Why pills get stuck in throat

Some children and adults have difficulty swallowing pills even without having them get stuck in that uncomfortable location. When you swallow food, the epiglottis — the flexible cartilage at the root of your tongue — folds across your voice box. That keeps the food from traveling down your windpipe to your lungs.

Instead, the food goes down your esophagus and moves to your stomach. But pills don't always go down as easily as food. When tablets get stuck, they often fail to make it past the cricopharyngeus. Lots of liquid — preferably water — is the key to swallowing a pill. Wet your whistle first, put the pill on the back of your tongue, swallow quickly, and follow up with more water, up to 8 ounces or a full glass of water. The following is what to do when a pill becomes stuck in the throat.

For this reason, it is vital that a person knows how to stop or prevent choking. When a person is choking on a pill, it is usually possible to resolve the problem quickly and simply. There are also a few methods that can help reduce the chances of it happening at all. If a person is alone and choking on a pill, they should first dial Then they should try to perform the Heimlich maneuver on themselves. The Heimlich maneuver is a simple and effective way to remove a blockage in the throat.

A study notes that giving the Heimlich maneuver to oneself is just as effective as having someone else do it. If a person is near someone who is still conscious but cannot breathe, there are a couple of things that person can try. Performing the Heimlich maneuver, or abdominal thrusts, on another person may help dislodge a stuck pill. People can also try using a combination of back blows and abdominal thrusts to try to dislodge a pill in someone else by doing the following:.

Repeat these two processes until the person spits up the pill or shows other signs of breathing, such as coughing or gasping. If the person is unconscious, call emergency medical services. If the object blocking their throat is visible and easy to remove, it may help to sweep the object from their airways gently. Lay them on their back and perform chest compressions, regularly checking to see whether the object has come loose. If the person is coughing, crying, or showing other signs of breathing, there is not a complete blockage of the airways.

A person can help with some back blows if they need it. If the person can breathe but the pill is still in their throat, have them drink a few gulps of water or try to eat a small piece of food to dislodge the pill. Do not leave a pill to dissolve in the throat. This website is not intended for residents of New Mexico.

Selecting these links will take you away from Cigna. Cigna may not control the content or links of non-Cigna websites. Overview Medicare Coverage Options. Broker Resources. Individuals and Families. Health and Wellness. Wellness Library. Object Stuck in the Throat. Topic Overview Sometimes after you swallow a pill it may feel like it "got stuck" or didn't go all the way down. This is particularly true if there is a stricture present.

Doctor Experts for this Site. Provided by CalculatorsWorld. Previous Next. Medically reviewed by Akram Alashari, MD. A doctor explains why it seems your pills get stuck in your esophagus.