# What is your pill swallowing technique? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 25, 2004, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169 "2004-02-25T20:49:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MadnessIsAVirtue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@MadnessIsAVirtue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadnessIsAVirtue)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/21 "2004-02-26T05:04:39Z")
I think I was 17 when I was first managed to get a pill down. I toss it right up the back of my throat and quickly drink it down with water. ---
**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:** [February 26, 2004, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/22 "2004-02-26T05:13:38Z")
I have a serious aversion to liquid medicine. To this day I gag just getting a whiff of the stuff. I have memories of screaming like a banshee while my parents tried to force cough syrup down my throat. I started practicing on peas at the dinner table when I was three or four. Started taking pills as soon as I could. Never had a problem, probably because the alternative is hell for me. ---
**Author:** ![cookeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@cookeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cookeze)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/23 "2004-02-26T06:20:26Z")
Just don’t take your pills the way Tennessee Williams took his. He’d hold the cap of his medicine bottle in one hand and put the pills in it. Then he’d toss the pills into his mouth like he was downing a shot of whiskey. One day when he did this the cap slipped from his hand and went down his throat and choked him to death. ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/24 "2004-02-26T06:28:16Z")
I used to have trouble getting pills down, but I got better with practice. I just put the pill on my tongue and quickly take a few sips of water and hope it goes down. It’s rare that I get one down without coughing or grimacing, though. I tend to take pills in private because I usually look pretty ridiculous swallowing them. ---
**Author:** ![Adoptamom\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Adoptamom\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adoptamom_II)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/25 "2004-02-26T12:13:09Z")
In our family we take them similar to katie1341. The kids ask if it’s a “sinker” or “floater” first and then tilt their heads accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/26 "2004-02-26T14:47:42Z")
My evening pill is small so for that I just gather some saliva and swallow it on down. If it feels like it stuck I then go get a sip of something (I hate water, so something else). Larger pills like my vitamin or Alleve I take with a drink. I put them in my mouth and then follow up with a swig or two of drink. Once when travelling I mistook the Dramamine tablets I got for chewable ones. Not only did they taste horrible (and I didn’t have a drink with me to wash it down), but they put one side of my mouth to sleep. I guess I learned how it works on your stomach! ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/27 "2004-02-26T15:31:58Z")
By the handful, with gin, listening to a recording to Judy Garland singing “The Man That Got Away.” They say I’m difficult, they say I’m drunk, even when I’m not. Sure, I take dolls, 'cause I’ve gotta get up at five o’clock in the morning and _“Sparkle, Eve, sparkle!”_ That psychiatrist says that I’m self-destructive. So _what?_ What do I _do_ about it? Well, the hell with all of 'em. Even the bad publicity helps when you get to be as big as I am! ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/28 "2004-02-26T16:10:27Z")
The small ones i just swallow, if I drink water I often find I’ll swallow the water but leave the pill in my mouth ! Bigger ones I usually swallow, then drink water to clean the taste out of my mouth. When I took pills as a kid my parents used to crush them up with honey, and I recall the taste/texture combo (bitter and chalky + sweet and gooey) was quite pleasant. I’ve been meaning to try that again as an adult but I never think of it at the right time. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/29 "2004-02-26T16:26:46Z")
Pills first, water if pills are too dry, open throat passage, swallow. I’m not sure if other people open their throat naturally (as is done in a yawn) but you can start the process by drawing the tip of your tongue back along the roof of your mouth. That will naturally dump the pills backward and enlarge the throat. Tilting the head back slightly helps the process. I’ve always started the pills down before swallowing. If they are still in my mouth when the process starts then they will be perceived as too large to swallow (like unchewed food). Using M&M’s as practice pills was brilliant. Congrats to mom for that idea. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/30 "2004-02-26T16:35:21Z")
Food. Chew chew pop pill in swallow. Smushy food doesn’t work as well as crunchy or meaty food. Julie ---
**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/31 "2004-02-27T01:11:48Z")
I put the pills in my mouth, _under my tongue_. I can’t taste them there. Take a drink and flip them into the flow of the liquid with the tip of my tounge. No problems. If I toss them onto the back of my tongue like most others do, I gag. I can also dry-swallow them but I have to work up some saliva, too, and it’s not very comfortable. Maybe I’m strange - of course - that may have nothing to do with my pill swallowing method. ---
