In daily life, many patients take the shortcut and swallow pills or capsules without water, using saliva instead. However, this method of taking medication has many risks and can even be life-threatening if the pills are accidentally swallowed into the windpipe. Let me introduce the dangers of dry swallowing pills below!
1. Slow onset of medication
The human esophagus has three physiological narrowings, which can cause food and medication to get stuck or take longer to reach the gastrointestinal tract. Drinking water while taking pills can help them reach the gastrointestinal tract faster, facilitating absorption and effectiveness. Dry swallowing pills prolongs the time it takes for the medication to reach the gastrointestinal tract, delaying its effectiveness.
2. Damage to the esophagus
When dry swallowing pills, they can easily stick to the walls of the esophagus. Some medications have irritant effects on the esophageal mucosa (such as bisphosphonates used to treat osteoporosis). When these medications linger in the esophagus, they can cause discomfort such as pain or burning behind the sternum, and in severe cases, lead to esophagitis, esophageal ulcers, and esophageal erosion. The patient in the opening case damaged the mucosa at the narrowing of the esophagus while dry swallowing pills, leading to esophageal ulcers and inflammation.
3. Nausea and vomiting
Some medications have distinctive tastes, and if swallowed without water, the irritant effects can be more pronounced, leading to nausea and even vomiting of the medication or food.
4. Risk of aspiration
The esophagus and windpipe are very close together, so dry swallowing pills can easily cause aspiration. This is particularly dangerous for the elderly and children, as once a pill is inhaled into the windpipe, it can cause choking and become life-threatening.
5. Kidney damage
Certain medications, such as sulfonamide antibiotics, have a tendency to form crystals when excreted through the kidneys, which can lead to kidney damage. Antigout medications that promote uric acid excretion (such as benzbromarone) can increase the concentration of uric acid in the urine, making it easier for uric acid crystals to form. If these medications are taken without enough water, or even dry swallowed, it can affect medication excretion and harm the kidneys.
Patients with mitral valve stenosis and enlarged atria due to rheumatic heart disease are more susceptible to medication getting stuck in the esophagus due to compression. Dry swallowing pills can easily cause pills to get lodged in the esophagus, leading to esophagitis or esophageal ulcers. There are many medications that can cause esophageal damage, mainly pills that have irritant or corrosive effects on the esophageal mucosa, such as tetracycline, aspirin, potassium chloride, aminophylline, quinidine, prednisone, diclofenac, and prednisolone.
Once esophageal damage occurs, patients may feel a burning sensation, pressure, or pain behind the sternum, and some may have difficulty swallowing. Additionally, dry swallowing pills or slow dissolution of medication can further delay the onset of action, especially for sugar-coated pills. Therefore, in order to fully benefit from medication and prevent side effects, it is important to avoid dry swallowing pills.
