tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post109035125356465899..comments2024-03-14T05:19:03.379-05:00Comments on Koranteng's Toli: On swallowing pillsKorantenghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280138409675883100noreply@blogger.comBlogger152125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-79172127732894577662012-03-10T10:15:26.914-06:002012-03-10T10:15:26.914-06:00THANKS PETER!! I am 46 and using Peter's metho...THANKS PETER!! I am 46 and using Peter's method of swallowing has cured my inability to swallow pills! I have struggled with this my whole life and never knew all I had to do was learn how to swallow properly. WOW! I have swallowed a rather large vitamin the last 2 mornings with no difficulty using Peter's method. THanks again Peter!Terry E :)https://www.blogger.com/profile/08257164363344902641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-81358321004418217442012-03-07T06:56:40.246-06:002012-03-07T06:56:40.246-06:00I feel you... am 23 and should "know better&q...I feel you... am 23 and should "know better"... but those pills can't go down. My throat just closes up--I know it's all in my head, a fear factor--and I can barely swallow the water around the pill while the tongue stubbornly holds the pill in place against the roof of my mouth. I have a bad habit of grinding pills-- coated capsules you can just open and shake up in a small amount of water to drink, but I am afraid of the damage it may do to my stomach :( Nevertheless your stories of pacing and head tilting and all the 7-10 minute ordeals really hit home...and you've inspired me to try harder tomorrow. :)Angienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-26272079756160227722012-03-06T07:40:17.134-06:002012-03-06T07:40:17.134-06:00Swallowing pills eh? It's not very pleasant I ...Swallowing pills eh? It's not very pleasant I agree but it might amaze you think that some medicine is quite enjoyable, may even want you to take them when not sick...Right about the vitamins thingy though..Senyonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-48218832705742493822011-12-22T20:48:03.599-06:002011-12-22T20:48:03.599-06:00I'm in my late teens and I've never been a...I'm in my late teens and I've never been able to swallow pills. I have a phobia of anything doctor related. I have panic attacks if I need to get a shot. I recently hot to get a shot for hepatitis prevention and I couldn't do it. My nurse almost tried to give me a guilt trip, but I didn't care. I started crying and she had to hold me down. My nurse even told me that she would have to call the whole staff. It took about 30-40 mins until I was able to take the shot.<br /><br /> A similar thing happened when I when I went to Europe and I was convinced that I had a blood clot. I had to get my blood drawn and I had a panic attack. I had to take my vistaril and I told the doctor that I couldn't swallow pills and he said that was normal. He didn't even give me a hard time with it! Why can't all doctors be like understanding like that?<br /><br />I always dread when I get sick and the doctor finds out that I can't swallow pills. I hate the looks I get and the guilt trips I'm given. Like how at my age I should know how to swallow pills and the my fears are silly. Over the years my main doctor has come to understand my fears, but I always hate when pills are brought up, because then she finds out that I still can't do it. It's embarrassing. Antibiotics taste like crap, I'm talking about the liquid version. <br /><br />The only medication I take is vistoril, which is for anxiety. When I went to Europe I would just break open the capsule and pour it into my mouth. It surprisingly doesn't taste bitter and bad. Now, I just blend it with tea or juice. <br /><br />I can't swallow anything unless I chew it first. I was always taught to chew my food, so maybe this is where it started? My doctor said that I should try swallowing a M&M, but that's way to BIG!!! I can't even swallow small things, like Claritin. I used to take that and I could only "swallow" it if it was practically foam on my tongue or dissolved in a drink. My family have stopped trying to get me to learn how. <br /><br />To boost my immune system, I sometimes go herbal and take Cat's Claw. I can only take it with honey. Ginseng also helps. I'm glad to have found others like me that share the same phobia. None of my friends have this and I'm too ashamed to bring it up with them... Experience Project might have a group for this, if not someone should defiantly create one:)S.Emeraldhttp://blueemeralds27.