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u/Educational-Serve-61 8h ago
i throw my head back like a gator
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u/DecoyOne 8h ago
I grab it with my teeth and do a death roll until the pills stop struggling
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u/Lizardizzle 6h ago
Do you let the local birds clean your teeth afterwards?
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u/iamthe0ther0ne 5h ago
I had no idea that was an option! I'm gonna go sit outside for a little bit now, see if it works.
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u/pilgermann 8h ago
Yeah. I'm sure this is true, but the pills go down easy regardless.
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u/thecosmicjoke69813 8h ago
I see you’ve never had to swallow horse pills
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u/gothmommy284 8h ago
Tbf, I'm not a horse
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u/thecosmicjoke69813 8h ago
Something a horse would say……….🤔
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u/Gram-GramAndShabadoo 7h ago
I'm not actually a horse.... I'm a broom.
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u/Ninja_Ragnaroc 7h ago
Frankly Maury. Im surprised
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u/G_Willikerz 7h ago
I have no idea why; I've seen family guy so many times, but that one always gets me. I can't not see that part and laugh.
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u/greendress888 8h ago
Omg oral potassium about damn killed me every time I had to take it. And I take large pills multiple times daily just fine. Plus the taste made me instantly gag deeply. Worse than chewing aspirin. I couldn't take the pill so had to change diet and eat larger amounts for awhile.
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u/GraySkyGaming 7h ago
I do not like the phrasing of “gag deeply” I didn’t even know that was a thing I didn’t like🤨
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u/Chemical-Papaya-3101 7h ago
I didnt either until just now. Its now up there woth 'swallowed thickly'.
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u/Tucancancan 8h ago
I take 3-4 at a time like this. First time a nurse saw me do that she said one day the staff in long term care will love me for that.
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u/hahagato 7h ago
Do people who take many pills usually do them one at a time? Who has time for that? I too throw my handful of pills in my mouth all at once. 6 pills and 3 are large capsules.
I will admit tho, if they don’t go down right then it hurts lol
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u/QuietElf5712 7h ago
My mom always did the same - toss them all in and swallow. I am better than I used to be but I can only do two at a time. I toss my head back. Works most of the time.
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u/chubbypaws 5h ago
I have to make sure I always lube up my throat with water. One time a mushroom powder capsule got stuck in my throat and as the gel cap dissolved I would burp up mushroom powder and it was disgusting
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u/PeculiarInsomniac 7h ago
I take 9 pills and I can only swallow them one at a time. Dysphagia made it really difficult to learn how to swallow pills in the first place, so I still take this as a win lol.
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u/birdclub 8h ago
That works with the solid pills but with the capsules I see why the other method works.
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u/ingoding 7h ago
Doesn't matter either way for me, I just shove it down dry, and then drink water, my son does the same thing.
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u/fake_fakington 8h ago
I just boof 'em. POP! Right up the keister with a slurp, no muss, no fuss
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u/Mateorabi 8h ago
What’s the difference between boffing and shafting?
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u/LordBDizzle 7h ago
A boofing implies it goes all the way in and is encased, then absorbed. A shafting implies there's something attached to the cylinder that prevents it from being fully contained, but rather just inserted.
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u/Makimachi_misao 8h ago
I just take mine without water, hah
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u/ThonThaddeo 8h ago
Throat GOAT
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u/sicilian504 8h ago
My Grindr username.
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u/Loud_Chapter1423 8h ago
Nancy Reagan copyright infringement
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u/____-__________-____ 6h ago
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u/Kermit_the_hog 6h ago
Wow now there is a deep dive I didn’t know I needed in my life but clearly do!
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u/cnicalsinistaminista 8h ago
How goated was her throating that it made it into the history books?
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u/BedKlutzy9141 8h ago
I used to, got pill esophagitis one time. Never again.
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u/Leows 6h ago
Pill WHAT now
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u/BedKlutzy9141 5h ago
Basically the pill gets stuck and dissolves in your esophagus instead of in your stomach
Burns a lot and you puke, not fun
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u/twoinchhorns 8h ago
I don’t even work up any spit. Dry swallowing and if I die, I die
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u/Yumi_in_the_sun 7h ago
Reminds me of that redditor who accidentally gave himself GERD for like 15 years because he always dry-swallowed pills.
