Tips for swallowing medicines
Some people have a hard time swallowing pills, especially large ones.
Dr. John Swartzberg at the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter says there are things you can try to help the medicine go down.
"Just try to relax. Take a deep breath. Exhale before you take the pill. And sometimes that just inhibits that gag reflex a little bit," he said. "Another thing I've found that works for me is take a swallow of water before you put the pill in your mouth. Another trick is to put the pill way back on your tongue and then when you swallow some water it more easily goes down."
Some people find it easier to take a pill when the drink from a water bottle. Keep your lips on the bottle as you drink. That will create a sucking action that helps the pill go down.
Dr. Swartzberg says don't throw your head back. It won't help.
"It actually makes it more difficult because is stretches the esophagus and makes it harder to swallow. You can try tiling your head forward toward your chest and that will help the pill go down."
One more tip: skip the soda. The carbonation makes it harder to swallow quickly.
More information:
Tips for Swallowing Medicines
Dr. John Swartzberg at the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter says there are things you can try to help the medicine go down.
"Just try to relax. Take a deep breath. Exhale before you take the pill. And sometimes that just inhibits that gag reflex a little bit," he said. "Another thing I've found that works for me is take a swallow of water before you put the pill in your mouth. Another trick is to put the pill way back on your tongue and then when you swallow some water it more easily goes down."
Some people find it easier to take a pill when the drink from a water bottle. Keep your lips on the bottle as you drink. That will create a sucking action that helps the pill go down.
Dr. Swartzberg says don't throw your head back. It won't help.
"It actually makes it more difficult because is stretches the esophagus and makes it harder to swallow. You can try tiling your head forward toward your chest and that will help the pill go down."
One more tip: skip the soda. The carbonation makes it harder to swallow quickly.
More information:
Tips for Swallowing Medicines
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