has anyone ever gotten over fear of swallowing pills?

[BethanySublime]

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!!

[mikej1736]

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!!!  

[heartfluttersflyawayplz]

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

[BethanySublime]

:( 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.  

[Angel13]

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

[BethanySublime]

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

[Pum]

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.

[BethanySublime]

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!

[aprilr]

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

[Mother of bailey]

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...

[missy629]

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.

[robbeth]

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.....

[amish1979]

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.

[misskld]

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

[crystalfresh]

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.

[wcu1usc1]

im 27 and can only swallow claritin haha

[wxmark]

My mom has a hard time swallowing pills due to a narrowing of the throat.  She found a company that makes a vitamin spray.  The spray is absorbed through the lining of the mouth and enters the bloodstream in less than 30 seconds!  

I think the website is www.trymist.com

I hope this helps!

[adriii]

hi im 12 1/2 years old and have such a big problem swallowing pills!! i HATE taking pills!!! I recent;ly went to the hospital and they gave me  amoxacilen.... or something like that..... IT WAS HUGE!!!! I couldnt swallow it!!!! i ended upp chewing it!!! YUCKIE!!!!! and the next day... i had to take another pill..... ended up choking on it.. water shooting outta my mouth as if i was puking!!!! i honestly cant take pills unless there really small like the small zyrtec pills. Well thats the story of my fear..... but you know what makes it worse...... people pressuring u to take the pill!!! when i say no... they tell me to grow up..... its a pill!!! IM FREAKING SCARED OF CHOKING GOD!!!!! Ughhhh anywayzzz im just terrified that ill choke on the pill again

[shoutoutloud08]

I'm 20 and still cant swallow pills. I thought I was the only one who had this fear. My parents get really annoyed at me and tell me its ridiculous. I usually just crush up the ones that arent time release and I take liquid or chewables. Hopefully I will get over it soon.

[pinkiepie36]

dont worry, i cant swallow them either. and im 13

it was very strange , because i rember one time when i had a fever, and i was about 9 years old. i was sleeping on the couch when my father woke me up and handed me a moltrin for kids. being sleepy still, i took the pill and water and swallowed them down in a whoosh and went back to sleep.

then, the triminic i was used to taking (the orange flavored kids ones, since i tend to collect colds like some people collect stamps) did not work any more, so my mother told me to take a tylenol instead. i took it down on my first try, and was very proud. from then on, i could take tylenols whenever i needed to, just to gulp them down.the one morning , i took one and swallowed just the pill and not the water with it. i gagged and nearly threw up. i started to get anxious about pills all over again. and then, i was able to take any size pill i wanted to (benilyn,tylenol active release)  until i somehow gagged again! and now i can only swallow pills when i really am calm. its a on and off thing. it makes me crazy wondering if i am going to be able to swallow my next pill. im sorry this was so long, but i was wondering if anyone could offer me some tips?

[cnote]

Easy solution. Just either break em up in small pieces and take it bit by bit if you can. Some things you cant if they are time released. But most nutritional supplements aren't time released. Also, you could make a smoothie and blend your supplement pills in there!? Just and Idea. I don't think its all in your head. Some of us have easy gag reflexes, and bigger tonsils. I cant take big antibiotic pills, I have to cut em in pieces or get liquid form. Lots of things come in liquid form these days too. Hang in there. You'll find a way. =)

[answerall]

I am 19 years of age as well an I've had the fear of taking pills for my entire life. It use to be my parents would have to crush up a tynol or gravol and put it in jam on a spoon. The worst part about my fear was that i woud get car sick so i always had to take a gravol everytime we went on long road trips. At first my parents would get me the chewables, but when i got older the chewables weren't strong enough. I have conqured being able to take small pills, I had no choice to when I started using birth control. I conqured this fear when I was about 8 or 9 years old all on my own. My method was rocket candy(Thos small powdered candies you gt in the wrappers, they are shaped like pills) When i did this all i was thinking was "Its a piece of candy, it cant hurt me" and i would swollow them at first with water or juice the ratio would be this, i would put the candy in my mouth and take a huge mouth full of juice then just quickly swollow. Also in my head i was thinking(I'e swollowed crumbs and food that is bigger then this everyday) then after a few weeks i lowered the juice ratio and eventually i was able to swallow the rockets with no juice in my mouth. BUT when i tarted taking birth control the fear was back. birth control pills are soo tiny so what i did was i made a crumb of a cookie, swollowed that crumb whole and i was fine. so i thought(Just think of it as a piece of everyday food) so i popped in in my mouth and boom i was cured. I do still have the fear of taking anything bigger then a 500m ibprohine pill. this one time i got sick i had to take these huge circular pills. the best i could do was just crush it up and take little pieces until it was finished. So if you want to take small pills i suggest that, just dont think of it as a pill, cuz you can swollow your meals no problem right? so just dont even think of it as a pill

[Yesacasey18]

I am on a contraceptive pill and although I can swallow them, I feel like vomiting at the thought of swallowing it. I never had this problem before Its something i have developed. Not taking the pill is not an option. Has anyone got any tips for me?

[angeleyes251]

I am glad that i thought i was alone...i am 54 and still have a fear of swallowing pills...i have a high blood pressure and i was given a very tiny pill to take it was okay for me,  because i could chew it, but now i found out that i'm allergic to it..doctor changed it for me now it's alittle larger that before and i'm not to chew it or crush it i must swallow it whole ....I tried it many ways but somehow it finds it self to stay...please is anyone out there with any suggestion ..i was thinking of hypnotizem...will it work???

[Resilience]

Try stuffing the pill in banana slice and then start chewing around the pill (try forgetting about the pill, I know that if you have a phobia that is extremely difficult but it is important). Then start swallowing bits of the banana and swallow the pill with the remains of the banana! Voila! There went the pill!

I'm still terrified of pills, but I tried this method just 5 minutes ago, and it worked! I sincerely hope it works for you too! =D

Before doing this, I used to stir the pill in water and drink it down (it tasted nasty though, and could be dangerous (that depends on what pills you're taking)).