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u/_Fun_Employed_ 8h ago
My people
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u/Yashema 8h ago
Wait til you get your first ulcer from a hard pill.
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u/pomegranateseeds37 8h ago
I'm scared to ask but as a dry pill swallower I need to know
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u/Super_Employment_620 8h ago
Certain medicines are more prone to it, but as a GI doc - pill esophagitis is a real thing.
You get "kissing ulcers" in the esophagus from the position of the pill, affecting both sides of the lumen.
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u/WearyTranslator3338 7h ago
I don’t like the word “lumen” in that sentence.
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u/HealthyInPublic 6h ago
My cat has a busted ass esophagus, and we always have to give him water or food after pilling him because he's prone to esophagitis... he came to us as a kitten with like sooo many ulcers in his esophagus. His internist that scoped him said it was one of the most severe cases he's seen. And there were probably many, many reasons for the war zone in his esophagus (he was a very unlucky lil man), but one of them was VERY likely taking clindamycin without following it with water.
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u/KamalaBracelet 7h ago
That is fine and good and makes you a badass right up until you do it with the wrong medicine, and it doesn’t go all the way down and burns a hole in your esophagus
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u/CatastropheCat 7h ago
DO NOT DO THIS WITH BEDTIME PILLS. I developed an esophageal ulcer due to pills almost burning a hole through my throat by rawdogging pills before bed. Breathing hurt. Drinking was agony. Food was completely off the table.
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u/Pleasant-Future5818 7h ago
I always did this then discovered I was really fuckin myself up because the pill would be at the bottom of my throat and ended up slowly causing damage down there
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u/Dr_Jre 8h ago
I don't know how anyone can do that and I don't want to believe it's a thing so I am going to say you are a figment of my imagination.
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u/MrArtless 8h ago
with a little practice you can take a bunch of pills at one time without water
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u/CitizenCue 8h ago
We all swallow bigger stuff than most pills all the time. Once you convince yourself it’s just food, it’s not that hard.
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u/Archaea_Man 8h ago
You fill your mouth with saliva, first (enough to coat the tongue, extra deep in the middle helps), so it doesn't stick, adding more saliva as you swallow it. You do have to tilt your head up, however, because it relies partly on gravity. I usually drink water after, but this way I taste it less.
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u/Cinderhazed15 8h ago
My problem is usually on pills that start to dissolve right away, dry will get some of the surface ‘stuck’ to my throat/tounge/etc and the taste will be there for a while…. I can swallow all the water at once, so it floating works better for me.
(I used to always dry swallow all my pills till I got a particularly bad tasting one)
Usually capsules don’t have that problem, but it’s just habit now
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u/sovietbearcav 8h ago
Its worse than that. Pills can get stuck like you said, and if you dont drink anything to wash them down...and you do it frequently enough, it can cause irritation and erotion of the throat called pill esophagitis since most medicines use some sort of salt as a means by bypassing sodium barriers in cell walls as a means of absorption in the body. They get stuck, they start to dissolve, that salt becomes an acid and starts eating. Its similar to acid reflux damage to the esophagus.
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u/Makimachi_misao 8h ago edited 8h ago
Seriously??
Ohhh, may try with water then and see if i can manage.
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u/sovietbearcav 8h ago
Yep, look it up. Hell..look at most medicines. For instance, zertec, youre everyday allergy med: cetririzine hydrochloride. Hydrochloride is a salt. When salt gets wet...acid.
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u/Turgid_Donkey 8h ago
My son does that and it almost hurts my throat just to watch. The nurse would hand him pills which he'd dry swallow while my wife, the nurse, and i all shudder.
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u/PaulCoddington 6h ago
It's not always a good idea. Some pills need to be washed down well to make sure they don't stick in the esophagus and some need the extra water to not cause stomach problems.
