How Long Can A PILL BE STUCK IN YOUR THRUSTER’S THROAT?
The length of time a pill can be stuck in your throat depends upon several factors such as:
1) How much liquid the pill contains;
2) The thickness of the pills;
3) The size of the pills; and most importantly, 4) How hard you swallowed them.
Pill Stuck in Your Throat?
Here’s What To Do!
What is the length of time a pill can be stuck in your throat?
When swallowing pills, they are usually broken into two parts: the active ingredient (the medicine), and the inactive ingredients (or inert). Some medicines have less than one percent of active ingredients. These medicines cannot be absorbed through the stomach lining, so they do not cause any problems when swallowed whole. When these medicines are broken up into smaller pieces, however, they may still be absorbed through the stomach lining. Therefore, if you swallow a tablet or capsule with only part of the active ingredient inside, it will take longer for those parts to pass out of your body before they can affect your system.
The size of the pill is another factor that plays into how long it will take for a pill to pass through your digestive tract. The larger the pill, the longer it takes to break down in your stomach acid.
If you have small pieces of a large pill stuck in your throat then these may take longer for your body to process.
Thin pills containing a high amount of active ingredient can also cause problems when they are swallowed whole. In fact, some of these pills should be broken into smaller pieces before being swallowed.
The thickness of a pill can also cause problems when swallowed whole. For example, if you swallow a large bicarbonate tablet, it will take longer for your body to break it down.
What all this means is that you should be careful how you take medicine. A pill that says “Swallow whole” may not necessarily be safe to swallow whole, and the contents of this type of pill may be toxic if broken apart and absorbed through your stomach lining.
Does it take a long time for a pill to pass through your throat?
The length of time a pill can be stuck in your throat will vary. In most cases, adults can expect any pill to pass through their system within 2-4 days. Children can expect this process to take slightly longer (2-5 days).
If you have any reason to believe that the pill may be toxic to your system, it is important that you seek medical attention as soon as possible. For example, if the pill is stuck in your throat for more than 12 hours then you may need emergency help removing the pill from your throat.
Does a pill always pass through your throat?
Although most pills will pass through your throat within 2-4 days, there are some pills that can get “stuck” in your throat. Pills that contain a high amount of active ingredient can sometimes cause problems when they are swallowed whole. For example, if you swallow a large bicarbonate tablet, it may take longer for your body to break it down.
Also, pills that contain thin pieces of a large pill may cause problems when they are swallowed whole. In some cases, these large pieces may get lodged in your throat or esophagus, and this can cause you to choke if the pill is not removed.
What should you do if a pill gets stuck in your throat?
If you swallow a pill but then realize that it is stuck in your throat, there are several things you can do. The most important thing to remember is not to panic! Chances are that the pill will still pass through your digestive system just fine.
The main thing to avoid is trying to spit out the pill. Each time you swallow, the pill will travel a little bit further down your throat and closer to your stomach.
Trying to spit it out may push it down far enough that it cannot be retrieved.
Also, avoid drinking liquids or swallowing large pieces of food. These can cause the pill to go down even further and make it harder to retrieve.
If you are able to breathe through your nose, the best thing to do is lay down and stay calm. The pill should eventually make its way down to your throat and then you can swallow it again.
If you have a stuffy nose (common with allergies) or if you are not able to breathe through your nose, the best thing to do is raise your head as much as you can. This will cause your tongue to press up against the back of your throat and the pill should drop down.
As soon as you can, lay down and relax, and the pill should make its way down to your throat so that you can swallow it again.
NOTE: If the pill does not enter your throat, do not stick your finger into your throat to retrieve the pill. This can cause the pill to become lodged in your esophagus and this is a medical emergency.
NOTE: If the pill is still stuck after 1 hour, you will need to seek medical attention.
How can you prevent this from happening in the future?
If you have recently taken a pill and it got stuck in your throat, there are some things that you can do to avoid this from happening in the future.
Always take medication with plenty of water. This will help the pill slide down more easily.
Make sure that the pills you take are meant to be swallowed. In some cases, people may accidentally swallow a capsule or tablet meant to be taken in pieces.
Also, avoid taking large amounts of bicarbonate or other pills containing large amounts of active ingredients. While this may help unblock your nose more quickly, it can also lead to pills getting lodged in your throat.
If you experience ongoing problems with pills getting lodged in your throat, seek medical attention. There are some pills that can be taken through a nasogastric or NG tube.
This involves passing the pill through a tube that goes directly into your stomach. If the medicine is accepted, this allows for more accurate dosing than can be achieved by swallowing or inhaling it.
However, you may need to speak to your doctor about changing your treatment in order to avoid these problems entirely. This may include a treatment such as an intranasal steroid spray.
This allows the medication to be directly absorbed into your bloodstream, avoiding your digestive system and the symptoms caused by this, such as a blocked nose.
Should you experience frequent problems with pills getting lodged in your throat, or if you believe that you have difficulty swallowing pills, please seek medical advice.
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