Swallowing tablets whole

[NoNameNowAgain]

Does anyone have any tips on how to relax and do this.

I can’t do it with a swig of water, if that helps? I have to swallow them dry then drink the water.

Put a bit of water in your mouth, put the tablet in then drink loads more water.

Have them with a bit of food.

Place towards back of tongue, relax throat and swallow like when eating a big piece of pie

Ds uses a straw to take his.

Start small, like hundreds and thousands small. One of those swished down with water. Progress to those little old fashioned edible silver balls for cake decoration, swallow whole one at a time. The next size up is mini smarties, again, cake aisle.

Some people find a sparkly drink helps to move the tablet around your mouth to swallow, or a hot drink.

I always hit the seat next to me while taking a huge swig of water and somehow can swallow better if I do that.

Fizzy drinks... got a massive gag reflex in pregnancy and that's all that would help

Chew up some food and pip the tablet in the middle of it. It's amazing how I can swallow a huge piece of bread but not a tiny tablet.

Pretend you're not taking anything, just having a drink. And be thirsty so you swallow the drink quickly. Works for me.

See if this guide for children is any help. We had success with the advice to put the tablet in the middle of the tongue, not at the back, and use a sports bottle filled with water to wash it down (the suction from sucking the bottle helps). www.medicinesforchildren.org.uk/advice-guides/general-advice-for-medicines/helping-your-child-to-swallow-tablets/

Just have a drink, do think of it as taking a pill.

Just put pill at back of mouth and drink lots a tasty drink. It will go down without you knowing.

We do this with pets. Hide pills in cheese, ham etc. It works for people too!

Sorry "dont think of it as taking a pill"

Put in into some yoghurt

Practice with tic tacs

Try to not 'find' it in your mouth- if you have a mouthfull of water, throw the tablet in and swallow quickly before you can tell where it is.

Tablets sink, so tip your head back when you swallow
Capsules float so tip your chin down when you swallow

This may be very niche but just to check - are you sure it’s just a ‘relax’ thing? I had terrible trouble swallowing pills as a teenager and thought it was just as I couldn’t relax.

Turns out I was severely anemic and had a web growing in my throat which meant I genuinely couldn’t swallow anything not soft or very very small…

Tablets sink and capsules float. When taking a tablet pop on your tongue with water and tip your head back before you swallow.
When taking a capsule, pop on tongue with water and tip head forwards to swallow.

It’s all about where it goes on your tongue. Has to be near the back. And don’t think about it. Swallow and then have a drink immediately.

I’ve seen 6 year olds at the school I work in swallow tablets so I really don’t understand how people get to adulthood and haven’t learned how to do this. I remember it was the thing to do when I was in infant school to demonstrate how you could swallow an orange tic-tac whole.

It must be so tedious for medical staff when they have to administer drugs.

i wonder if this why there is such an availability of adult gummy vitamins now. They were only for kids a few years ago. Now the adult ones are everywhere.

come on, you’re a grown up, get some tic tacs and get practising!

That’s just odd advice. Tipping your head back will do nothing.

The tablet then sinks in the water in your mouth so is closer to the back of your throat and goes in first. Hence why tipping your head forward with a capsule does the same, it's the first thing that goes down the pipe

Tell me it's odd or wrong til you're blue in the face but it works

Put the tablets under your tongue,not on it or at the back. Yes it sounds bonkers but trust me :)

I take 11 tablets in a morning all in one go, tablets in then drink in a sports bottle with a straw, big suck & tablets go down.