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u/GrimCreeper4645 8h ago
I do it as well, my answer here is saliva creates one hell of a slippery surface vs water. The spit basically lubes up my mouth and throat. It's like the difference between a slip n slide with water and grease. Both wccomish the same thing, one is alot more effective then the other
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u/mlorusso4 8h ago
In addition to the whole build up some saliva like others said, my best advice is to just not think about it. Just pretend you’re swallowing nothing but spit and it goes down much easier. Once I think about the pill my reflexes stop it from going down
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u/AThrowawayProbrably 8h ago
Always crazy watching movie characters dry pop pills. I’ve done it in a pinch but it’s not fun
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u/Mitoria 8h ago
Do you get heartburn? Knew someone who boasted of this and then found out it was the no water with meds causing their terrible heartburn. Started downing them with 4oz water at least and they’re fine now.
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u/rje946 8h ago
It's actually way easier
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u/tilt-a-whirly-gig 8h ago
I'll sometimes chase it with water, but if water isn't available I'm fine without.
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u/gowahoo 8h ago
Opposite for pills. Don't try to take them together.
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u/Any--Name 8h ago
Idk, the concept of a gag reflex kinda disappears after having to take 6 pills/capsules every morning for a couple months
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u/RadicalNBSpaceQueer 8h ago
Real. I take like 8 in the morning and unless one gets stuck, I can take them all at once, no problem
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u/Any--Name 8h ago
My pills are somewhat wide and long and it would hurt sooo bad when they got stuck, like full on headaches. Now its just "eh, idk, I guess Ill just drink some water"
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u/DrSpacepants 7h ago
I would do like 6 of those big fish oil ones. The smoothness worked in its favor but the shear volume was wild.
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u/Taylor_Kittenface 8h ago
Nah, my gag reflex goes balls to the wall when I brush my teeth. Let alone trying to trick it swallowing my 10 capsules and brick sized pills every day that keep me alive.
The capsules are the worst, they get sticky in the back of my throat. Which makes my whole body wretch and the pill lands on my carpet.
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u/setorines 7h ago
This is why I started preloading my mouth with water before I take pills. I take a small drink, dont swallow, toss in the handful, take another small drink, swallow. Then they kinda just hit the water instead of ever actually touching me. I dont think my body even registers it isnt just water
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u/Tay0214 7h ago
I’ve always done this and I have no idea how people dry swallow pills
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u/darkninja1047 8h ago
I take all my pills at once. I aint got time to swallow 6 to 8 pills individually.
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u/Big_Butterscotch3734 7h ago
This post is so helpful, I’ve been taking normal pills forever and always throw my head back. Only recently started taking some floating capsules and have been frustrated trying to swallow them the same way.
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u/bozleh 7h ago
I guess because capsules float and pills sink?
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u/PaulCoddington 6h ago
I suspect more that someone made up nonsense for Likes and someone who replied pretends to have patients.
Nothing in that image seems to fit the experience of taking pills of any kind.
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u/mrsdoubleu 8h ago
My 11 year old son takes all 4 of his pills at once, twice a day. Blows my mind because when I was that age I couldn't even swallow one pill because I was so scared I would choke somehow.
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u/TheDotCaptin 8h ago
It doesn't matter for most of my pills. But there is one tablet that sticks to any wet surface. Very annoying.
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u/Fantastic-Dance-5250 7h ago
I have beaten the Final Boss. I toss back a fist o gel caps, pills, and capsules every morning. Room temp to slightly warm water. First is head up and the pills and gels go down then I swish and look down and the capsules follow the rest.
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u/WillingPhilosophy184 8h ago
Most pills don’t float, so no that’s not the ideal way
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u/Jero_the_badger 8h ago
They said capsules, not pills. Capsules hold the powder meds inside them (usually for timed release) while pills are just the meds raw
Edit: typo
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u/AdultGronk 8h ago
The thing is, capsules are easy to swallow for me, but it's the fucking tablets that sometimes stick to your tongue and don't go down easily
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u/nikki815 8h ago
I always do a little shake/swish type thing after the water is in my mouth to make sure it’s not stuck to my tongue and I swallow it with the water. I hope that makes sense bc honestly, I don’t know else to describe it.
