Question:
New Prescription: Take with food???????

I have a new prescription that says "Take with food". I'm assuming that the pharmacist thinks I will eat and then swallow the pill with water. I tried that tonight and everything feels stuck. I only took one mouthful of water but am wondering if I should just crush this in applesauce. (yucch) The other pill is a very small gel cap. I'm wondering if this will be okay. I haven't taken that yet.    — susanje (posted on February 27, 2003)

February 26, 2003
I don't know about any other post ops, but I find I NEED to take my pills with food. (Especially pain pills or other pouch burners). Were you too full when you took the pill(s)? I suppose you could crush them but that may make some pills not work right. Or at least that's what I've been told. Perhaps try taking your pills them IMMEDIATLY eat.
   — Danmark

February 26, 2003
You can either take the pill with a sip of water before you start eating, or you can take a bite of food, chew, put the pill in and swallow. Sounds gross when I write it out like that! I do this with my calcium citrate capsules and have not had any problems with it feeling stuck. If the gel caps are required to take with food, you can do the same thing.
   — Ali M

February 26, 2003
I couldn't get pills down with water for a long time. What I do is take a spoonful of yogurt and then pop the pill into my mouth and swallow it all. This also would work with sf jello or pudding, applesauce, etc. Remember, you only need a spoonful to get it down, so one spoonful of applesauce would not really hurt you. I prefer yogurt, but anything that is pretty moist and doesn't require chewing would probably work.
   — garw

February 26, 2003
Please be sure to check with your pharmacist before crushing or breaking ANY medication. Some medications should not be crushed because they may have a special coating that prevents them from breaking down in the stomach, or the pill or capsule may be made to release the medication into your system slowly. Sometimes putting on a dab of butter or a drop of cooking oil helps a pill go down.
   — koogy

February 26, 2003
I take those right before I eat a meal. If you try to swallow water and a pill after you are full, your right,sometimes it is uncomfortable. I had to crush pills for the first month-it was AWFUL..I always tasted it, no matter what it was mixed into.
   — Cindy R.