# How do I swallow a pill? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 27, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767 "2003-10-27T02:09:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/1 "2003-10-27T02:09:25Z")
I’m 29 years old and have never been able to swallow pills. Hiding it in food doesn’tr help as I manage to get the pill out of the food. I can swallow non-pills semi-easily. It seems to be psychological but I need help. I don’t have any medicine I need to take now but I’d like to be able to swallow pills if I need medicine. ---
**Author:** ![collinsc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@collinsc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/collinsc)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/2 "2003-10-27T02:11:50Z")
large gulp, not a sip, a big fat wad, of water. and quickly. and dont think about it. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/3 "2003-10-27T02:23:30Z")
You can train yourself with little candies or cake decorations (sugar ones) gradually increasing the size up to a tictac. You can also try putting the tablet in your mouth with something soft and tasty yogurt, mashed potato, apple sauce, jello. Don’t try to disguise it just put them in together and give it a go. The tictac is the perfect training tablet. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/4 "2003-10-27T02:29:54Z")
I find it helps a lot if you open wide and lean your head way back. Drop the pill so that it lands as far back in your throat as you can. And swallow dry, which will get it started going down. Then immediately take a big gulp of water. ---
**Author:** ![Akaadji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@Akaadji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaadji)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/5 "2003-10-27T02:42:23Z")
Take a large mouthful of water and then put the pill in your mouth, rolling it to the back of your throat as you swallow. I agree with **don’t ask** that if it’s a real problem for you, try swallowing little non-pill stuff first… Of course, if you don’t have enough water, it might stick to the roof of your mouth…^^() ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/6 "2003-10-27T02:47:04Z")
I can dry swallow them, now. What I did when I was a kid was…fill your mouth up with water, tilt your head back, drop the pills in, swallow the whole mess. ---
**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/7 "2003-10-27T03:18:37Z")
I used to have this problem. I was afraid that I would choke on it so I had to drink 2 or 3 cups of water until I stopped thinking about it, relaxed and let the pill slide through. Last year, I got an ear infection so I had to take antibiotics. It was then that I learned how to swallow pills right away. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/8 "2003-10-27T03:35:24Z")
1. Take a large sip of water, hold it in your mouth. 2. Tip your head backwards, open mouth. 3. drop pill into mouth. 4. Swallow. That’s how I do it. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/9 "2003-10-27T03:36:21Z")
I find the best strategy for me is to place the pill on my tongue, then take a large gulp of water. ---
**Author:** ![Caesar\_s\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/73ab20/32.png) [@Caesar\_s\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caesar_s_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/10 "2003-10-27T03:36:31Z")
I can never swallow pills dry or with water. Somehow, it ends up elsewhere in my mouth and it just doesn’t work. Anyways, now I have to take a pill daily so what I do is, since I can swallow a piece of bread easily, I just stick it in a little tiny piece of bread and gulp that down. No water or anything because it just doesn’t work with liquid. Since I can swallow food easy, I think with me it’s just the psychological problem with swallowing a pill. ---
**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/11 "2003-10-27T03:41:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Caesar’s Ghost \* > Anyways, now I have to take a pill daily so what I do is, since I can swallow a piece of bread easily, I just stick it in a little tiny piece of bread and gulp that down. No water or anything because it just doesn’t work with liquid. Since I can swallow food easy, I think with me it’s just the psychological problem with swallowing a pill. That might not work for pills that one has to take between meals. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/12 "2003-10-27T03:46:46Z")
I don’t think a single tiny piece of bread would interfere, unless the instructions were to eat absolutely no food at any time near the taking of the pill. As a kid, I had good luck with the method described by others - taking a good amount of water in my mouth (“large sip” is the best description, don’t get all bulgy-cheeked with water and then choke on it), tilting my head straight up, opening my mouth, dropping in the pill and then swallowing. These days I can take smaller pills that don’t dissolve quickly/taste bad as they do without any fluid at all, or take them with a smaller sip and only lifting my head slightly if I have to sip the water first. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/13 "2003-10-27T04:10:22Z")
I put the pill under my tongue (this is especially useful if the pill isn’t coated), take a drink and swish the pill up and over and down with the water. Another theory that I heard on TV (caveat emptor) is that if you are taking a tablet-type pill, you should tilt your head back. If you are taking a capsule, you should tilt your head forward because the capsule will (theoretically at least) float to the top. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/14 "2003-10-27T04:16:19Z")
If the above doesn’t work, I’d go with “tilt your head _forwards_”. Just trying it right now, swallowing looking up is much harder than with my chin down. It’s how I get my pharmacological input. Thumbs up on the water though. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/15 "2003-10-27T04:18:36Z")
I have a terrible aversion to liquid medicine. The very smell of it will set off my gag reflex. So I suppose it’s understandable that I learned to swallow pills at a very early age. I practiced with peas. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/16 "2003-10-27T04:20:23Z")
There was a thread some time ago, “[Southerners and headache powder](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=76460&highlight=southerners+pills+powder).” The answer seemed to be that down South more folks feel uncomfortable swallowing pills, so they stick those old-fashioned powders in water and drink. Must be a regional-cultural thing that affects the psychological barrier to getting the pill down. But, **MannyL** , being in New Jersey, that doesn’t fit the geographical profile. Are you a native of Dixie who had moved North? Maybe if you don’t get over your pill problem, you could consider moving to Hot Lanta. The origin of the idiom “take a powder” must come from this old-fashioned manner of dosing. But why does it mean to scram? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/17 "2003-10-27T04:44:42Z")
When I was a kid, my mom taught me to take pills without gagging. With the pill on your tongue and a mouthful of water, throw your head back (look at the ceiling suddenly) and swallow. The pill sinks, so it goes to the back of your throat. Capsules float, so they’re just the opposite. Put it on your tongue, get a mouthful of water, and look at the floor before swallowing. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/18 "2003-10-27T04:50:54Z")
When I was a kid, my mom taught me to take pills without gagging. With the pill on your tongue and a mouthful of water, throw your head back (look at the ceiling suddenly) and swallow. The pill sinks, so it goes to the back of your throat. Capsules float, so they’re just the opposite. Put it on your tongue, get a mouthful of water, and look at the floor before swallowing. ---
**Author:** ![Apex\_Rogers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@Apex\_Rogers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apex_Rogers)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/19 "2003-10-27T06:33:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ferret Herder \* > \*\*I don’t think a single tiny piece of bread would interfere, unless the instructions were to eat absolutely no food at any time near the taking of the pill. > > As a kid, I had good luck with the method described by others - taking a good amount of water in my mouth (“large sip” is the best description, don’t get all bulgy-cheeked with water and then choke on it), tilting my head straight up, opening my mouth, dropping in the pill and then swallowing. These days I can take smaller pills that don’t dissolve quickly/taste bad as they do without any fluid at all, or take them with a smaller sip and only lifting my head slightly if I have to sip the water first. \*\* I can vouch for the water first method, my pill swallowing experience is nearly identical to yours, **Ferret Herder**. ---
**Author:** ![thatDDperson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@thatDDperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thatDDperson)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767/20 "2003-10-27T08:11:34Z")
Swallowing anything is harder if you throw your head back too much. Practice with the TicTacs and don’t think about it so much. It gets easier with practice. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-swallow-a-pill/209767.md?page=2)