Table of contents:
- The surefire way to swallow a pill
- 1. Choosing an alternative medicine
- 2. Crush the tablets or capsules
- 3. Using swallowing tips
- Two methods to help people who have difficulty swallowing
- 1. Methodpop-bottle
- 2. The lean forward method
Swallowing the pill is difficult, not only in children but for some adults as well. For those who hate pills, taking medication will make them close their mouths, vomit, or choke. As a result, he, who was supposed to take medication regularly, did not follow the rules for use, so that his illness got worse.
To overcome this, below will explain how to swallow pills easily, especially for adults who have difficulty swallowing drugs, for parents of sick children, and for nurses of patients with dysphagia (difficulty swallowing disease).
The surefire way to swallow a pill
1. Choosing an alternative medicine
If you or the person you care for has difficulty swallowing a pill, you can ask your pharmacist to change the form of the drug other than tablets or capsules. The types of drugs other than pills are as follows:
- Fluids - useful for people with dysphagia who rely on tubes
- Dissipated medicine - tablets that can crumble in water
- Buccal - a tablet that dissolves when it is between the cheek and gum
- Patch
- Suppositories - which are inserted into the buttocks or vagina
- Cream
- Inhalation
Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice if you don't think you know the correct way to administer medication. For example, if you don't know how to give medicine using a tube or tube.
2. Crush the tablets or capsules
You can ask your doctor or pharmacist if your tablets can be crushed, or if the capsules can be opened and spread in the water before taking them. Only certain tablets or capsules can be given this way. Destruction of the drug should not be carried out without the advice of a doctor.
3. Using swallowing tips
If all the methods above cannot be done, then do the following:
- Wet your mouth with saliva or plain water first (dry mouth makes swallowing more difficult).
- Place the pill in the center of your tongue, and extend it down along the tongue if the pill is oval.
- Try drinking water directly down your throat, then placing your head back.
- Hold water in your mouth before putting in the pill. Holding the pill in the water can help to push the pill down.
- Try using a straw to drink water.
- Take deep breaths to suppress your gag reflex.
- Try chewing food before placing the pills in your mouth, and swallow food and pills together.
- Put the pill in a slice of bread or banana.
- After swallowing the pill, follow it with food to help it down.
- Try placing your chin against your chest when swallowing. This will open your throat and may be better for you than bending your head back.
Two methods to help people who have difficulty swallowing
In addition to the above techniques, a study by researchers from the University of Heidelberg in Germany can help people with difficulty swallowing by two methods. These methods can help the drug go down faster, namely:
1. Method pop-bottle
- Fill a plastic or plastic soda bottle with water.
- Put the pill on the tongue and close the lips tightly against the mouth of the bottle.
- Drink from the bottle by maintaining contact between the bottle and the lips, and using a sucking motion to swallow water and pills.
- Do not put air into the bottle.
Researchers asked about 140 people who had difficulty swallowing pills to test the method with their eyes closed. They were required to swallow both large and enormous pills. The result is an increase of 60% compared to using the old method of simply putting the pill in your mouth and drinking a glass of water.
2. The lean forward method
- Put the capsule on the tongue.
- Drink water without swallowing it.
- Tilt your chin toward your chest.
- Swallow the capsule and water with your head down.
This technique represents an 89% improvement over the old method of sipping water from a cup and trying to swallow.