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Dear Pharmacist
Pill Swallowing 101
By Suzy Cohen, R. Ph.
 | | Suzy Cohen, R. Ph. |
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QUESTION: I have difficultyswallowing pills. Is there a trick to get one down, especially the time released ones which have to be swallowed whole. Please help me and others with this problem. H.H., Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
ANSWER: I can empathize with you; I've counted out many horse pills in the pharmacy. Getting medicine into your pets is far easier because they'll swallow anything as long as you wrap it in bologna! I'd actually like to speak with someone at Big Pharma regarding my invention of Viagra Cheese Sticks and Amoxicillin Matzah Balls. Since they are clearly behind the times, consider these strategies to help you swallow:
With capsules, tip your head down with your chin toward your chest because capsules tend to float. With tablets, tilt your head backwards to get the pill(s) as far back in your throat as possible.
Drink some water or juice before swallowing, this wets your mouth so the pills don't stick. Soda or sparkling water works well because the fizzis distracting.
If gagging is the problem, try to ease your anxiety with deep breathing or an affirmation like "I can swallow these pills with ease." Eating helps because food is huge compared to pills so it's a good primer. As a young 20-something, I had trouble swallowing tiny pills, but today I'm able to gulp six to eight vitamins at once, so I know the problem can be conquered.
Spray 'n Swallow is a product that contains 100 percent natural oils and flavors which coat your pills and make them glide down easily. (www.spraynswallow.com)
If your medication is crushable, then mix it with pudding, yogurt or applesauce. Ask your local pharmacist to see if your medi- cine is crusha ble and whether or not it can be mixed with dairy foods. Never crush Oxycontin, or any medication that ends in initials such as xr, cd, er, tr or td.
Ask your pharmacist about substitutions. For example, the anti-diabetic medication called metformin is quite large, but it's available as a flavored liquid called Riomet. By the way, metformin often causes weight loss, not weight gain as stated previously.
Here's a secret from behind the counter, virtually any medicine can be made into a flavored liquid, cream or patch by a compounding pharmacist. Just ask your doctor to phone the compounding pharmacy and they will design your perfect formula.
Readers: I am interested in hearing from you if you've suffered from the drug-mugger effect of medicines and found relief with vitamins. For example, if you take a cholesterol drug which depletes CoQ10, and you now take this nutrient to ease your muscle pain, I want to know. Or if you take B vitamins to replenish what acid blockers or hormones mug from you, then e-mail your testimonial to info@dearpharmacist. com.
Did You Know? If your eyes are overly sensitive to light, or you get migraines frequently, you could be deficient in riboflavin.
(This information is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Suzy Cohen is the author of "The 24-Hour Pharmacist." For more information, visit www. DearPharmacist.com.) © 2008 SUZY COHEN, RPH. DISTRIBUTED BY DEAR PHARMACIST, INC.
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