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-76140077034633221562011-11-21T12:37:49.403-06:002011-11-21T12:37:49.403-06:00I completely and whole heartedly understand. Getti...I completely and whole heartedly understand. Getting doctors to understand this is completely another story! Thank God I have at least 3 doctors who don't look at me, as though I have 4 heads. That is good enough for me. I get all my pills re-constituted into liquids by APEX Pharmacy. When you think about MOST pills DO come in liquids, however, doctors are so used to prescribing pills off the top of their head, that they don't even consider the liquid form! How RUDE. Some doctors make me want to smack them around. Not everyone in their mother'in-law can swallow pills have a little heart?! I go through this crap every time when visiting new doctors and it aggravates me that they don't understand. BTW I am 44....so you are not alone...believe me. Cheers to all of us who are in the same boat. Yes...We should form a support group! :) Or we can make this one a "group!" All I can say is put your foot down, regardless of the look they give you or the rudeness they display.Cathy Fusconoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-14550962990674218292011-10-11T19:53:25.249-05:002011-10-11T19:53:25.249-05:00I'm not chicken because I am 14 and I am takin...I'm not chicken because I am 14 and I am taking horse pills as I write this for a bad cough.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-5235764161579558042011-09-26T18:30:57.772-05:002011-09-26T18:30:57.772-05:00I've been having problems taking my 500 mg Amo...I've been having problems taking my 500 mg Amoxicillin pills as well. When I absolutely cannot swallow them & have no choice but to open them up, it is very easy to mask the bitter taste with some very sweet tapioca (I had some made from having strep) or pudding. Mix it on the spoon & it'll go right down.<br /><br />The thing that's been really hard with these pills is that they float in my mouth. So depending on how my head is tilted, the pill is either forcing itself into the back of my throat or staying as far away from it as possible. Bleh.<br /><br />I used to have a really rough time as a kid swallowing even small pills, but I've had so many headaches growing up, I eventually just forced myself to learn. The big ones often still give me trouble. Hope this helps!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-55219575824429439142011-08-30T21:47:10.804-05:002011-08-30T21:47:10.804-05:00I a 28 year old female and have never been able to...I a 28 year old female and have never been able to swallow pills either. But I'll tell ya what I do. I chew some food like cheese or bread something that isn't too thin, like cereal, and I shove the pill insidethe food and then I swallow. It works everytime. Good luck!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-31041288422182021032011-07-25T23:02:22.619-05:002011-07-25T23:02:22.619-05:00I have had issues swallowing pills my whole life a...I have had issues swallowing pills my whole life as well as food on and off over the years. I started college last year, and I had two choking incidents my first week there; and for nearly the whole year I could only eat pastries because after three bites of hot or cold foods I'd start to gag. I was even afraid occasionally of bringing coffee to drink during my classes because I thought I might gag on it in front of everyone.<br /><br />Now I need to swallow a huge capsule for this radioactive iodine uptake test to diagnose if I have hyperthyroidism. What pains me is that the test, I know for a fact, is available in liquid form, yet the office refuses to obtain it. <br /><br />The test costs $452, with insurance, and I'm not paying good money for a bunch of nurses to scold me for not being able to swallow it. We all of have our phobias and mine happens to be pills. It's not like I'm being purposefully difficult for the fun of it. And no one else on this page is either.<br /><br />Many people have trouble getting pills down. It's not like I haven't tried. I know that 40% of Americans have difficulty with pills. That's nearly half the country. We pay good money for our medications, the least pharmaceutical companies or doctors can do is cater to those of us who have trouble swallowing pills by producing medications in liquid or chewable form. If you think about it, swallowing pills is unnatural. We have teeth for a reason. <br /><br />I'm willing to try the clenching my left fist method, the taking sips of coke first method , and the famous Peter's method, because I would love to swallow pills like everyone else. However, the pharmaceutical industry should try to cater to the sizable minority who can't.Saranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-4739407930965795472011-07-14T07:57:14.591-05:002011-07-14T07:57:14.591-05:00I'm nearly 60, and have nurtured this secret a...I'm nearly 60, and have nurtured this secret all my life - I can't swallow whole pills. So what a relief it was to find this site, and see that I am not alone! Thanks go to Koranteng, for starting the blog, and to all the other posts for being so brave about their predicament - after all swallowing is supposed to be such a fundamental thing, and so many health professionals don't seem to understand. Finally HUGE thanks go to Peter, who ought to be canonised, for suggesting a remedy which made me realise that I AM swallowing incorrectly, and I'm practising his method and building up confidence. Also thanks to everyone for the apple sauce idea, which was new to me. I've found another site with the same instructions which you can print out: www.newhopesoleburydental.com/pdf/tounge_thrust_swallowing.pdf (yes, tounge is correct for this address).