your chest can make the process of swallowing more effective. Many people have trouble swallowing pills and so don't take their medicines or take them less often.
If these ideas don't work, be certain to talk to your healthcare provider. There may be another medicine or type of dose that is easier to swallow. Search Encyclopedia.
Here's how to keep them sliding down: Get wet Lots of liquid — preferably water — is the key to swallowing a pill. You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter.
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It may help to relax the throat muscles by tilting the head forward while swallowing. It may also help to give the pill as little resistance to gravity as possible. This may mean sitting up or standing when taking it, as lying down may make it harder to swallow.
If a person can take the pill with food, a few smooth foods may make it easier to swallow. Foods to try include:. Chewing up a bite of food thoroughly and then adding the pill to the mouth before swallowing the entire mouthful may also help.
Some pills may work just as well if the person grinds them into a powder or empties the capsule. Then the person can simply mix the powder with a liquid or smooth food to take it. This may not be suitable for every pill, however, and the effects of the drug may change depending on how the person takes it. Lack of moisture is a common cause of a pill getting stuck in the throat. This may be especially true for pills that a person must take first thing in the morning.
Some pill coatings or capsules may also be more likely to become stuck. Some people may find it harder than others to swallow pills. This includes small children and people with a sensitive gag reflex. Older people may also have trouble swallowing pills, especially larger ones.
People with disorders that affect the throat, such as difficulty swallowing or painful swallowing, may also be more likely to have trouble swallowing pills. Getting a pill caught in the throat can be irritating and alarming. Most of the time, the pill is not stuck in the airway, but in the esophagus on the way down to the stomach.
It may be possible to cough the pill up or help it continue down by drinking more liquids or eating a piece of food. These are a few of many. Food and water are supposed to go down the esophagus and into the stomach.
This gives food and water the opportunity to get into the lungs. If food or water gets into the lungs, this can cause aspiration pneumonia. Aspiration pneumonia can lead to hospitalization.
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