[kyteflyer]

My poor old oesophagus is suffering, as am I. Metformin is such a big pill (1G dose) and I take 2, and sometimes it turns sideways on the way down. tonight, its the worst I’ve experienced. The pain is radiating all the way up to my ears!!

So my question is this: What are the alternatives, and are they smaller tablets. I don’t want to take the 500G ones which are smaller because I’d be taking 4 at once…

 

[itissteve]

🤐 !

Metformin is made by many manufacturers. It's possible your pharmacist/chemist could suggest a different brand that is smaller for that strength.

Another option might be to wrap the pill in something that will go down easier, like maybe a thin slice of ham or soft cheese (like a Brie or Camembert or Cheez Whiz [which you may be fortunate enough to not have in Australia] 😦)

I wonder what other posters here do to address that issue?

 

[VeeJay]

I see this thread was created a few years ago, but it is still a relevant issue.

I, too, have swallowing issues. I find that lubricating the throat prior to swallowing the pill is essential. As well as surrounding the pill with something that slides down easily.

My current favorite for this is yogurt. Swallow a couple spoonfuls, then lather the pill in yogurt and swallow that with water. It helps to eat something more solid after each pill so that pushes it down (sometimes takes a couple bites followed by plenty of water.)

You could use anything that is a thick liquid or very oily.... salad dressing, butter, olive oil, gravy, guacamole, etc.

 

[mbuster]

I take all my pills with food. When I get ready to swallow a bite of food after chewing, I just pop the pill i my mouth and swallow. Softer foods do better with pills that are not smooth.

 

[kyteflyer]

I take 2x1000g XR at once, normally, my throat is usually happy to take them. As I said, sometimes I have problems. This time they went down but one seemed turn sideways, halfway down, and got stuck at the bottom. I ended up drinking a gallon of water (well maybe not that much but you get the idea) and then when it seemed like it was getting close to being able to get into my stomach past the cardiac sphincter, I tore off a small piece of bread and chewed that up til it was paste-like and swallowed, and that seemed to do the trick. I think I am going to have to divide the dose again, though, I can’t keep risking it. I have other gastric and oesophageal issues, and it would be a pest to perforate or bleed out just because of a pill.

A friend of mine thinks there might be a soluble metformin. Anyone heard of?

 

[alfmaxmollyjack]

I take 2x1000g XR at once, normally, my throat is usually happy to take them. As I said, sometimes I have problems. This time they went down but one seemed turn sideways, halfway down, and got stuck at the bottom. I ended up drinking a gallon of water (well maybe not that much but you get the idea) and then when it seemed like it was getting close to being able to get into my stomach past the cardiac sphincter, I tore off a small piece of bread and chewed that up til it was paste-like and swallowed, and that seemed to do the trick. I think I am going to have to divide the dose again, though, I can’t keep risking it. I have other gastric and oesophageal issues, and it would be a pest to perforate or bleed out just because of a pill.

A friend of mine thinks there might be a soluble metformin. Anyone heard of?

If you can drink milk I would try that. That is what I do because it is kind of thicker and I take a sip to lubricate throat then swallow with milk and it slides right down.

 

[BrianK]

To my knowledge, metformin is safe to split the tablets, multiple times if you need to.
Most every "medical" pharmacy will provide pill splitters for free if you ask them for one.

That said, milk dipped/soaked bread is a great wrapper for most tablets.
Wonder bread is so smushy, you can just take a hunk and squish it around just about any tablet.

 

[Lee_Bo]

I use a pill splitter to break the big “horse pill” in half. That way I can take both halves at the same time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kyteflyer]

I was advised against unless its scored, in which case its safe to split. I think the XR as an extended release is not supposed to be split. IN any case I have been very careful not to be hasty in taking them and all has been well, since my original post. Thanks all, for your various suggestions