**Author:** ![SpaceGhost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@SpaceGhost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpaceGhost)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/32 "2004-02-27T03:27:42Z")
I have a technique for taking Serzone pills. They’re uncoated and taste horrible if they hit your tounge or anywhere in your mouth and it’s pain to get rid of the taste afterwards. They’re diamond shaped and that makes it even harder, so what I do is bite down on the pill lighty with my teeth, then I drink some water and as I swallow the liquid I release the pill from my teeth. Goes down smooth without touching any part of my mouth. Works eveytime. ``` Jimmy ``` ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/33 "2004-02-27T03:35:07Z")
I can just throw them in and swallow them. I have run into problems with capsuls on occasion because every once in a while, the capsul will stick to my tongue and melt in my mouth. There’s some gross shit inside those capsuls, but I swallow them without water anyways because I’m too lazy to get it. ---
**Author:** ![Flowerchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/858c86/32.png) [@Flowerchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flowerchild)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/34 "2004-02-27T03:41:47Z")
My mother used to gag watching me take pills cause I could swallow more than one, dry, and not even think about it. I started swallowing pills as soo as I was old enough to realise how crappy all that baby aspirin and stuff tasted. I’ve also found that dry swallowing of pillscomes in handy because I’m prone to getting headaches late at night, just keeping a bottle of aspirin on the nightstand is alot easier than having to get up and drink with a headache at 3 o’clock in the morning. ---
**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:** [February 27, 2004, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/35 "2004-02-27T03:43:17Z")
> [@Rysler](#): > > My method. Water first, hold in my mouth, throw in the pills, and swallow. The larger ones are harder, but several at a time doesn’t seem to be a problem. I can do them dry if necessary, but the swig, throw approach is preferred. I do this too. For small pills like birth control pills, I can just swallow them down as is, but anything else and I hold a little water in my mouth first to send it down smoothly. ---
**Author:** ![rackensack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@rackensack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rackensack)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/36 "2004-02-27T03:53:44Z")
> [@Hal Briston](#): > > > [@Wumpus](#): > > > > Pop 'em in and swallow … no water required, though it helps. > > Ditto. > > Pisses my wife off something fierce. 🙂 Me too. On both counts. I usually don’t bother with the water, since most of my pill/tablet consumption is ibuprofen at my desk, and the nearest water is way at the other end of the office (or it’s when I’m onsite with a client, and I don’t know where to get water, and don’t want to call attention to my need for analgesics by asking). ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/37 "2004-02-27T23:24:36Z")
I couldn’t ever swallow pills as a child. My mom’s cardiologist taught her to bow her head when taking pills instead of popping her head back. She said it lent more room in the esophagus. The first time I tried it I realized the truth and I’ve never had a problem since. ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/38 "2004-02-28T01:59:54Z")
1. Put pill in mouth. 2. Put liquid in mouth. 3. Tilt head way back. 4a. If pill is sinker: let it sink to back of throat; swallow. 4b. If pill is floater: shake head with one or two vigorous lateral motions and swallow. If onlooker says, “That was very avian,” then you have it down pat. 1. Read bottle, panic, call poison control. Step 5 is strictly optional. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/39 "2004-02-28T03:02:11Z")
I’ll have to remember the “tilt head forward for floaters” technique next time I have to take generic antibiotics. They’re huge capsules with the thinnest layer of gel possible. Sometimes they start disolving while I’m still holding them. I’m envious of those of you who can dry swallow. I used to think it was so cool that my dad, who was on several types of medication, could pop all of them in his mouth at once without drinking anything. Then one day I asked my mom why daddy was so quiet after he took his pills. She said that he never learned to swallow pills, and he would let all of them disolve in his mouth at the same time to get it over with, and he couldn’t talk with all the pills in his mouth, I think he was taking atleast 7. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![cichlidiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f9b8f/32.png) [@cichlidiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cichlidiot)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169/40 "2004-02-28T03:59:28Z")
> [@hillbilly queen](#): > > She said that he never learned to swallow pills, and he would let all of them disolve in his mouth at the same time to get it over with, and he couldn’t talk with all the pills in his mouth, I think he was taking atleast 7. :eek: Holy smokes! I put that right up there with the stoicism of the cowboy joke, where the tough guy silently stirs the campfire coals with his member. I usually swallow larger pills with milk. I think I’ve rarely had problems with pill taking, from the practice I got when I was younger. I was one of those kids who had to eat everything on her plate. My way of dealing with brussels sprouts was to swallow them whole with milk. Blaarg! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-pill-swallowing-technique/231169.md?page=3)