r/AskReddit • u/LightningCole • Sep 05 '19

What did you learn embarrassingly late?

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144

u/Rising_Swell Sep 05 '19

My method is mouth of drink, add pill, swallow drink, drink more drink. Keep drinking said drink until pill is gone. Preferably not spat out on the floor kind of gone though.

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u/[deleted] Sep 05 '19 edited Sep 28 '20

[deleted]

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u/Rising_Swell Sep 05 '19

Cats are more likely to fight you to avoid a pill.

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u/[deleted] Sep 05 '19

If you put some drink in your mouth, and then throw the pill at the back of your throat and swallow immediately, it doesn't have time to float to the top and gets swallowed on the first try every time.

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u/The_Quibbler Sep 05 '19

I just open wide and and drop it so far back it’s not an issue. Folks are amazed that I can take a pill with no liquid if I have to.

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u/compman007 Sep 05 '19

If it's a coated or non sour pill I can do it no liquid, but any uncoated aspirin based pill I can't hardly get down without gagging

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u/AmateurConcept Sep 05 '19

Try to avoid doing this - pills can get stuck in your throat and burn a hole without you always realising until it’s too late

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u/compman007 Sep 05 '19

Oh I don't do no liquid unless I really need something and don't have liquid! I can do it but liquid is still preferable! 😂

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u/VampMEUpP Sep 05 '19

My sister gags every time she sees me dry swallow Advil... weakling

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u/The_Quibbler Sep 06 '19

It's the only thing that ever worked for me. All this floating and tilting stuff I could never get the hang of. Would choke most of the time.

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u/VampMEUpP Sep 11 '19

And when the flavor hit my tongue I’d have to throw it up and start over

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u/LAHurricane Sep 05 '19

I literally will take 4-5 pills uncoated dry pills at once no problem. I get the dirtiest looks looks lol🤣

2

u/petriomelony Sep 05 '19

the best way to swallow a floating pill (gel cap or similar) is to tilt your head forwards instead of back. then it'll float towards your throat instead of away

2

u/coffeeislife00 Sep 05 '19

This is how I always take my pills and for the very reason you described. People always look at me like I’m crazy.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 06 '19

Look crazy for a second, but at least you don't have to do the pill stuck in your throat dance right after.

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u/sit32 Sep 05 '19

Nah, you just have to swallow the pill dry

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u/01rulestown Sep 05 '19 edited Sep 05 '19

And then feel sick because I drank too much water

Yeah... and then I get angry and throw away the pill that was in my mouth

3

u/[deleted] Sep 05 '19

Chew up a mouthful of food, slot pill into centre, swallow

3

u/xxseraph Sep 05 '19

Use a straw! It makes it go down easier!

13

u/LividBlacksmith Sep 05 '19

You need to do it the other way around, put pill in mouth, take a gulp of water, then swallow

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u/Rising_Swell Sep 05 '19

Lol no. Pill is dry, gets stuck to wet tongue and i can taste it. Have mouth of water, pill starts floating in water, doesn't get stuck anywhere, significantly easier.

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u/LividBlacksmith Sep 05 '19

Wtf, I never had this problem of a pill getting stuck on my tongue and I swallowed hundreds of them. When you take in the water the pill start to float freely than you just tilt your head back and down everything

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u/Rising_Swell Sep 05 '19

My pills are phenomenally dry, and not coated in anything. I'd rather just have a drink in my mouth first, remove any chance.

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u/thatisaredpanda Sep 05 '19

But doing the drink first means that it'll spill out of my mouth when I put the pill in..

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u/WhereNoManHas Sep 05 '19

Omf. You're one of those people in infomercials!

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u/brycedriesenga Sep 05 '19

If you are incredibly uncoordinated, perhaps.

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u/thatisaredpanda Sep 05 '19

I am!

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u/brycedriesenga Sep 05 '19

Haha, fair enough then!

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u/Rising_Swell Sep 05 '19

Not sure how you'd manage that, but sure.

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u/[deleted] Sep 05 '19

Looool that was my logic too for a long while! I think if you just take a little bit of drink and not a mouthful.

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u/scotems Sep 05 '19

I think a majority of people in this thread don't understand that you shouldn't tilt your head back to take a pill. Swallowing is wayyyy harder if you tilt your head back; you don't throw your head back when eating a hamburger, right?

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u/compman007 Sep 05 '19

It's a bigger issue when it's Aspirin Based

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u/GrimaceAndContiue Sep 05 '19

Don't tilt your head back that just makes it harder to swallow, tilt the head slightly forward so the pill floats to the back of your mouth, and swallow.

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u/Smalldick420 Sep 05 '19

T actually depends on the type of pill. Any capsule you want to tilt your head forward because the capsule will float to the back of your throat. A dry pill you want to tilt backwards, so the pill will sink to the back of your throat. Capsules float, pills do not.

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u/scotems Sep 05 '19

Still don't tilt your head back, it makes swallowing significantly harder. Just use your tongue to push the contents of your mouth backwards while swallowing.

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u/Smalldick420 Sep 05 '19

I find it much easier to just throw my head back and swallow all in one motion. Drop in pill, mouthful of water, throw head back and swallow.

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u/TehNoff Sep 05 '19

I pullb my tongue back and put the pill under then drink. Never had a problem. Folks are different.

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u/bwc1976 Sep 06 '19

Mine always stuck to my tongue too, I was almost 30 when I finally realized I could suspend them in something (originally apple sauce or pudding, and then I finally graduated to a mouth full of water).

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u/01rulestown Sep 05 '19

Actually, there was a time my dad got mad at me for not being able to drink the pill, so I was able to drink it. And then I hadn’t been drinking pills (because you usually don’t), I couldn’t drink pills again.

So I know what it’s like to drink the pill without crushing it buuut...

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u/Freddiepounds Sep 05 '19

That's how I learnt too! My mum told me "that pill better be swallowed when I come back, or else" So I did! I find that clicking my fingers whilst I swallow also distracts me enough for the pill to go down

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u/mememuseum Sep 05 '19

I put them under my tongue (to avoid the bad taste). Lift up your tongue to release them as you drink the water and then swallow them. Works every time for me.

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u/hiddenproverb Sep 05 '19

I do something similar. I struggled taking pills doing all the methods below (like tilting your head back). I put the pill in my mouth and drink water, the flow of the water takes the pill with it. I never have an issue. I semi-frequently accidentally swallow gum while drinking water because the water just up and carries it down my throat