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has anyone ever gotten over fear of swallowing pills?

by BethanySublime, Jun 05, 2007 12:00AM
i am SO sick of my inability to swallow pills!!  i'm 19 years old and still can't do it for the life of me!  due to certain health problems, i have been trying to eat really healthy to boost my immune system which plays the biggest part in fighting my sickness, and eating healthy is helping, but there are so many supplements that would just magnify my efforts so much.  but i can't for the life of me get over the fear of choking on a pill.  (it probably doesn't help that the 1 time i finally learned how a few years ago & was taking supplements for a couple weeks, i DID choke & puke & haven't swallowed a thing whole since).  even a couple years ago my parents gave me HUGE insentive that if i could just learn they would send me to my home state to visit friends for a while.  i tried hard as hell!  i started with things so small as SPRINKLES and a very positive attitude, but believe it or not, i couldn't even conquer them!  the best i could do was swallow a quarter of a piece of diced peaches after letting it sit in my mouth for at least 3 minutes.  it's THAT bad!!  i know it's all in my head, but it is NOT something i can just "think away."  19 years of compounding fear and i feel like i will never be able to get over this...but my life would be SOOOOOOO much better if i just could!  has anyone else had this issue and conquered it?  i would LOVE to know how!!
Member Comments (15)

by mikej1736, Jun 06, 2007 12:00AM
Hah, I have you beat!  I'm 24 and I still cant take em, I just cut em or try to chew em if I have to have one.  Sounds pretty bad that I'm this old and still can't do it!!!  

by heartfluttersflyawayplz, Jun 06, 2007 12:00AM
i have a daughter who is 30 who never swallows a pill she chrews them up, so its ok dont beat your self up for that , there are more inportant things in life to worry about, just chew and enjoy life no big deal

by BethanySublime, Jun 06, 2007 12:00AM
:( yeah that's what i do too but the thing is my parents business is in nutrition and i work for them & there are soooooo many supplements i would LOVE to take but man that stuff tastes like **** and there's like 15 a day that i'd wanna take but it's just too gross.  

by Angel13, Jun 06, 2007 12:00AM
Well I am 34 and couldn't swallow pills until I started taking prozac.  For some reason that pill helped me get over that.  I used to only take liquid stuff or chew the pills up.  Now I can swallow capsuls as long as the are liquid capsuls.  I can't swallow chalky pills.  But at least I can swallow some.  I always got made fun of because of that.  If you can't do it then don't almost everything has a liquid. (at least I think so).  It is nothing to be ashamed of.  There are a LOT of people who can't swallow pills.  I used to work in a pharmacy so I seen that a lot.  Don't worry about it.  Take care.......

Angel

by BethanySublime, Jun 06, 2007 12:00AM
yeah i am noticing more for us on the market.  it's just disappointing because i would love to support my parents company, plus i believe in it a lot more than our competitors which i'm forced to buy from because of this.  but i dunno.  i've definitely accepted the hard way of taking pills, i just wish sometimes it wasn't such a hassle.  especially with me lol.  i sit there and crush it up until it's a fine fine fine dust, not even a powder lol cuz if i get a chunk i'll gag, then i usually take it in a sugar water shot

by Pum, Jun 06, 2007 12:00AM
When I was a teenager I practised with cooked peas. I knew I couldn't choke on them.  After doing that for a bit I was fine.  

Some of those vitamin ones are huge though. The coated pills seem easier.

Good luck.

by BethanySublime, Jun 07, 2007 12:00AM
ooh peas sound like they have a chance!  cuz it's when it's solid that it scares me.  but soft stuff isn't so intimidating.  & i just so happen to have cooked peas on my plate as i'm writing this post! lol so ....here goes...ok nope.  but i'll work on it!

by aprilr, Jun 07, 2007 12:00AM
i have had the same problem my whole life your not sad i was in the hospital after having a baby and i couldnt swallow the pills i would chew them and the nurses thought i was crazy but i just have a fear of choking on pills but it has gotten better but still not perfect but when i do have to take a med a put it in my mouth and put alot of something to drink then throw my head back and just try for a second not to think about it it does help beleive it or not hope it gets better im 21 and its slowly is

by Mother of bailey, Jun 08, 2007 12:00AM
I am 29 amd have onley started sowleing pills when i was 25 and that was to take inderal and my husband standing over me makeing me.....so i got over it.....it was hard now i do a lot better..(hubby dident help) but it all worked out..i wouldent worry about it inless u had to take something for helth prob...

by missy629, Jul 21, 2008 12:00PM
Im a 30 year old female and I'm an RN and I still cant swallow pills.  I would like to get over this fear.  Yes a lot of meds come in liquid but they are nasty.  If someone can help I would appreciate it.  Im a nurse asking others to take thier pills but I cant take my own.

by robbeth, Jul 21, 2008 11:10PM
To: all
I too had trouble swallowing pills, even small birth control pills.  I am 37 and have just started swallowing them about 3 years ago.  Some hints that might be helpful.... get the small cups of applesauce, put the pill in it and drink it out of the container.... what helped me was to have food in my mouth, already chewed and before I swallowed I put the pill in and took a drink.  The pill kinda gets lost in the food.... not very appetizing to think about but it helps.  I still have problems with the uncoated pills, and if I think about taking them I sometimes have to drink several drinks, it seems if I just throw them in my mouth and take a drink while Im reading or typing or something else they seem to go down without a hitch.  Anyway, just some ideas... and it is nothing to be ashamed of.....

by amish1979, Jul 22, 2008 06:29PM
To: all
Just remember that a lot of the "controlled release" medications can cause you problems if you crush (chew) them.  If you reserve yourself to chewing any pills, please double-check that they are safe to "crush".

I couldn't swallow pills until I was about 14, and I don't remember how I got over it.

by misskld, Jul 23, 2008 12:53AM
well i have been like that my whole life as well, im 19 too and i got over it .. id say 2..3 months ago, when i had to start taking paxil for anxiety.  everytime i had to take a pill i HAD to have someone with me incase i did choke.  but one day my grandma told me she takes 3 different pills a day and swallows them all at once, i was amazed ..sounds silly huh!  then she said well when your eating food your swallowing lots at once.. sure its all chewed up but theres lots going down at once right.  so i just started thinking that the pill was just like food but i even could use water if i wanted to and within the week i could swallow any pill i wanted! (but chose just to stick with the paxil lol)
so i dono if thatll work for you but it worked for me!! best of luck!!!
-misskld

by crystalfresh, Jul 23, 2008 01:23AM
Hehe. I need to bury them in apple sauce and then gulp down more apple sauce to finish it down. No apple sauce no big pills. I can't get them down. Ice cream somewhat works but apple sauce does it for me.

by wcu1usc1, Jul 23, 2008 02:02AM
im 27 and can only swallow claritin haha
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