Swallowing pills and them feeling like they are stuck and you're gonna die!

reaching

Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2020
Messages
255
Since I am finally calming down from my ridiculous panic episode after getting two supplement pills stuck in my throat (esophagus?), I figured I would share it so you could get a kick out of it or you could share your own horror story.

Brief Context
So I have always been afraid of choking. Since I was in high school and experimented with some substances and thought I was choking and was rushed to the ER for the doctor to tell me you're just having a bad trip. After that incident, I became quite afraid of swallowing, eating and drinking. Not to a detrimental state, but to the point where I consciously thought about it every time I did it. I was scared of choking! So I thought about choking while not trying to choke! I really conditioned myself on that one. Anyways, fast forward to adult hood and I am mostly okay. I do freak out everrrrrryy now and then but it's not at the forefront of my mind most of the time except occasionally when I take supplements. Side note, a relative was with their boss and boss's partner out for dinner when the partner choked and died at dinner. That creeps up on me sometimes. But yes, I am afraid of choking and sometimes can't help but worry about it when ingesting things.

Tonight
I've been taking some Serra-natto to try and clear up my sinuses. God, nothing works I feel. But that's besides the point. I couldn't sleep.
So I get out of bed and realize, "Oh, I didn't take the Serra-natto tonight. Should do that."
Not thinking about choking. I grab four pills and think, to myself, waiiiit a second. That's a bit much for you right now even though I had taken four the previous two nights.
So I tell myself, "You know what, you're right by golly. You'll probably get them stuck in your throat and you'll freak out and die and you didn't erase your history and what about all your bills and how will you family even get your body. Geez look what you did now you better just take two."
SO, I take two. Put them in my mouth and grab some water but now I am thinking about it too much and now I am already getting anxious about nothing.
Put some water in my mouth and breathe slowly then try to gulp but damn it, I left too much air in my mouth and so I swallowed air with the water and pills.. I think?
Sure enough those little suckers and stuck in my throat and I could feel them. You know the feeling.
I don't freak out now. I just think whatever. Happens more often than not just relax watch some TV drink some water and relax. Why did you say relax twice?
Time passes. Drink water. Nothing changes. So I drink more water and nothing changes. A little concerned but trying not to freak out.
So the next most logical thing to do is to google what to do when this happens which leads to some helpful hints but then the WHEN TO CALL THE DOCTOR section.
Up until didn't have any symptoms whatsoever. Then my brain just says, "No! YOU!"
Full blown panic attack. Extremities clamming up and going to numb. Head goes numb. Weird sensation to describe but it happens sometimes. Like my scalp and ears had fallen asleep.
I know what panic attacks feel like and I have trained myself not to initially react but I can only play it cool for so long.
Wake up my wife and tell her can she just stay up with me for a little bit while I freak out and try to get a hold on this situation.
She is accommodating and very supportive. This is not an every day occurrence but she knows I am eccentric and I don't deserve her.
So she stays up with me as I pace around the apartment.
I drink more water. I am breathing fine! No obstruction just the sensation in my throat but that's enough to keep the train going.
I wonder if I should induce vomiting but that makes me even more anxious. I know what! Cold shower.
That'll shock or wake me up or just make me feel something, anything other than how I am feeling. Nope, just cold now.
I chew on some ginger. I thought stimulating the bite mechanism would ease the pills down? Drink water.
Pace. I am okay. Just calming down now. Then drink warm water soaked in ginger.
And finally as I am typing this ridiculous story, they have gone down to my stomach or at least to the point where I no longer can feel their sensation.
I will stay up a little bit drinking some fluids just to make sure their down cause you know what the coating of the enzymes dissolves and they are still in my esophagus and that silk worm stuff eats through my throat and choke on my own innards or fluids.

Well, that's all I got for you. What about you guys? Any problems with taking pills?
 

Perry Staltic

Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2020
Messages
8,186
I put ground up tablets (mortar and pestle) and emptied capsule contents into protein drink. The only ones I swallow whole are gel caps and they tend to go down easily.
 
OP
R

reaching

Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2020
Messages
255
Maybe just try one at a time next time?
Yeah, but that draws out the process and I psyche myself out! But yeah, I do that for the bigger ones.

These pills aren’t even big either. I think they just got lodged together or turned around in a weird way going down.
 

mostlylurking

Member
Joined
May 13, 2015
Messages
3,078
Location
Texas
Since I am finally calming down from my ridiculous panic episode after getting two supplement pills stuck in my throat (esophagus?), I figured I would share it so you could get a kick out of it or you could share your own horror story.

Brief Context
So I have always been afraid of choking. Since I was in high school and experimented with some substances and thought I was choking and was rushed to the ER for the doctor to tell me you're just having a bad trip. After that incident, I became quite afraid of swallowing, eating and drinking. Not to a detrimental state, but to the point where I consciously thought about it every time I did it. I was scared of choking! So I thought about choking while not trying to choke! I really conditioned myself on that one. Anyways, fast forward to adult hood and I am mostly okay. I do freak out everrrrrryy now and then but it's not at the forefront of my mind most of the time except occasionally when I take supplements. Side note, a relative was with their boss and boss's partner out for dinner when the partner choked and died at dinner. That creeps up on me sometimes. But yes, I am afraid of choking and sometimes can't help but worry about it when ingesting things.

