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April 21, 2009

Horse Pills

I had to go to the doctor this week, and I arrived home with a bottle of large pills. I know the pills will make me feel better, but I want to know why they have to make them in a size that’s more suitable for large animals. I choke and gag and stress out every time I have to take pills of any description. I’ve always been like this and remember having an ear infection when I was a kid, and my father becoming exasperated with me. In fact, he told me I’d go deaf if I didn’t take my pills. I’d frustrated him that much.

I’ve passed my dislike on to some of my characters. This is Kate from Playing to Win.

The nurse returned, handing her a glass of water and two white tablets of a size suitable for horses and other large animals.

Kate eyed the water with welcome but not the medication. “Don’t you have injections?”

The nurse shook her head and stood her ground.

Kate looked at the pills again and decided to do without.

“Katherine Giovanna Sophia Merryweather Alexander,” the nurse warned, her voice tart as a Meyer lemon, but a smile lurked in her brown eyes. She turned to Lane and Jamie. “Children are much better patients.”
After rolling her eyes at Kate’s muffled protest, she turned back to her patient. “I’ll help you sit.”

Kate clenched her jaw and allowed the nurse to assist her. When she pushed a button on the control unit, the bed rose so Kate could sit. She accepted the glass of water and took a sip, ignoring the pills. The nurse coughed and Kate held out her hand to accept the horse tablets.

A snigger escaped Lane. Kate noticed even Jamie smiled. She took a big breath and choked the pills down one at the time.

“Ugh.” For one awful moment, she thought the second pill would make a return visit. Her eyes watered as she swallowed in panic.

The nurse chortled. “There now. That wasn’t so bad was it, dear?”

“Thank you,” Kate said, with just a trace of sarcasm.

I’m with Kate all the way. Pills are not made for human consumption or at least our consumption!

How are you with taking pills?

19 Comments

  1. Leah Braemel

    My husband can’t swallow pills, neither can his sister. I’m not sure if it’s psychological or not, but at his age, he’s not about to start ‘trying’ he tells me. If he has to take a pill he chews it even if you’re not supposed to. He was thrilled to find aspirins in a powder packet recently, and ecstatic several brands have started carrying chewable multivitamins (even if they are for seniors).

    For myself I can swallow pills but I notice that they’re getting bigger and bigger, especially vitamins. What’s with that?

  2. Susan Helene Gottfried

    I love that she’d rather have the shot! Not me.

    Horse pills don’t always bother me. What gets me EVERY time is this new uncoated pill. I know, the sugar coating is bad for diabetics. But without the coating? Bad for my gag reflex!

  3. Debra Kayn

    This made me laugh, because as a child my mom tried the spoonful of sugar trick. What is worse than swallowing a horse pill? Trying to swallow a mouthful of dry sugar!! lol

    I don’t have a problem swallowing now, but I have one son who gags easy, so I’ll be keeping an eye on this thread.

  4. Roberta Harwell

    Hello Shelley,

    I have to agree. I hate taking pills to. If I can get it in a liquid form, you can bet I ask for it. I actually have to think about taking a pill. I have to concentrate to make the dam_ pill got down. Have a great day.

  5. Mel K.

    I’m a walking PDA and pharmacy. I live on a steady diet of pills. My health is not that great. Never has been.

  6. Amy Ruttan

    I can swallow pills now, but for a long time I couldn’t.

    You should see the Prenatal vitamin. That was my largest pill to date. The thing is HUGE, they try to cram so much into one pink pill.

  7. Jennifer Shirk

    LOL! I have no problem swallowing pills. :mrgreen:

    But I HATE taking medication. :???:

  8. Amy W.

    Shelley,
    Funny you should post about this as I actually told a similar story last night at dinner. When I was in the Navy I got Mono but didn’t know it at first. All I knew is that it hurt to swallow water. I went to sick call (doctor) and they said I had Strep and gave me horse pills. I could barely swallow water and they gave me these giant pills! I swear the longer I stared at it the bigger it grew! I choked down the first one barely. But by the afternoon I was so dehydrated I passed out. Then then discovered I had Mono and no more horse pills for me! I was never so happy to see a needle in my life… and I hate needles!

    Hope you are feeling better!
    Hugs!

  9. Shelley Munro

    Leah – ugh! The pills taste bad too. How does your hubby eat them?

    My answer to the problem is that I don’t take vitamin tablets and I only go to the doctor if I’m feeling REALLY bad!

    Susan – I didn’t know that about the coating. Is that my my pill tasted so ghastly when I choked it back up last night. :eek:

    Debra – my mother used to use a teaspoon of jam and that worked quite well.

    I remember my younger sister being quite sick and having to take capsule size pills for ages. My parents made me weed the garden and I found about ten capsules when I was weeding. Of course I was a real tattle tale!! :mrgreen:

  10. Jane

    I don’t have trouble swallowing pills, but some of my vitamins are huge and it takes a couple of glasses of water for me to wash it down.

  11. Shelley Munro

    Roberta – thankfully I only have to take two a day. I have a sort of routine. I take deep breaths, have a small sip of water, add the pill and take another sip of water. Sometimes it works…

    Mel – I’m sorry to hear that. Big hugs.

  12. Shelley Munro

    Amy R – I stay far away from vitamin tablets. As a vegetarian I’m very conscious of a balanced diet and I eat lots of fruit and vegetables.

    Jennifer – Yuck. No, I don’t think medicines are much better. :lol:

  13. Shelley Munro

    Amy W – Yikes, that doesn’t sound like fun. I don’t like shots either but I’d rather have them than a pill!

    Jane – LOL I’ve been hearing rumors from the others about large vitamin tablets.

  14. N.J. Walters

    I can’t swallow large pills. I choke.

    Anything larger than an asprin is almost impossible. I’ve found a tiny vitamin pill that I can take. It’s not nearly as good as most brands, but at least I can manage to get it down. I’ve even taken chewable vitamins because I can’t swallow the large ones.

    You’d think someone would find a way to make pills smaller. I’d rather have to take four small ones to make up a dosage instead of one large one.

  15. Amy Gallow

    Age, and a heart attack, have turned me into a pill gobbler par excellence and I can’t ever remember having a problem with it.

    On the other hand, try giving a pill to an unwilling cat. Two thick towels and leather gloves were the required equipment for our burmese kitten.

    Perhaps you could mention this to Paul next time?

    Give me time to fly over an witness the event.

    Amy

  16. Eleni Konstantine

    I don’t blame you Shelley for not liking those huge pills – and Jane is right – vitamin tablets look like they are made for giants than ordinary people. Hope you feel better.

  17. Mel K.

    Thank you, Shelley.

  18. Julie

    Shelley, that’s funny about the horse pills. We actually developed our prenatal vitamin soft chews because of that very issue. If you are interested in trying them, here our site is http://www.bloomennutrition.com

  19. Shelley Munro

    NJ – I’m surprised they don’t make pills smaller, too. I’m sure there is a logical reason. I managed to swallow the last pill today. Thank goodness!

    Amy G – I don’t want to even think about giving a tablet to an unwilling cat. It sounds dangerous to me. Scotty, our dog, needs to take tablets and we just put them with her food. She’s very good and gobbles them down.

    Eleni – thanks. I’m on the mend and have thankfully finished all my pills!

    Mel K – you’re very welcome. :grin:

    Julie – thanks for the link. Chewable tablets sound like a good plan to me!!