Question:
DOES ANYONE ELSE

does anyone else have a hard time swallowing their medication? omg it takes an act of congress to get one pill down. why/ i was NEVER like this before. tonight i am not doing so good either, i have been in bed ALLday. i finally got up and took some phenagran. i DONT like this at all. it takes me at least 45- 1 hr. to take my meds. my gag reflex is working for sure. do any of you have this problem? its hard to do the proper fluid intake today, just not a good day for me. hope you all are well. any advise?? sincerely: hurtin unit!!    — kimcrain (posted on December 29, 2007)

December 29, 2007
Many people have difficult swallowing initially after surgery. I hated taking several pills daily to get the proper amount of vitamins. So I searched for a liquid vitamin. The one I use is GBG and the web site is listed on my profile, ragdolldude. I also use a powdered calcium citrate to avoid the large calcium pills.
   — Dave Chambers

December 29, 2007
Kim, the vitamins that I take are all chewable. I do have a couple of very small pills that I swallow, but have not experienced any problems getting them down. I do have a migraine pill that I take and it takes quite a bit of water to get it to go all the way down. Hang in there! I think we all have our bad days.
   — jewels-okla

December 29, 2007
i too have difficulty getting them down in a timely manner. i don't like them crushed so cut them is very small pieces. instead of water i use the protein drink now. get them both down at one time. hang in there, can only get better.
   — bumstier

December 29, 2007
Aloha, I can only repeat what others have said. Liquid protein and chewable vitamins. In my case, I need Prilosec and Prozac, too, so I still have to take some pills. It has gotten easier over time but it's one of the things that I consider a chore. Hope this helps. Tom
   — Tom Y.

December 29, 2007
If your medication is not time released, why don't you crush it and put it in a spoonful of yogurt or applesauce? My Prilosec capsules get opened and sprinkled on yogurt and my other pills get cut in half. If they're time release meds, you can't do this, though. Ask your pharmacist. Get out of bed right away. I know you're hurting but you're at risk for blood clots. At least get up every hour and walk around the house. Hang in there. Everywhere you go from here is up.
   — Shirley D.

December 29, 2007
My doctor said it was better to melt them or smash them and put in a juice, tea or water and mix it. I would choose hot chocolote or tea.
   — 2409w.poplar_rodriguez

December 30, 2007
I take a large number of pills/tablets/capsules of all sizes each day, three times a day. E.g., in the morning I take no less than 15 of the things. They all go into my mouth at once and I am able to wash them down all at once without the gagging reflex. I trained myself to do this by eating ice. At first, I tried consuming it in very small pieces. I gradually (over a period of several weeks) worked up to where I can now (if I want) swallow an entire ice cube from the freezer without crushing/chewing it. The great thing about doing this to learn is that, when you gag and the ice 'goes down the wrong way', there is nothing to be concerned about because the ice melts without calling in the paramedics. Give it a try -- you may be surprised at what you can eventually put down your gullet without even a hint of the gagging reflex.
   — [Deactivated Member]

December 30, 2007
I used to take my pills in one mandfull and now I take one every 3-5 minutes and still get a lump in my throat. I think part of it is in our mind from eating and having the pain in our throat, but I have trouble will too big a sip of water and I am almost 4 weeks since my RNY WLS. Thinks do get better, so just work with it at what ever speed you can.
   — William (Bill) wmil

December 31, 2007
Have you talked to your pharmacist about modifying your meds? I am married to a pharmacist and have really had to work with him and his staff to determine what meds can be crushed, tabs pulled apart, etc. There are some substitutions they can make to liquid forms. Ask...this is still new to me too and I am asking all the questions I can think of. Julie D.
   — JulieJD

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