If you have difficulty swallowing tablets or capsules, try sipping on a large amount of water before taking them. A straw or special cup can also assist with this task.
The FDA mandates that prescription and over-the-counter medicines contain an imprint code unique to each tablet or capsule, helping pharmacists quickly identify these medications. These codes combine with size, color and shape of medication to assist them with identification.
Tablets
Medicinal tablets are composed of powdered ingredients compressed into solid forms. Their shapes vary, from round, oblong or disc-shaped tablets with lines running through them to help split half dose tablets more easily, airtight seals that ensure their long shelf life, airtightness and air tightness make these forms ideal choices for medications such as antibiotics.
Some tablets are chewable while others are orally disintegrating – this means they dissolve naturally in saliva, or in cheek pouches such as buccas (buccas) or under the tongue – before entering your stomach and being absorbed into your bloodstream for use throughout your body before eventually being excreted via urine or faeces. Tablets are the most prevalent form of medication.
Capsules
Capsules can be an effective way of masking unpleasant tastes, protecting ingredients from moisture exposure and light, and dissolving medications at their proper rate for maximum therapeutic efficacy. Plus, they’re easier to swallow than tablets! Your doctor, pharmacist or nurse should advise how much capsule to give to your child – make sure that once drawn into an oral syringe if doing this!
Capsules contain small pills enclosed by an easily digestible layer of cellulose that are designed to dissolve when digested by your digestive system and be eaten up by gut bacteria, making capsules an attractive alternative to tablet forms of medicine.
Difficulty swallowing
Swallowing is an intricate process requiring many muscles and nerves to work efficiently. Issues with any one can result in dysphagia – the medical term for difficulty swallowing. Choking or breathing food or liquid into your main airway (which could result in pneumonia), regurgitation (food getting stuck between throat or chest) or vomiting may result from dysphagia.
If you have difficulty swallowing pills, try mixing them in applesauce or pudding to make them easier to swallow, or grind them into a powder and add to other food products. This has been found effective for those experiencing swallowing difficulties as well as those suffering from dysphagia – an eating or drinking disorder characterized by difficulty in eating and drinking.
Imprint code
An imprint code of a pill identifies its brand and class. You can locate this on either side of a capsule or tablet and enter this data into a pill identifier to assist with finding its name or verify a prescription, or find an over-the-counter equivalent of any drug you need to take.
The Food and Drug Administration requires most solid oral dosage form drugs to have an imprint code for identification by medical professionals and law enforcement if accidentally consumed by children or adults. This will make identifying medications easier if accidentally swallowed.
Imprint codes are more effective at identifying pills than color or shape alone; however, improvements must be made in terms of imprint code extraction, standardization and database coverage in order to increase pill identification accuracy.
Soft foods
Soft food diets are designed to aid individuals who have difficulty chewing and swallowing, such as after surgery or illness, in speeding recovery time. Low fiber, bland meals can also ease digestion for this purpose and serve as a transition from liquid-only meals for people living with certain medical conditions.
Soft food diets typically consist of foods like mashed potatoes, smoothies and gelatin; it is important to stay away from sticky or potentially dangerous items like peanut butter and candy that might lead to choking risks. A registered dietitian can assist in finding appropriate choices for such diets.
To maintain a nutritious diet, it is recommended that you limit foods high in sugar and calories as well as spicy or highly-seasoned meals that may cause gastrointestinal discomfort.