<br />Do the rest of you have problems at the dentist - lying flat on my back, I can't swallow the pool of water that collects at the back of my mouth while the dentist is working!<br />Good luck to everybody.AnnieGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-8734573646616371682011-06-02T16:53:43.586-05:002011-06-02T16:53:43.586-05:00I had these problems as a child & always chose...I had these problems as a child & always chose the chewable or liquid alternatives because I was simply afraid of swallowing a pill whole. A few years back by chance I discovered a technique that was so simple that I couldn't believe I hadn't discovered it earlier.<br /><br />1. Sip some water. This will lubricate the mouth<br /><br />2. Put the pill in your mouth. You probably won't be able to taste it because of the water inside already.<br /><br />3. Clench your LEFT fist by putting your LEFT thumb in the centre of your palm & wrapping the rest of your fingers around it forming a fist. Doing this has been proven to desensitise the gag reflex.<br /><br />4. Get your bottle or glass of water & keep drinking large sips & swallowing quickly until it has gone down.<br /><br /><br />That's it, once you put that into practice you can swallow even the largest horse pills. Don't believe me? TRY IT!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-1638663585379832042011-05-06T22:40:24.683-05:002011-05-06T22:40:24.683-05:00This is my story and technique
I used to be able ...This is my story and technique<br /><br />I used to be able to swallow pills with no problem but after a chocking experience I developed a phobia and became unable to swallow any pill even if they were really small. I tried to avoid any medicine or try to find it in a chewable / liquid format (using children's versions mostly). One day I had to take a pill that wasn't available in such format. I was dreading it but my pharmacist gave me the following technique:<br /><br />He told me to get a cold Coca Cola get 2 quick sips then instantly put the medicine in my mouth and swallow it with water.<br /><br />As it turns out if you drink cold Coca Cola quickly it numbs your throat so you don't feel the pill at all. <br /><br />So I put a glass of water in front of me, hold my pill in my left hand, quickly take 2 sips from Cold Coca Cola, instantly put the pill in my mouth and drink water and swallow. It works for me. <br /><br />I don't know if other cold liquids would numb your throat or not.Ivynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-46234143882058410632011-05-01T01:02:05.949-05:002011-05-01T01:02:05.949-05:00I gotta say,
PETER I LOVE YOUR TECHNIQUE!!!!
Wor...I gotta say,<br /><br />PETER I LOVE YOUR TECHNIQUE!!!!<br /><br />Works brilliantly for someone who has had issues most of my life swallowing pills.<br /><br />This works 100% and I can swallow pills so easily now!!!<br /><br />THANKS!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-61145207720262994462011-04-09T10:30:24.083-05:002011-04-09T10:30:24.083-05:00lol, i like how you explain the long production.
...lol, i like how you explain the long production. <br /><br />i have been practicing and now downgraded to a medium production run. <br /><br />i know its all in the mind, just gotta take a few big deep breaths and relax your body and drink as normal. sounds easy, but it ain't.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-39253271384807692462011-03-30T13:06:38.893-05:002011-03-30T13:06:38.893-05:00Seven years and this blog post from 2004 is still ...Seven years and this blog post from 2004 is still going strong.<br /><br />I've just come back from a humiliating trip to the hospital and searched google for 'cannot swallow pills'. What a relief.<br /><br />I actually always knew I wasn't alone, because my last doctor said he had many patients who couldn't swallow pills, and he had no problem prescribing medicine for me in liquid or chewable form.<br /><br />I had to go for a thyroid uptake test today and take that radioactive pill... well, actually, I couldn't take it. Now I've had this test done TWICE before in the state I used to live in, and both times I got either liquid or an IV. They looked at me like I was crazy.<br /><br />I honestly tried my best, but at the end was crying and humilated. I just could not get that pill down. I called my doctor's office and the woman on the phone acted like I was a child.<br /><br />I was trying Peter's method but I must be doing something wrong, because when I smile the water dribbles out. I'm going to keep working on it. I also like the method given by Anonymous at 2:25 PM, August 30, 2007 <br /><br />I really hate the way I was treated by my doctor's office. I am 47 years old and it' s not like I don't have YEARS of trying to swallow pills behind me. I knew I was going to have to take a test today, so I was practicing all week before hand with baby aspirin. It was about 50/50 if I could even get them down, and to me that was a huge success. The pill at the hospital today wasn't huge, just about the size of a tylenol, but after 20 oz of water and countless tries, I just couldn't get it down.