# Any suggestions for taking big pills? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 11, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788 "2008-12-11T23:25:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/1 "2008-12-11T23:25:42Z")
I’ve never had much of a problem with it before, but I’m on these giant horse pill antibiotics for this horrible sinus infection I’ve got going on (that doesn’t seem to be getting any better) and this morning a pill stuck in my throat and I choked and _threw up_ - what a great addition when you’re already sick as a dog, right? - and now my body is very… suspicious of them. I didn’t even try to take a replacement this morning because I knew my throat would probably freak out and we would not have a happy time. So what do people who don’t take pills well do, particularly with those big rough awful ones? I normally just stick the thing on my tongue, small side towards the throat end, and swill it down with a bunch of water if it’s an inconvenient pill. Are there tricks? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/2 "2008-12-11T23:30:10Z")
Cut it in half? ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/3 "2008-12-11T23:30:33Z")
I’m good at pills, but I understand how you can get kind of gun-shy about the big ones. The best advice I have is to take a few swallows of water first, make sure your mouth isn’t dry and then try. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/4 "2008-12-11T23:35:22Z")
**Warning first.** \*\* SOME MEDS CANNOT BE CUT OR CRUSHED!!!\*\* Check with the pharmacist if you can cut or crush your pills. Otherwise try coating with a little butter or just using more fluids. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/5 "2008-12-11T23:38:18Z")
Check with the pharmacy. They may have a liquid version. Does it taste like shit? Sure. But it goes down and then you can chase it with something like tomato juice or orange-pineapple. I used to gag on the teeeeeeniest pills. I seem to be getting much better at it these days. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/6 "2008-12-11T23:42:49Z")
I need to call the pharmacy anyway, because 1) obviously I’m missing a pill now, and 2) some of the pills were broken in the bottle, I’m finding out. (They’re scored, so I assume they CAN be cut, but I want to ask anyway.) Also, I don’t know if it’s the antibiotics or the sickness or the postnasal drip or the fact I’ve hardly eaten since last Friday, but I’ve been incredibly nauseated and if there’s another option I sure would like to have it. Today I ate something with gusto for the first time in a week - had a big fat salty kosher pickle. God, it tasted good. I tried eating another one and wanted to hurl again, though. ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/7 "2008-12-11T23:47:29Z")
Can you try to practice with something you think of as food, rather than medicine? Maybe you could try swallowing some candies that are similarly sized, and see if you can train your gag reflex that way. I couldn’t swallow even the tiniest pills until I was fourteen, and I remember being standing in tears over the sink, trying to swallow a small pill that my body kept rejecting. I gradually taught myself, starting with incredibly small pills and working my way up. Feel better soon! ---
**Author:** ![PopeJewish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@PopeJewish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PopeJewish)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/8 "2008-12-12T00:04:02Z")
I used to be a bit gun-shy myself. What worked for me was chugging a glass of water. Popping the pill into my mouth than _immediately_ chugging a second glass. The first glass lubricated my throat and kinda opened it up, the second chased the pill, and if I did it fast enough the taste wouldn’t hit my tongue and my throat wouldn’t close up as an automatic response (like we’re talkin fingers holding the pill just in front of the glass on it’s way to my mouth so that the second the pill hit my tongue it was whooshed down my throat in a torrent of water ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/9 "2008-12-12T00:23:33Z")
I’ve found that sometimes a carbonated beverage can help - stick pill on back of tongue, take a swig of Coke or what have you, and rather than tilt your head backwards, tilt _forwards_. The fizzing action can help move the pill along. And if that doesn’t work, I second seeing if there’s a liquid (I’d imagine that most antibiotics come in multiple forms). Tastes awful, but so does trying to choke down a pill and failing. Another option: crush that sucker into powder, and sprinkle it on a spoonful of flavored yogurt/applesauce/pudding/other semi-liquid food. You’ll taste it, so have another spoonful at the ready, but unless you have an _extremely_ strong sensitivity to the foul taste, it’ll go down. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/10 "2008-12-12T00:51:39Z")
I have to take a fairly large pill twice a day, and the method I’ve found that helps me the most is to get a mouthful of whatever you’re drinking with the pill first and then pop the pill in your mouth, and swallow it. This method can be slightly messy if you miscalculate how much liquid to get in your mouth before the pill, though. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/11 "2008-12-12T01:10:05Z")
I take pills well but sometimes I get gun shy when I’m congested. My technique is to take it with water with my head back slightly and then I draw the tip of my tongue along the roof of my mouth. This motion creates the most room at the back of my throat. It’s done in one smooth motion as if the tilting of my head is linked to the movement of my tongue. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/12 "2008-12-12T01:14:55Z")
You might try swallowing it with something thicker than water, like egg nog, liquid yogurt, or a thick juice. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/13 "2008-12-12T01:18:57Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Today I ate something with gusto for the first time in a week - had a big fat salty kosher pickle. God, it tasted good. I tried eating another one and wanted to hurl again, though. It does sound like you are dehydrated to me. Another vote for saturating your cells before taking the pill. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/14 "2008-12-12T01:40:07Z")
> [@Pyper](#): > > You might try swallowing it with something thicker than water, like egg nog, liquid yogurt, or a thick juice. If you have a headcold that’s like snarfing down a bunch of snot. if it wasn’t mentioned already I would try and flush out your nose with salt water with either an ear bulb or a neti-pot. ---
**Author:** ![bassoonatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bassoonatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bassoonatic)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/15 "2008-12-12T02:42:09Z")
I was really sick once and had to take huge pills that tasted horrible! I tried cutting them, crushing them, everything, but I couldn’t get over the taste. Called the pharmacist after a couple of unsuccessful tries and found out they had a smaller, coated version :eek:. I’d see about getting a different antibiotic that won’t cause you all those problems. Get well soon!! ---
**Author:** ![vix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a88e4f/32.png) [@vix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vix)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/16 "2008-12-12T03:07:22Z")
I used to be bad at swallowing pills, too, but have trained myself to do it. My preferred method is to take a sip of orange juice, put the pill in my mouth and swallow with more orange juice. If I can taste the pill, I sometimes gag and OJ hides the taste. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/17 "2008-12-12T03:14:51Z")
I swallow a mouthful of water first, then put the pill in my mouth and mimic chewing before washing it down with a second mouthful of water. Brain’s not used to swallowing without chewing first. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/18 "2008-12-12T03:47:29Z")
Another vote for preloading the mouth with water. I learned this trick by necessity when taking little dense pills that were like fishing weights—whenever I leaned forward to sip the water, the pill would fall to the front of my mouth in suboptimal swallowing position. I eventually started filling up, tilting back, and then dropping the pill in and swallowing in one swift motion. ---
**Author:** ![Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/13edae/32.png) [@Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interconnected_Series_of_Tubes)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-for-taking-big-pills/476788/19 "2008-12-12T07:11:24Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > Another vote for preloading the mouth with water. > > I learned this trick by necessity when taking little dense pills that were like fishing weights—whenever I leaned forward to sip the water, the pill would fall to the front of my mouth in suboptimal swallowing position. I eventually started filling up, tilting back, and then dropping the pill in and swallowing in one swift motion. Yup, this works the best. It prevents the pill from sticking - personally I like to rattle my head side to side a little and get the thing moving before gulping it down. The neat thing is you can do this trick with capsules, except by tilting your head _forwards_ they’ll float to the bath of your throat.