Swallowing Tablets.

Turtwig

Ok, this might seem like an odd thread, but I am genuinely curious about the fabrication of tablets, how we swallow them and what, if any, science is applied to making swallowing them safer and easier.:)

Also just a few other general questions to try to convey what I'm asking.
What factors decide the safety of a tablet for swallowing? Is there a maximum permissible size, how likely is it that someone actually chokes fatally on one? Do they have safeguards against choking, or is it all simply a matter of an object below a certain size being so easily "swallowable".

Aulton's Pharmaceutics would answer most of these questions. There is safe guards in relation to tablet size. Some are a simple as taking medication with water, some can be swallowed by been sawed in half( as long as there are not gastro-resistant drugs.)

It is quite rare to choke on a drug. They are a uniform size. People who have trouble swallowing drugs are usually given liquid alternatives.

sudzs

Is it Aspirin that is really dangerous if inhaled into the lungs??

As for sawing large tablets in half, I would find that to be more of a choking hazard than a huge pill that was lovely and smooth all over!

sudzs

sudzs wrote: »

Is it Aspirin that is really dangerous if inhaled into the lungs??

As for sawing large tablets in half, I would find that to be more of a choking hazard than a huge pill that was lovely and smooth all over!

Aspirin may be harmful but I think it's only a precaution about inhaling it. Also, whats the likelyhood of inhaling aspirin while taking it as a tablet?:P

I can understand what you are saying. Panadol itself have an elongated shape to help with swallowing. Sometimes very sick people have tightness in their throat so all a pharmacist can do in the pharmacy is use the pill cutter.