<br /><br />When you google "can't swallow pills" there are a lot of people with the same problem. I think it's unconscionable that medical personnel treat us like children.Gag if I trynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-14804450210868675422011-01-13T01:55:12.412-06:002011-01-13T01:55:12.412-06:00Hey mate I totally agree with you... I see others ...Hey mate I totally agree with you... I see others doing it so well and I thought that i was the only one who couldn't swallow pilss at my age.. well now i've got anit-biotics in capsules to take and it's so bitter i gagged...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-57893421456758935762010-11-13T10:04:40.568-06:002010-11-13T10:04:40.568-06:00Great story! I needed some reassurance I wasn'...Great story! I needed some reassurance I wasn't the only one with this incredibly frustrating problem. I turn to the internet and I all see is "How to get your *CHILD* to swallow pills". I think we can all agree, that is a bit degrading. It depresses me bad. I am 18, I swallowed my first pill this past summer, it was a Claritin, incredibly small, but still took a hefty amount of time. It's no exaggeration when I say I can't swallow pills to save my life. I had Lymes two years ago, the doctor gave me those dreaded capsules and I laughed in nervousness while pretty much trembling with fear. He told me to at least try to down them, I shot that offer down immediately. He then recommended I break them open and eat them in apple-sauce. Doxycycline doesn't have the most appealing name, so I prepared myself for the ghastly taste I was about to endure for the next two 2-3 months. I was god awful. I tried to mix it with everything, that taste just wouldn't leave. It left a taste of plastic chemicals in my mouth for an hour after I took them, 2 a day, for two months. Everytime I went to open the capsule, I looked at it and just thought "There is no way he was serious when he said to swallow these...These are just carrying cases for the powder...Why would these be so huge?" I found my alternatives, dissolvable, liquid(<3), crushing. But it's still pathetic to me.<br />I at least know where my fear comes from. I tried swallowing a tissue on stage at a magic show in some hotel at the age of 5. Just old enough to remember throwing up on stage and crying as bits of tissue flapped in my throat, swaying with my whimpers.<br />I am in college now with a hand full of advil and mucinex, trying to shake a fever and nasal drip down my esophagus mixed in with a fiery sore throat. Good luck to you, thank you for the supportAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-86364867618531334242010-07-05T18:48:26.712-05:002010-07-05T18:48:26.712-05:00man, so many people just like me. Foolishly, I tho...man, so many people just like me. Foolishly, I thought I was alone in my weakness -- not being able to easily swallow food.<br /><br />I also don't sleep very well either.<br /><br />Going to give Peters technique a go. Early indications are that this could be a workable solution.<br /><br />http://koranteng.blogspot.com/2004/07/on-swallowing-pills.html?showComment=1171059960000#c117105996782839689<br /><br />Hopefully I can start moving on to bigger pills soon. And hey, maybe my sleep will improve too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-36381499216299639362010-06-27T19:41:42.117-05:002010-06-27T19:41:42.117-05:00I just had the good ol' wisdoms removed. Now i...I just had the good ol' wisdoms removed. Now i am on 500mg Amoxicillin 4 times a day for a week and 500mg Hydrocodone as needed for pain. For the first 2 days I managed to force the pills down, but now they catch at the back of my throat every time! I find myself prying open Amoxicillin capsules (yuck!) and giving the pain meds a cold shoulder. Through my aching jaw, I say that I CAN NO LONGER SWALLOW PILLS. I tried Peter's method, but without success; as far as i know, i have a "normal" swallow. Ugh.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-18881700351482791882009-12-09T19:14:38.094-06:002009-12-09T19:14:38.094-06:00I am a 45 year old woman.. somebody's MOTHER a...I am a 45 year old woman.. somebody's MOTHER and I struggle with taking pills. I can take an all white pill that is not a capsule if I lecture myself. However, if the pill is in capsule form OR has any colors on it at all I get funky and have to resort to wrapping it in bread to take it. This sounds like the perfect solution right? I'm not supposed to have gluten.. so bread is not my friend any more.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16390824334850324007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-64653774870148813882009-12-01T06:24:16.902-06:002009-12-01T06:24:16.902-06:00Thank you! thank you! for writing this blog... it ...Thank you! thank you! for writing this blog... it has actually made me smile and laugh as I have also always had this problem... and thought I was the only one!