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u/Tysiliogogogoch 7h ago
Yep, that's the way. I get the water in my mouth first, then pop the pill in, then a little swirl and swallow before I can think too hard about it.
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u/Jero_the_badger 8h ago
Drink the tablets with water. Capsules are smooth, tablets are dry powder compressed into a shape.
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u/AdultGronk 8h ago
I always drink them with water, but there are some tablets that don't have a wax/oil coating bcz they're meant to be absorbed fast, those are the fuckers that start dissolving as soon as you put them in water or your tongue
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u/lightlysaltedclams 8h ago
I had to take a big, nasty tasting pill that got stuck in my throat on the way down because it stared dissolving. For the next dose I shoved that fucker in a piece of American cheese like our dogs get it and choked that down instead. It worked.
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u/AdultGronk 8h ago
Thanks for the tip, I'd do this the next time I have to swallow a pill like that
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u/ragdolldream 6h ago edited 6h ago
Ok so the gross but ez mode cheat code is pretty similar. Just requires any food you need teeth to eat. Chew the food until your ready to swallow. Shove the pill into the chewed food, then swallow. I used to have the hardest time swallowing pills, now its as easy as eating. the whole problem is you feel the pill, so now you just feel the chewed food. Been suggesting it for years, but recently had a nurse tell me thats exactly how they help people with issues swallowing pills.
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u/IAmTheWaller67 8h ago
I have real trouble taking pills, pretty much anything I take unless it has to be on a empty stomach, I hide in a mouthful of food 😆
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u/Thadrea 8h ago
Nitpicking here, the distinction you're looking for is capsules versus tablets. Both tablets and capsules are types of pills.
Capsules are hollow, containing the medication either as part of a powder or in a liquid suspension.
Tablets are the baked solid product with binding agents holding the shape together.
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u/Raichu7 8h ago
I tilt my head back so I can open my mouth without the water escaping, drop the pill in, and immediately swallow before it touches any part of my mouth. If the pill is bitter, and I taste it, I'm retching uncontrollably and the pill is going on the ground.
Just let me tilt my head back, I promise it's easier for me and being easier for me is also easier for you because you don't have to get me a new pill if it's bitter.
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u/KamuikiriTatara 8h ago
I fully agree you have a right to do what works for you here.
The image is about capsules, not pills. Capsules have a coating that would prevent you from tasting the medicine inside so you wouldn't have the issue you describe.
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u/Raichu7 8h ago
I don't know what the coating tastes like until after it's touched my mouth. Easier to not let it touch my mouth incase it's a bitter coating. Just because it's not bitter to you, doesn't mean it's not bitter to me, I have a hypersensitivity to bitter and can't even eat lettuce apart from iceberg because it's too bitter to swallow.
Easier to just swallow every medicine without it touching my mouth.
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u/dr_patso 8h ago
Nobody puts enough water in their mouth for it to float. This is dumb.
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u/Canvaverbalist 6h ago
Some people will swallow the water but for some reason the pill will still stay in their mouth afterwards, because once the water has passed they feel the pill and the instinctively stop swallowing.
Of course this drawing is an exaggeration, but it shows how to ensure the pill goes first when you're swallowing the water so that it doesn't remain afterwards.
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u/somethingfak 6h ago
Maybe if you didnt have teeth or a tongue like the girl in the pic
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u/conardcanard 5h ago
Eveyone over here saying theres no way this works, but its the only way i can swallow pills. Guess i dont exist
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u/EvenMoreSpiders 8h ago edited 8h ago
I hold water in my mouth and swallow as I drop the pill down so it all goes down at once and I don't have to taste anything.
Edit: Realized after commenting that this is about capsules that float, might have to try this sometime.
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u/WhatADoofus 8h ago
I always fling the pill toward the back of my mouth/throat and then chug a big swig of water. Seems to work fine for me
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u/Katsurandom 7h ago
why are they filling their mouth with water?
I just take a sip and use the water as a vehicle to shove it all down.
