Pill / tablet taking and chewing

obi604

Hi,

I am absolutely crap at swallowing tablets. Literally makes me gag, even with small tankers. Have tried other ways to help but no good.

I end up chewing them into smaller pieces. my wife keeps telling me they are no good if I chew them and should swallow them whole or they won't work!! . Is this just rubbish talk ?

2forjoy

technique - flick the tongue

obi604

2forjoy wrote: »

technique - flick the tongue

Ok, but without this turning in to how to swallow tablets.........is it ok to chew them? Or do they lose some effectiveness etc ?

2forjoy

If you chew a tablet that is designed to be swallowed whole , you are in danger of OD'ing.

Dingle_berry

It depends on the tablet, ask your pharmacist.

Some tablets are designed to resist releasing the drug in the stomach, some are designed to do the opposite. Others it doesn't matter at all. The only way to be sure is to ask your pharmacist.

Kurtosis

As Dingle_berry says, it's quite variable and so best to check with a pharmacist. There may in some cases be information provided in the information leaflet that comes in the box.

squarecircle1

obi604 wrote: »

Hi,

I am absolutely crap at swallowing tablets. Literally makes me gag, even with small tankers. Have tried other ways to help but no good.

I end up chewing them into smaller pieces. my wife keeps telling me they are no good if I chew them and should swallow them whole or they won't work!!  . Is this just rubbish talk ?

I myself find tablets difficult to swallow.....people who can do it with ease do not understand the torture, alas I have found a method that works for me. I put them in a spoon of yoghurt......I mean a big spoon of yogurt so they're completely covered and then just swallow it as fast as possible without thinking too much about it. 

Previously I have asked for liquid forms of tablets from my GP and pharmacist who are usually obliging if the situation is explained so you could try that. They do exist for some things at least, although I'm not sure if they're more expensive as I live in the UK so I don't pay for medication. 

Hope this helps.

2forjoy

I have a leaflet here from Jointace Vitabiotics and the instructions for swallowing is to chew some food like a banana for instance and just before you swallow , pop in the tablet and swallow with food followed by some liquid .
They say the throat opens wider to swallow the chewed food.

obi604

squarecircle1 wrote: »

I myself find tablets difficult to swallow.....people who can do it with ease do not understand the torture, alas I have found a method that works for me. I put them in a spoon of yoghurt......I mean a big spoon of yogurt so they're completely covered and then just swallow it as fast as possible without thinking too much about it. 

Previously I have asked for liquid forms of tablets from my GP and pharmacist who are usually obliging if the situation is explained so you could try that. They do exist for some things at least, although I'm not sure if they're more expensive as I live in the UK so I don't pay for medication. 

Hope this helps.

Hi. I have tried the yogurt thing also, no luck.

Also then bought this special gel purely designed for pill swallowing called: gloup. Didn't work either.

obi604

2forjoy wrote: »

I have a leaflet here from Jointace Vitabiotics and the instructions for swallowing is to chew some food like a banana for instance and just before you swallow , pop in the tablet and swallow with food followed by some liquid .
They say the throat opens wider to swallow the chewed food.

Mmm, thanks. Will try it.

whiteknight12

If your medication has CR/SR/MR do not chew as these are designed for controlled/slow/modified release. Tablets are generally designed not to be chewed as this can effect where drug is absorbed and how much is absorbed. If you ask your pharmacist, they can check specifically whether your medication can be crushed. In hospitals/care facilities many tablets are crushed to all them to be delivered down tubes etc. Thus there is database of info on tablet crushing.