Video of Pill Swallowing Difficulties: Cause and Treatments

Difficulty swallowing pills but not to foods and liquids is a very common complaint known as pill dysphagia. This condition is often due to a tighter than normal muscular valve at the top of the esophagus known as the cricopharyngeus muscle. Because the opening is tighter than normal, large pills often hang up in the throat leading to symptoms of the pill being stuck in throat sensation and even occasional choking or gagging. Further medical investigation of pill dysphagia often shows nothing physically abnormal. Rather, the muscle tightness is often due to mental factors like anxiety over pill swallowing. As such, treatment involves learning simple strategies to help swallow pills more easily. The video goes over the pop bottle, lean forward, and soft food methods to help individuals suffering from pill dysphagia be able to swallow pills more easily and comfortably.

Products mentioned in the video that can be purchased on Amazon include:

• Pill Grinders
• Pill Splitters
• Pill Coating Lubricant
• Throat Lubricating Spray

If you have trouble swallowing in general and not just to pills, watch this video instead.