Doctors say they have identified the best techniques for swallowing pills which could help tablets and capsules slip down patients’ throats more easily.
Following tests with 143 patients taking 283 pills, they advise using at least 20ml of water – around a tablespoonful – with each pill and one of two approaches. For ordinary tablets they recommend using a technique they have called the “pop bottle method”. This involves filling a plastic bottle with water, placing the tablet on the tongue and clamping the lips tightly around the opening of the bottle before drinking. The researchers say this improved swallowing of tablets by up to 60% compared with standard techniques such as using a sip of water from a glass. In the case of capsules the scientists recommend a “lean-forward” technique where the capsule is again placed on the tongue before taking a sip of water.
The researchers asked volunteers to tilt their chins towards their chests and swallow with the head bent forward. This, they claim, was 88% more effective at helping patients swallow capsules than more common approaches.
Dr Walter Haefeli, a clinical pharmacologist who led the research at the University of Heidelberg, in Germany, said the work could help ensure patients who struggle to take medicines to complete the full course of prescriptions.
He said: “Almost 10% of patients with swallowing difficulties report that this is a reason for not taking the drugs at all. Both the techniques we describe were remarkably effective in participants with and without reported difficulties in swallowing pills and should be recommended regularly.”
It is believed that one in three people have difficulty swallowing oral medication. Click here to read more.
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