Big pills

January 3, 2020 1:01 PM

I'm having a hard time swallowing my pills

I've got these pills, and they're big and too hard/dense to split in two. I'm too dumb to figure out how to crush them into bits with things I happen to have in the house. How should I pulverize them, and what should I mix them with to eat/drink without noticing a bad taste?

posted by Sterros to Health & Fitness (22 answers total)

A crunchy peanut butter sandwich was my go to when I ran into this issue. Crunchy because you don’t need to worry about pulverizing it as much.
posted by sacrifix at 1:06 PM on January 3, 2020

If they're prescription pills, talk to your pharmacist before pulverizing them - that may not be advisable.

Do you have a compounding pharmacy near you? Your physician can send the scrip to them, and they can re-vamp the pill into a liquid or into two smaller pills.
posted by hydra77 at 1:09 PM on January 3, 2020 [13 favorites]

Have you tried a pill cutter? This can work well for pills that are too hard/dense to split, if you can't get a prescription for a smaller dosage.
posted by katra at 1:17 PM on January 3, 2020 [3 favorites]

You should make sure that these are not extended release, or other formulated tablets. Smashing or cutting a pill could effect its dosage. Check with your pharmacist.
posted by kellyblah at 1:38 PM on January 3, 2020 [2 favorites]

Sideways answer: swallow your pills in a different way.

I am completely unable to swallow pills in the normal fashion, it just doesn't work for me, my mouth anatomy, or my psychological ability to swallow things.

The only way I have ever been able to swallow pills is this:

1. Take a normal drink of water* to get your throat wet
2. Take a normal drink of water but DO NOT SWALLOW
3. Throw the pill in your mouth while the water is in your mouth
4. Swallow that drink of water

*If you drink milk, this works even better with milk.
Poor results with carbonated beverages.
posted by phunniemee at 1:53 PM on January 3, 2020 [8 favorites]

I do the same as phunniemee but also tilt my head forward/look down (so the pill is floating closest to my throat) and it works great.
posted by Twicketface at 2:01 PM on January 3, 2020 [3 favorites]

I’ve also had success taking giant pills with yogurt. Especially yogurt with chunks of fruit mixed in.
posted by tan_coul at 2:17 PM on January 3, 2020 [1 favorite]

I use a mortar and pestle to grind up the dog's meds. If you don't have one, maybe you can try putting it in a ziploc and hitting it with a rolling pin, my classic choice for crushing up peppermint for baking!
posted by DSime at 2:38 PM on January 3, 2020

I find applesauce is perfect for hard to swallow pills. The pill kinda stays suspended and doesn’t sink down and catch on my throat.
posted by politikitty at 3:02 PM on January 3, 2020

Could you swallow a pea without chewing it? A jelly bean? An M&M? I bet you routinely swallow bits of food that are larger than the pills you're having trouble swallowing. Perhaps practicing with things that aren't pills could help.

The "tilt your head forward if the pill floats" trick is also a good one. Similarly, tilt your head backward for pills that don't float.
posted by emelenjr at 3:36 PM on January 3, 2020 [1 favorite]

If the issue isn't a narrow esophagus, you might have success coating them with butter (an old speech therapy trick).

But yeah, definitely check before breaking them up, and also: compounding pharmacies are the bomb.
posted by moira at 4:48 PM on January 3, 2020

I do the same as phunniemee but also tilt my head forward/look down (so the pill is floating closest to my throat) and it works great.

I do the same. Yes, it's counter-intuitive, but it works.
posted by Dolley at 5:56 PM on January 3, 2020

My method for swallowing pills: get the pill in your mouth (not too far back). Take a drink of whatever but don’t swallow yet. Make chewing motions (but don’t actually chew up the pill). Swallow.

I realized that pieces of food that I eat are often much bigger than pills. Something about faking chewing tricks my brain into being able to swallow the pills. I used to gag on birth control pills (they’re tiny) and now I can take three or four normal sized pills at a time.
posted by Weeping_angel at 8:26 PM on January 3, 2020

Response by poster: They're just vitamins and stuff, no extended release or anything. Thanks for the advice.
posted by Sterros at 10:20 PM on January 3, 2020

I work with people who have difficulty swallowing tablets due to neurological conditions. Taking in a spoon of yogurt or porridge is the most successful option. If you need to crush then you can buy pill crushes- ask at a pharmacist. And you really should check with a pharmacist about crushing first - crushing affects absorption so can give too much too fast but can also release substances that are contained within the tablet to protect you. Crush them and you can cause tissue damage in upper mouth and throat (rare but possible).
posted by kadia_a at 3:02 AM on January 4, 2020

I have always had trouble taking pills of any size, so I take a drink of water and drop them directly down my throat. If I put them in my mouth, they will just float around in there forever. I just can't swallow them. Drop into my throat and then immediately have another drink.
posted by poppunkcat at 5:27 AM on January 4, 2020

Try using a (preferably wide) straw to direct the flow of water to wash the pill down.
posted by Dressed to Kill at 8:39 AM on January 4, 2020

I have swallowing issues too and so I switched to these adult chewable vitamins; there are others that may fit your needs better. There are also adult formulations available in a gummy format.
posted by carmicha at 11:12 AM on January 4, 2020

Different liquids may help. I can’t get my vitamins down with water, but orange juice or warm broth work well. I’ve used soup, too.
posted by MexicanYenta at 4:20 AM on January 5, 2020

swallowing pills became significantly easier after my tonsils were removed

i'm not suggesting that you have surgery just to make swallowing pills easier, but difficultly swallowing pills may be an early symptom of developing tonsil problems?
posted by Jacqueline at 8:59 AM on January 5, 2020

Vitamins taste AWFUL, so if you’re crushing them up, make sure to mix them into something strongly flavored.
posted by Weeping_angel at 11:54 AM on January 5, 2020

I realized that it was mostly my brain causing the problem. Like Weeping_angel above, I swallow food larger than a pill. Try it next time you are eating a steak or a hamburger: just before you swallow, spit it out and look at the size of it. Now I can swallow handfuls of pills.
posted by CathyG at 7:58 AM on January 7, 2020