<br />I have all the same symptoms... striding around the room...sitting, standing, holding onto things... thinking about it the night before... and the occasional cheaky chew...my brain just doesn't comprehend the command...SWALLOW! even if i swallow large amounts of water miraculously the pill remains like a lead weight in my mouth! On a few occasions in my life I have somehow overcome this and managed to swallow tablets...(I feel proud about this... but they were FEW occasions) but they are never big tablets and I usually have good and bad days... the one occasion was when I had to swallow malaria tablets and I chewed them the day before and the bitterness nearly killed me! but it was an ordeal and I am usually shaky afterwards!<br />Anyway thank you for writing this blog its nice to know there are others out there!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-51578023216988662412009-10-24T13:52:53.958-05:002009-10-24T13:52:53.958-05:00What can i do? I seriously dont know what i can do...What can i do? I seriously dont know what i can do to swallow pills. The first time I tried i put water in my mouth and when i put the pill in I just swallowed the water, and the pill just kept coming back to the top of my mouth and would not go down and because I tried so many times the coating stuff was starting to come off and it was really gross. I also tried putting the water in after but that didnt work either and i really dont want to chew the pills because there really bitter and make me want to gag. I am 17 years old and I dont know what to do. Everytime i try to swallow pills it doesnt work and my sisters and parents laugh at me because they can all do it like a piece of cake and think I'm retarded because i can't. Please help!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-71727173101269535342009-10-21T11:49:11.731-05:002009-10-21T11:49:11.731-05:00I have never been able to swallow a whole pill. Bu...I have never been able to swallow a whole pill. But I learned to just put the pill toward my back teeth, quickly bite on it without touching my tongue to the pill (as I don't want to taste it), then swiftly drink orange juice! It is easy to swallow this way, as I feel like I am "chewing" on food, so the process is psychologically easier. <br /><br />I cannot use water; it's too thin. Chocolate-flavored milk or pulp orange juices are thicker, so they push the pill down as you bite on it quickly, then gulp back and swallow.<br /><br />So, I have NEVER had to take an antibiotic capsule until this week. Yikes. My pharmacist said I could open the pill and pour the contents in applesauce. I did that, and folded the applesauce over the medicine, then scooped up a big whole spoonful, and gulped it down with orange juice. I did it, but I could taste the bitter medicine.<br /><br />So, last night and this morning, I put the entire capsule in the applesauce and waited for it to soften. Then scooped up the applesauce and the pill and tried to swallow it. It took a few seconds for the pill to soften more in my mouth, and when it was soft, I drank some orange juick, and I bit the pill in half (and tasted just a smidge of the med), but it was easy to swallow the pill this way, as it was soft and squishy now, and not hard and capsule-like! <br /><br />Good luck out there! You're not alone!<br /><br />-Eileen in CaliforniaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-13454131486984533912009-10-11T10:05:11.032-05:002009-10-11T10:05:11.032-05:00I'm a 24yo female from the US and I have to sa...I'm a 24yo female from the US and I have to say that I can be added to the list of those who have issues swallowing pills. I've got an insanely quick gag reflex, so chewables have always been issues for me as well (same as liquid).<br /><br />It took until I was 19 before I could even take a small Aleve tablet. (I had to learn to take half a 550mg Naproxen for massive cramping..that took months to be able to do without problems.) Now I'm able to get a Midol, but that's about it, and the only ways I can do it are 1) applesauce or 2) with a carbonated beverage (gingerale, Sprite, etc).<br /><br />I was looking around online about being unable to swallow pills and came across this blog entry. As much as I would love to try Peter's method, at current I cannot. Three days ago I had my wisdom teeth removed, so swallowing is quite painful (and I really can't touch my back teeth together yet, either). Somehow, though, I'm supposed to take 500mg Amoxicillin capsules 4 times a day. I feel like I want to cry, it's so frustrating.<br /><br />Glad to see that I'm not alone in this.<br /><br />(Also, several other methods of pill taking that have been mentioned I am unable to do - tried in the past and gagged/choked.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7618276.post-29778048689983258302009-10-09T12:12:33.012-05:002009-10-09T12:12:33.012-05:00I forgot to mention in the last comment... another...I forgot to mention in the last comment... another thing I was doing wrong was using TOO MUCH water to swallow. Just a small sip is all it takes.<br /><br />Often I would end up with way too much water in my mouth and that made the pill swallowing far worse.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com