Tonight
I've been taking some Serra-natto to try and clear up my sinuses. God, nothing works I feel. But that's besides the point. I couldn't sleep.
So I get out of bed and realize, "Oh, I didn't take the Serra-natto tonight. Should do that."
Not thinking about choking. I grab four pills and think, to myself, waiiiit a second. That's a bit much for you right now even though I had taken four the previous two nights.
So I tell myself, "You know what, you're right by golly. You'll probably get them stuck in your throat and you'll freak out and die and you didn't erase your history and what about all your bills and how will you family even get your body. Geez look what you did now you better just take two."
SO, I take two. Put them in my mouth and grab some water but now I am thinking about it too much and now I am already getting anxious about nothing.
Put some water in my mouth and breathe slowly then try to gulp but damn it, I left too much air in my mouth and so I swallowed air with the water and pills.. I think?
Sure enough those little suckers and stuck in my throat and I could feel them. You know the feeling.
I don't freak out now. I just think whatever. Happens more often than not just relax watch some TV drink some water and relax. Why did you say relax twice?
Time passes. Drink water. Nothing changes. So I drink more water and nothing changes. A little concerned but trying not to freak out.
So the next most logical thing to do is to google what to do when this happens which leads to some helpful hints but then the WHEN TO CALL THE DOCTOR section.
Up until didn't have any symptoms whatsoever. Then my brain just says, "No! YOU!"
Full blown panic attack. Extremities clamming up and going to numb. Head goes numb. Weird sensation to describe but it happens sometimes. Like my scalp and ears had fallen asleep.
I know what panic attacks feel like and I have trained myself not to initially react but I can only play it cool for so long.
Wake up my wife and tell her can she just stay up with me for a little bit while I freak out and try to get a hold on this situation.
She is accommodating and very supportive. This is not an every day occurrence but she knows I am eccentric and I don't deserve her.
So she stays up with me as I pace around the apartment.
I drink more water. I am breathing fine! No obstruction just the sensation in my throat but that's enough to keep the train going.
I wonder if I should induce vomiting but that makes me even more anxious. I know what! Cold shower.
That'll shock or wake me up or just make me feel something, anything other than how I am feeling. Nope, just cold now.
I chew on some ginger. I thought stimulating the bite mechanism would ease the pills down? Drink water.
Pace. I am okay. Just calming down now. Then drink warm water soaked in ginger.
And finally as I am typing this ridiculous story, they have gone down to my stomach or at least to the point where I no longer can feel their sensation.
I will stay up a little bit drinking some fluids just to make sure their down cause you know what the coating of the enzymes dissolves and they are still in my esophagus and that silk worm stuff eats through my throat and choke on my own innards or fluids.

Well, that's all I got for you. What about you guys? Any problems with taking pills?
Well, this story sounds really really familiar. I suffered for around 20 years with this problem. At least twice a week, food would get stuck. Forget about pills. A few times it was caused by a sip of water upon getting out of bed. It was really bad. People said I needed to get my throat stretched. That didn't make sense to me because the problem wasn't consistent; sometimes I was fine, but many times I'd be pacing around the house, trying to get the stuck item to go on down for at least an hour. I got really good at yacking things up like a cat does with a hairball.

This problem totally cleared up for me when I got my thyroid medication optimized (it was doubled) back in 2015. Just like magic, it went away and stayed away. I've read recently that thiamine deficiency can cause the problem too. The autonomic nervous system controls peristalsis and can malfunction (disautonomia); thiamine deficiency is implicated. Somewhere I've read Ray Peat say that the swallowing problem is linked to hypothyroidism. Mine cleared with thyroid supplementation. Both thyroid deficiency and thiamine deficiency seriously hamper mitochondrial function so many of these two deficiencies' symptoms overlap.

here's a video about thiamine deficiency and disautonomia:
 

Fred

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2013
Messages
487
There's something called an esophageal ring that can interfere with swallowing.
 
OP
R

reaching

Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2020
Messages
255
Well, this story sounds really really familiar. I suffered for around 20 years with this problem. At least twice a week, food would get stuck. Forget about pills. A few times it was caused by a sip of water upon getting out of bed. It was really bad. People said I needed to get my throat stretched. That didn't make sense to me because the problem wasn't consistent; sometimes I was fine, but many times I'd be pacing around the house, trying to get the stuck item to go on down for at least an hour. I got really good at yacking things up like a cat does with a hairball.

This problem totally cleared up for me when I got my thyroid medication optimized (it was doubled) back in 2015. Just like magic, it went away and stayed away. I've read recently that thiamine deficiency can cause the problem too. The autonomic nervous system controls peristalsis and can malfunction (disautonomia); thiamine deficiency is implicated. Somewhere I've read Ray Peat say that the swallowing problem is linked to hypothyroidism. Mine cleared with thyroid supplementation. Both thyroid deficiency and thiamine deficiency seriously hamper mitochondrial function so many of these two deficiencies' symptoms overlap.

here's a video about thiamine deficiency and disautonomia:


Very interesting info! Thank you.
 

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