Today I got a pill stuck in the space at the back of my throat where the tonsil is. I was taking two of those mucus relief pills as I am getting over a cold. About half swallow I coughed and swallowed one but ran out of water so couldn't swallow the second. After choking for about 10 seconds feeling like the pill was going up my nose the choking stopped, but now I can feel the pill in what feels like the back of my throat. Looking in the mirror I can actually see a "space" where the tonsil crease is - on the other side of my throat that crease touches itself. When I stick my finger in there or press hard against the side of my neck I can feel it but can't dislodge it.
Here's the question: will it dissolve on its own, or do I need to get it removed? It's a kirkland/costco brand 400mg pill so pretty big. I can almost feel it dissolving down the back of my throat. Either that or I'm getting reflux from the first.
any ideas?? I appreciate any advice
Thanks,
Sylvia
Here's the question: will it dissolve on its own, or do I need to get it removed? It's a kirkland/costco brand 400mg pill so pretty big. I can almost feel it dissolving down the back of my throat. Either that or I'm getting reflux from the first.
any ideas?? I appreciate any advice
Thanks,
Sylvia
It should dissolve on it's own. It may help to squirt saline (or just water) up your nose.
To do this, lean your head back and squirt an ample amount of saline into your nostril and breath in.
Either the pill will become dislodged and you can wash it down with water or it will become coated in water and thus dissolve faster.
Normally I wouldn't give that advice but because of the small size of the object it is unlikely that it would obstruct your breathing.
To do this, lean your head back and squirt an ample amount of saline into your nostril and breath in.
Either the pill will become dislodged and you can wash it down with water or it will become coated in water and thus dissolve faster.
Normally I wouldn't give that advice but because of the small size of the object it is unlikely that it would obstruct your breathing.
I've had problems taking medicines since I was a youngster.
More than likely you have some throat swelling due to the cold you have.
I can't say I've ever had it go to my nose before but when it gets stuck in my throat i do this: I have warm liquid standing by suck as coffee, tea, etc. especially if the pill is larger in size and I figure it will get stuck. The warmth seems to hep disolve it.
If I can feel it "going down" I stand straight up and drink a glass of water to help flush it down. Drinking warm or hot fluids helps with this also.
Hope this helps.
More than likely you have some throat swelling due to the cold you have.
I can't say I've ever had it go to my nose before but when it gets stuck in my throat i do this: I have warm liquid standing by suck as coffee, tea, etc. especially if the pill is larger in size and I figure it will get stuck. The warmth seems to hep disolve it.
If I can feel it "going down" I stand straight up and drink a glass of water to help flush it down. Drinking warm or hot fluids helps with this also.
Hope this helps.
this just happened here. chewing gum was the solution
Eating bread really helps for lodged pills. I have a small throat as well so larger pills get lodged in it frequently.
just tried the bread thing after takign a vitamin C pill....totally worked
Problem was severe, 2 pills stuck at once. Tried a 1 oz shot glass of OLIVE OIL, helped quickly! And followed sips of this oil with sips of hot water. Might want to try it.
I had a large vitamin get stuck on the way down and had that "bone in the throat" feeling that usually just lasts a second and then the thing goes down. But it didn't. And the feeling was getting worse. It got harder and harder to swallow, kind of like strep throat, but clearly not a viral or bacterial thing--the cause was mechanical. I'm a school teacher, so the constant talking was very painful--as was eating, and, eventually, just the swallowing alone was painful.
After three days of this I went to the doc who rang up a specialist. When I pointed out the location of the pain, they told me that I had strained the cricothyroid muscle--which I had never heard of before. Most of the throat muscles run north-south, but at the bottom is a muscular ring, the cricothyroid. It was injured by clenching the stuck pill (which had long since disolved) and they told me I had a couple more days of pain in store and it would eventually loosen up like any traumatized muscle. Ibuprofen helped some, and it did feel better within a day or too--but there was a good deal of discomfort in the meantime.
Don't know if that's helpful, but that's how it went for me.
After three days of this I went to the doc who rang up a specialist. When I pointed out the location of the pain, they told me that I had strained the cricothyroid muscle--which I had never heard of before. Most of the throat muscles run north-south, but at the bottom is a muscular ring, the cricothyroid. It was injured by clenching the stuck pill (which had long since disolved) and they told me I had a couple more days of pain in store and it would eventually loosen up like any traumatized muscle. Ibuprofen helped some, and it did feel better within a day or too--but there was a good deal of discomfort in the meantime.
Don't know if that's helpful, but that's how it went for me.
I am exactly there today! swallowing is painful can't burp i betcha i did the same thing.... darn.... gonna be a long two days....any suggestions? scared to swallow anything now...
Thanks for your description. My throat has been hurting after a small pill I swallowed sticking to my throat. Even though the pill dissolved after a few second, the pain lingered. I think perhaps my throat muscle was damaged and I just need to endure a few more days of pain. But, I don't worry about it as much now.
Yvonne
Yvonne
Eating bread seems to have worked for me.
I am so grateful for your posts! I had two large tablets lodged in my throat. No trouble breathing, but really uncomfortable. I called my doctor, and the nurse said to wait until it dissolved and go to the ER if that took longer than 2 hours. I went online, found this thread, and tried a teaspoon of flaxseed oil. It worked in about 2 minutes. THANK YOU!!
This happen to me this morning. Two horse-pill sized vitamin Cs got stuck in my throat. Despite drinking fluids like water and hot coffee, they would not budge. Someone told me to try to drink a warm coke. I did, and as soon as the soda hit my throat, I gagged and the pills flew out. They had not dissolved at all in the two hours that they were stuck.
Now my throat is hurting really bad. Can't swalow without intense pain, but I ma grateful to the complete stranger that helped me.
Warm coke works.
I swallowed an oblong large pill which seems to have lodged in my esophagus. Taking 2 tbsps of olive oil seemed to make it hurt less, but did not dislodge. Warm coke nearly made me gag; it fizzes in your mouth (not sure if it does this on its own or because of the presence of the calcium in the pill?) Hot water (why bother with tea flavoring when I'm desperate?) didn't seem to make a difference. Hoping it just dissolves and my throat hurts for a bit rather than having to go to the doctor (she's the reason I'm taking these large pills in the first place!) again.
Update: I read on another site where most pills (unless they are the slow-release kind) are designed to dissolve quickly. So, being a scientist, I conducted an experiment. I cut the huge pill in half and put it in a glass. I then added water. While swirling the water around, the pill started dissolving immediately. When I added warm coke to the mixture, the dissolving sped up (due to the acidity). I feel confident now that the feeling I have of something "lodged" in my throat is from the muscles being stretched and the pill removing the mucus (which is why the olive oil made it feel better). I only hope that nothing tore, and things will be back to normal in a day or two...