YAHOO! LIFE – Ibuprofen for headaches, aspirin for heart health, antibiotics for infections, multivitamins you may not necessarily need — lots of people take pills from time to time.
But are we actually taking them the right way? Why do some folks feel nauseated after ingesting certain meds, and why does it seem like some pills are harder to swallow than others? Is there actually an ideal way to get them down?
Turns out, there are a lot of things many people get wrong when it comes to taking their medication. Ahead, medical experts clear up some of the confusion and give their advice for taking pills the most effective way.
First, why do some people have trouble swallowing pills?
There are times when you might feel like you’re taking your pills wrong because you’re having a hard time swallowing them, but Jennifer Bourgeois, a SingleCare health expert and integrative health practitioner with a pharmacy degree, tells Yahoo Life there are a number of reasons behind this phenomenon, which is also known as “pill dysphagia.”
“Some individuals may have a small esophagus, which makes it difficult to swallow pills. Past surgeries and esophageal stricture can also contribute to difficulty swallowing pills,” says Bourgeois.
Additionally, Bourgeois says having a heightened gag reflex or producing insufficient saliva (which can be caused by a number of things, including Sjorgen’s Syndrome) can make it even more difficult.
Additionally, as Healthline reports, anxiety or a fear of choking on a pill can also keep some people from getting medication down.
And while chewing pills isn’t always advised, according to Verywell Health, there are other methods, such as the pop-bottle technique, that can make taking pills easier.
Some people have found success by practicing with small edible candies like M&M’s, or by coating their pill with yogurt, applesauce or honey …
