# Trouble Swallowing Prenatal Vitamins



## Mia Evan

Hi all, 

My doctor just prescribed PregVit prenatal vitamins for me. He advised me to take them for at least 3 months before TTC. It's a twice a day prescription (which is supposed to enhance both iron and calcium absorption because they shouldn't be taken together). The big problem is that I CAN'T SWALLOW PILLS! :dohh:

The pharmacist said that if I break up or crush the vitamins, I might not get the full effect.

Anyone else share this problem? Any tips on how to overcome this?


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## Daisy Delayne

Yes, I have a problem swallowing those pills whole, but I break them in half, take a huge mouthful of water and I'm fine. I don't see why you wouldn't get the full effect if they were broken, but then I really don't know what I'm talking about :)


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## Twister

I'm the same with any kind of tablet, but I've found a way to get around it. This may sound gross/wierd but what I do is get some food, doesn't matter what really but things like bread work really well, chew it as normal and just as you're about to swallow it wedge the tablet into the chewed up food in your mouth and swallow. You can't taste it or feel it at all and theres no need to crush the tablet or anything like that.


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## SIEGAL

I was terrible at taking my pre natal vitamins. I wasn't used to taking a pill everyday and after I conceived I kept associating them with nausea from morning sickness and couldn't take them. Nurse said take the Flintstones chewable vitamins (they have folic acid). I do now - and its a lot easier (and yummier)


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## almostXmagic

i dont struggle with swallowing pills since iv been doing it since i was a kid because of medications im on, but my grandmother takes her vitamins by sticking them in a little piece of banana and then swallowing that. goes down slicker apparently.


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## Mia Evan

Taking pills with a mouthful of food does seem to make it easier to swallow, but iron supplement is supposed to be taken on an empty stomach. I just ordered the Oralflo Pill Swallowing Cup after reading great reviews about it. Hope it actually works! I want to make sure I take those prenatal vitamins properly. Thanks for all the advice and I'll update the post if the Oralflo works :)


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## dontworry

They make liquid iron supplements, I believe. And I have heard lots of pregnant women take the Flintstones vitamins because they're chewable. :)


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## Lownthwaite

Mia Evan said:


> Taking pills with a mouthful of food does seem to make it easier to swallow, but iron supplement is supposed to be taken on an empty stomach. I just ordered the Oralflo Pill Swallowing Cup after reading great reviews about it. Hope it actually works! I want to make sure I take those prenatal vitamins properly. Thanks for all the advice and I'll update the post if the Oralflo works :)

This sounds very interesting! I have struggled all me life to take pills. It makes me very stressed trying to get them down! 

Trying to take pain relief and antibiotics in labour made a stressfull situation worse!! :nope:

Let me know if this works for you - I wonder if you can get them in the UK? :shrug:


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## Mia Evan

dontworry said:


> They make liquid iron supplements, I believe. And I have heard lots of pregnant women take the Flintstones vitamins because they're chewable. :)

I used to take a liquid iron supplement. It stains your teeth grey and it tastes awful :(


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## Mia Evan

Lownthwaite said:


> Mia Evan said:
> 
> 
> Taking pills with a mouthful of food does seem to make it easier to swallow, but iron supplement is supposed to be taken on an empty stomach. I just ordered the Oralflo Pill Swallowing Cup after reading great reviews about it. Hope it actually works! I want to make sure I take those prenatal vitamins properly. Thanks for all the advice and I'll update the post if the Oralflo works :)
> 
> This sounds very interesting! I have struggled all me life to take pills. It makes me very stressed trying to get them down!
> 
> Trying to take pain relief and antibiotics in labour made a stressfull situation worse!! :nope:
> 
> Let me know if this works for you - I wonder if you can get them in the UK? :shrug:Click to expand...

The forum won't allow me to post a website as I am new to the forum so Google oralflo. They offer international shipping on their website. I should receive my order in the next couple of days so I will def let you know if it works! *fingers crossed*


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## Franklin

I am horrible at taking pills. I even struggle with my tiny BCP. For medium sized pills like tylenol and such, I put the pill in the center of a spoonful of applesauce and then just swallow the whole bite of applesauce/pill. They slide down easy from the lubrication of the applesauce, you don't know there in there, and there is no chewing.

As for prenatals, they were too large for me to do the applesauce trick, so my OB wrote a prescription for chewable prenatals. Then I got chewable calciulm (Caltrate) to add with the prenatals because I'm lactose intolerant. There are options out there, you just have to ask.

Good luck.


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## renea&paul

I take the chewables prenatals from walmart they're 12 for a bottle of 90, they're also online called vitafusion.


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## Mia Evan

renea&paul said:


> I take the chewables prenatals from walmart they're 12 for a bottle of 90, they're also online called vitafusion.

I looked this up and saw the gummies version; it looks yummy! It doesn't contain calcium and iron though and I'm iron deficient.. :nope: Otherwise, this sounds like a great alternative!


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## Mia Evan

So to follow up on the pill swallowing cup I posted about earlier... It didn't work for me :cry: My husband tried it successfully and said "Wow, I didn't even feel the pill go down!" -but he has no trouble swallowing pills anyway! So the verdict is the cup might work for those of you who aren't horribly afraid of swallowing pills and just need a little mechanical help; but don't bother trying if your difficulty swallowing pills is a mental thing. 

On a more positive note, I've been practicing with tic tacs and getting those down slowly haha so bring on the prenatal vitamins! I want to TTC in 3 months so badly that I'm not gonna let pills bother me! :happydance:


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## 5_Year_Plan

Twister said:


> I'm the same with any kind of tablet, but I've found a way to get around it. This may sound gross/wierd but what I do is get some food, doesn't matter what really but things like bread work really well, chew it as normal and just as you're about to swallow it wedge the tablet into the chewed up food in your mouth and swallow. You can't taste it or feel it at all and theres no need to crush the tablet or anything like that.

I've been doing this too to take any kind of pill for years- although I'm getting better, if it's just a tiny pill I can sometimes take it with a thick drink like smoothies or juice. I take my antihistamines in the morning with my cereal & now my prenatals with the last few mouthfuls of my dinner, but I'm ok as mine say to be taken on a full stomach.

For an empty stomach I would just have one or two mouthfuls of something, that shouldn't hurt? Like yoghurt or a biscuit? I'm sure it only makes you feel sick rather than affecting the absorbency/effectiveness of the pill, but I could be wrong! X


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