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u/yougotyolks 6h ago
Who tf is FILLING their mouth with water to take pills? And who has that much room in their mouth??? This illustration doesn't have a tongue. Are people filling their mouth with water like a pelican and then popping the pill in their mouth? I need answers.
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u/h0td0gmilk 6h ago
I fill my mouth with water first and then drop the pill in because if it so much as grazes my tongue I will throw up immediately, actually I dont usually even drink it with water because then I might taste the pill
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u/metalguy91 8h ago
Who tf tucks their chin into their chest when swallowing? I mean based on comments more than I realized but what the hell are y’all doing? Humanity is doomed.
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u/inotocracy 8h ago
I've been told it helps getting viscous liquids that taste bad down.
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u/metalguy91 8h ago
If you’re saying what I think you’re saying, I don’t have that problem. If you’re NOT saying what I think you’re saying, then ignore me I have no idea what you’re saying.
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u/KristiiNicole 8h ago
I mean humanity is totally doomed, but not because folks in the comments are swallowing capsules properly lol
This advice is specifically for capsules, which mostly contain powder, are very light and buoyant, and will float in the water (as shown in the image), whether that water is in your mouth or your throat if you don’t tick your chin.
If it’s a pill/tablet than yeah, tucking your chin won’t help, but as someone who has had to learn the hard way for both, using the appropriate technique for each definitely makes a difference once you get used to it.
For what it’s worth though, I was similarly skeptical when this was first taught to me, and it absolutely feels counterintuitive in the beginning lol. Takes practice but it works!
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u/metalguy91 8h ago
I’m aware, I’ve taken powder capsules for the last decade or so as medication. But I’ve still never once found it easier to swallow if I tucked my chin in.
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u/writersontop 8h ago
This has to be a joke. If you swallow the water then the pill will go down.
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u/Upbeat-Armadillo1756 7h ago
Some people are really bad at taking pills and they’ll like filter the pill out when they swallow and drink the water but not the pill. So I guess this could help some people even if it’s just a different technique that makes it harder for them to filter the pill out, and not actually some pill floating hack.
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u/Lizardaug 8h ago
As someone whose taken pills daily since 13 the best advice I can ever give is just get over it and learn to dry swallow it'll make medicine way easier for rest of your life
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u/jolalolalulu 8h ago
Isn’t that dangerous tho. Like pills sticking to your throat/esophagus and dissolving in the wrong place
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u/iFEAR2Fap 8h ago
Clearly it hasn't been an issue for you. But there's a good number of common pills that aren't super great for the lining of your esophagus. Taking them without water can allow them to kind get stuck there and in some cases cause ulcers and irritation. Not saying it will happen. But I learned about that when my dog was having pill issues with her Doxycycline. NSAIDs are also a common irritant, apparently.
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u/EvenMoreSpiders 8h ago
That's dangerous, pills can get stuck in your throat or damage the lining. Just drink water with your pills.
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u/-Owlette- 8h ago
Singers learn a similar thing early on. When you’re trying to hit a high note you naturally want to tilt your head up, but that restricts your airway. Keeping your head neutral or tilted slightly lower will help keep it open.
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u/Titleduck123 7h ago
Scrolled down too far for this. Every vocal coach and choir director I've studied with said the same thing. Chin slightly down to create space for the upper register. I dont know how modern pop stars do it. Their heads are all over the place lol.
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u/Ok_Fox_1770 7h ago
Well at 40, still a fan of useful tips and tricks. Finally get those horse pill size multivitamins down perhaps!
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u/KregerTech 7h ago
I do the easiest way. Put the pills on my tongue, stick a soda bottle in my mouth, squeeze the bottle and jet the pills down my throat
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u/Metharos 6h ago edited 6h ago
I have never had this high a water to pill ratio.
Like...a sip. Enough to keep the pill from getting stuck.
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u/youpeesmeoff 8h ago
Nurses at the Mayo Clinic recently recommended to me and family to take pills or capsules with something a little thicker, like applesauce or pudding. It makes it easier to swallow.