Is the pill stuck in my throat or is it all in my head?

January 10, 2005 8:12 AM

When you swallow a pill and it kind of feels like it's stuck in your throat, is it really "stuck" or is that just a sensory illusion?
posted by bkeaggy to science & nature (9 comments total)

It can actually be sitting there, and if it starts to dissolve there it can damage your throat (though some medications pose a bigger risk than others). I had a roommate in college who developed an ulcer in her throat because she did not swallow her pills all the way (and it was a certain type of high-risk medication). I always try to take any pill with a full glass of water.
posted by handful of rain at 8:25 AM on January 10, 2005

I've wondered about that too. A bit of bread seems to push it on down nicely (or at least make the feeling of 'stuck pill' go away).
posted by NsJen at 8:41 AM on January 10, 2005

It can actually be stuck, and then you can inhale it into your lung and the fun really begins.
posted by kindall at 8:41 AM on January 10, 2005

I asked my doctor about the feeling of stuck pills one time and he said the pill could either be actually stuck or it scratched your throat on the way down and now it feels stuck.
I second the bread because I have found it works almost all the time.
posted by govtdrone at 8:56 AM on January 10, 2005

Water is a good idea anyway to speed the dissolving of the pill in your stomach.
posted by o2b at 8:59 AM on January 10, 2005

A big scoop of Ice cream does the trick for us, every time.
posted by jasper411 at 10:48 AM on January 10, 2005

Not uncommon for pills to get stuck in the epiglottal area.
posted by gramcracker at 12:28 PM on January 10, 2005

Excellent question, I've wondered this myself.
posted by squidlarkin at 3:48 PM on January 10, 2005

kindall, what kind of fun begins? I've often wondered what happens if stuff gets in the lungs accidentally ... a monster coughing fit, I'm guessing.
posted by bonaldi at 5:24 PM on January 10, 2005