My husband, Bob, had a very serious choking episode while trying to swallow a pill. It really was a near miss. I was in position to perform Heimlich manuver, when he recovered. I will discuss this with ENT at 5/15 appt. He previously had minor difficulty with a much larger pill (Musinex). At that time, I told him to report this to ENT but he did not.
Fortunately, the only pill Bob takes on a regular basis is Coumadin, which is small and has not been a problem.

A few questions:
I know to check regarding which pills can be crushed. Time released, such as Musinex, cannot.
Anyone use bread or food rather than liquids?
Any other tips?

The other problem this has created is with me. I have not been able to get this episode out of my mind. It started me on a path of reliving this whole horrible dx, treatment, and its aftermath. I was very anxious about everything for a few days and am still not back to normal. Second F/U PET and ENT, RO, & MO eval all due in May. Lottie

Because of moderate dry mouth, I roll any pills in a tub of spreadable butter to apply a thin coating. I use specifically 'I can't believe it's not butter'. This helps greatly for me. I still use liquid to wash it down even with the butter. The chalky pills give me alot more trouble than the nice smooth capsules.

I agree with Kevin. Unless they are very smooth, I have choked a few times. THe large smooth ones go down much easier than some half the size that are chalky and a little rough. THey all hang up at the top of my throat.

Kevin! You're a genius! I have often wondered about what to do with these pills for my husband as well. We've cut, crushed, requested liquids, etc. I had never thought of butter! The capsules always go down well but the dry pills don't. Thanks for the tip.

I have this problem all the time. Aspirating one of these is a serious issue. I am careful to drink first to wet my throat and mouth, and I sometime find that placed in a spoonful of yogurt they go right down. When they get caught (often) I bend over so they thy are disinclined to continue down towards my lungs, and after taking a really deep inhale through the nose, I cough air out as forcefully as possible. So far I have gotten all of them out that were on the verge of going to the wrong place.... but this is a continuing problem.

Thank you Brian, Kevin, Jim. I've passed the suggestions on to my husband and will post if ENT has any other ideas.

I understand that Speech Therapists caution not to hyperextend the neck. It seems counterintuitive but dropping the chin slightly, after moving pill all the way to back of throat, is recommended. Anyone tried that with success?

its not anatomically counterintuitive if you think about what opening is getting compressed when you put your chin on your chest.... good idea. I'll try it the next time.

This was a big problem for me for several years after treatments. It has eased some now. I had one particular episode with a rounded smooth larger pill that scared the ---- out of me. For quite a while after that every pill was a problem. I came to realize that anxiety (about the pill) prior to taking it made things much worse. I use milk for pills that might cause trouble. I also have gained a great deal of confidence by popping the pill into a small mouthfull of chewed food and swallowing them all at once. This works so easily that I am able to get down even the largest (horse pills).

I'd like to know why some tablet manufacturers make large cube shaped gems with rough edges????

The butter idea works well for me, not just on pills but other regular foods as well. It is not fun eating something only to have to come back out of your nose because of the choking. I saw my mom live with this all of my life (and hers). It is something you never quite get used to