How to swallow your medicine easily

MANY people have a physical problem with swallowing medication. Their reflex mechanism gets phobia interruptions that trigger nausea or heartburn.

Some people have tried the following strategies to get the drugs down.

Don’t swallow the drug with just saliva. Use water. Sodas and juices may affect the chemical composition of the medication.

Bend the head forward so that the chin touches the chest. Place the drug near the tip of your tongue. As you swallow, lift your head up quickly — toss it behind. The drug will rise to the top of the water (toward the back of the tongue) and wash down easily with the swallow.

Tablets tend to sink in the water, but capsules tend to float. So the patient needs to tilt their head down to swallow capsules.

With the doctor’s recommendation, you can swallow the drugs with thicker fluids — milk, fruit nectar, milkshake or yoghurt. Thicker fluids make it harder for the pill to separate itself from the fluid during swallowing. Remember, if you are diabetic, use the sugar-free version of these beverages.

Mix with food that can be swallowed without chewing. Buttering the pill or burying it in a spoonful of jam can help it to slide down more easily. Ice cream, fruits, cheese, yoghurt, applesauce, peanut butter, pudding, mashed potato, mashed banana etc can be used. But remember to use only a small amount of food.

Inform the doctor to get you alternatives in syrups, injections, or chewable medication when the problem is the bitterness or the unpleasant flavour of the drug

Help your child practice swallowing small candies with water. Increase the sizes gradually until he gets used to it.

If you think your child is just stubborn, don’t force him. Talk to him about the medication and why he needs it.

While some drugs can be crushed, do not crush too far in advance because they might absorb the moisture in the air. For example, if any TB medication is not administered within 30 minutes after crushing/opening, discard it and prepare a new dose.

If the patient vomits within 30 minutes after ingesting a medication, the dose should be repeated as soon as the patient is able to take it.

Compiled by Hilary Bainemigisha