It should go without saying that you want medication to start working as soon as possible when taking one, such as a pain reliever. A recent study suggests that taking that medication while lying on your right side will facilitate this. And what about those who find it difficult to swallow pills?
Background on Pill Dissolution
Pill dissolution is the process by which a drug or other substance is released from a pill or tablet into the body. When a pill is ingested, it often takes time for its dissolved contents to pass from the stomach into the intestine before it starts to work. This is because the pylorus is at the bottom of the stomach, which joins the stomach to the upper portion of the intestine. Therefore, the deeper the pill can initially penetrate the stomach, the sooner it can dissolve and be discharged from the stomach.
This process is vital for oral drugs to be effective, and yet it can be difficult for some people to swallow pills. Many factors can contribute to this, such as the size, shape, texture, and composition of the pill. Pill dissolution is also influenced by numerous physiological and environmental factors in the gastrointestinal tract, such as pH, temperature, and fluid flow rate. All these factors work together to determine how quickly a pill will dissolve in the body.
In order to better understand this complex process, researchers conducted a study on the mechanisms of drug dissolution in humans. The study examined different doses of oral medications, including aspirin and acetaminophen (Tylenol), taken with water and measured how long it took for them to dissolve at the stomach walls under various conditions.
Overview of Rajat Mittal’s Study
A team at Johns Hopkins University led by Professor Rajat Mittal set out to determine which body position would be most effective for quickly lowering a tablet. To do this, they developed StomachSim, a computer model of the human stomach. This model depicts the digestion of food, or in this example, a pill, inside the abdomen.
According to common sense, an upright position would seem to be the best option. However, it was discovered that lying on the right side resulted in a pill dissolving 2.3 times faster than if it were consumed while standing up straight due to the asymmetry shape of the stomach.
In other words, a tablet taken while standing would dissolve in 23 minutes, but a pill taken while lying on the right side would dissolve in only 10 minutes. The worst position is on your left side since it takes over 100 minutes for the pill to break down.
Of course, you couldn’t immediately get back up after taking the pill. The model shows that people should typically rest on their right side for around 30 minutes after ingesting fast-acting medications, such as pain relievers. Still, Mittal noted that it might vary depending on the type of pill.
Prof. Mittal said:
“We were very surprised that posture had such an immense effect on the dissolution rate of a pill. I never thought about whether I was doing it right or wrong, but now I’ll definitely think about it every time I take a pill. The team was very surprised to find that if a pill takes 10 minutes to dissolve on the right side, it could take 23 minutes to dissolve in an upright posture and over 100 minutes when laying on the left side. “For elderly, sedentary or bedridden people, whether they’re turning to left or to the right can have a huge impact,”
Pill Dissolution No Longer A Mystery
The results of the study showed that size was an important factor influencing dissolution time; smaller pills dissolved more quickly than larger ones, regardless of their chemical composition. In addition, other factors such as pH levels and fluid flow rate also affected dissolution times.
These findings suggest that increasing the size of a pill could lead to longer dissolution rates and reduced effectiveness while reducing its size could potentially improve drug absorption rates. The insights gained from this research will help advance our understanding of pill dissolution behavior in humans.
A paper on the study was published on August 9, 2022, in the journal Fluids.
What You Should Know About Swallowing Pills
Many people have trouble swallowing oral medications. One in three people will choke, gag, or vomit when they try to swallow pills. If you struggle with this issue, you might have difficulty maintaining your medication schedule. And therefore, this could exacerbate your current health problems.
Difficulty in pill swallowing may arise from various physical and psychological factors such as the size, shape, and texture of the pill; fear or anxiety; difficulty in opening the mouth wide enough; or dryness of the mouth. In addition to these factors, some medications are designed to have a slow-release action and may be too large to swallow easily. This can make it difficult for some patients to take their medication as prescribed. In some cases, tablets may even get stuck in the throat or esophagus upon ingestion, posing a risk of choking or inhaling them into the lungs.
Why You Might Find It Difficult to Swallow Pills
There are a few reasons why taking medication in the form of capsules, tablets, or pills may be challenging for you:
- An aversion to swallowing pills
- Dry mouth
- Problems with the mechanics of swallowing
- Temporary conditions that make it swallowing difficult, such as undergoing chemotherapy or taking antibiotics
- Fear of choking
Simple Techniques for Swallowing Pills
Always consult your doctor if you experience difficulty swallowing pills, tablets, or capsules. Even when offering suggestions, experts frequently caution that the recommendations might not be appropriate for your circumstances.
Professionals from the Canadian Pharmacy Online suggest exploring liquid formulations or dissolvable alternatives to make medication intake easier. They emphasize that adjusting medication forms should always be done under medical supervision to ensure safety and efficacy.
According to one study, there are two techniques to make it simpler to swallow capsules and tablets:
- Lean-forward method
- Pop-bottle method
The lean-forward method. This is used to swallow pills in capsule form. Here, you place a capsule on the back of your tongue and sip water without swallowing it. Then, with your head bent, lean toward your chest and quickly down the water and pill.
The method outperformed the traditional approach to taking pills by 89% regarding swallowing capsules. However, before attempting any pill-swallowing techniques at home, have your swallowing thoroughly evaluated by a professional. Unfortunately, insufficient research has been conducted to determine what occurs psychologically or how your perception of taking medications may change.
The pop-bottle method. For swallowing tablets, use this technique. It advises you to put water in a soda bottle. Bring the bottle opening to your lips after placing the tablet on your tongue. Then, take a sip by tightly sealing your lips around the bottle’s opening.
Use a sucking motion to maintain contact between the bottle and your lips. This will force you to swallow the tablet and the water without allowing air to enter the bottle. According to research, this approach has a 60% higher likelihood of success than the traditional strategy of taking a swig and trying to swallow pills.
Other Pill-Swallowing Tips
Drink plenty of water. Before placing the pill on your tongue, take a generous sip of water and another swig with the tablet. Afterward, drink more water.
Use pudding or applesauce. You can mislead your brain into thinking you’re not swallowing pills by hiding them in a spoonful of tasty food. For example, place the tablet on the tip of a teaspoon, cover it with mashed potatoes and gravy, or grind the pill into a powder and add it to the pudding or applesauce of your choice. However, remember that some medications risk losing efficacy if they are taken with certain foods. Therefore, you should consult your doctor before mixing your prescriptions with meals.
Apply a gel coating to the pill. You might find it simpler to swallow your medicines if you coat them with lubricant gel. In one study, 54% of participants reported that doing so made consuming their medications much simpler. In addition, the lubricant reduces the discomfort you experience as the medicine slides into your stomach.
