I used to really struggle to swallow pills. I remember my nan trying to get me to take a cod liver oil capsule when I was about 12 or 13; it simply would not go down. When I had a chest infection when I was 20, I had to take the child friendly liquid antibiotics instead of tablet antibiotics, because I said I couldn’t manage to swallow a tablet. I had to take disolveable aspirin if I ever needed one, in orange cordial (and I don’t like fizzy drinks, so those were awful!)

I could not take a tablet.

Now, due to circumstances beyond my control, I’m a pill swallowing expert – I can take a handful of tablets at once with only a small sip of water.

Here are my top tips to get you started..

Take the tablet with a thicker drink than water. It will go down a lot easier with a milkshake than a thin liquid. You won’t notice the tablet amongst all the texture of your drink.

Make sure there is a flavour to your drink. Some tablets taste pretty nasty. I swear my Zapain capsules have a strange fish oil taste to them and my powdery amitriptyline pills leave a horrible aftertaste in my mouth. I always prefer taking my tablets with a drink that tastes nice, like an orange cordial.

Tilt your chin to your chest and lean forwards slightly. I think this is mimicking how you eat, so you’re tricking your body into the pill going down easier. At this angle, it should just slip down your throat!

Keep the tablet in one piece. Don’t be tempted to break the tablet into smaller pieces as this could stop the medication working how it is supposed to. I also find that if you split a round tablet in half, you end up with sharp corners and these do not feel nice going down! If you really do insist on breaking a tablet up, please speak to your local pharmacist to ensure you’re not affecting your medication acting effectively.

Drink water before you attempt to take your tablets. This might be a very obvious one, but starting with a dry throat may make it more difficult.

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Trigeminal Neuralgia