More and more people have trouble swallowing medicine when it is presented to them as tablets or pills. Dysphagia or swallowing difficulties can affect people of all ages including children although it is most frequent in older people since they are more vulnerable to the causative illnesses and age connected changes in the functions of the saliva glands. Dysphagia is a particularly acute difficulty in care homes for the elderly where approximately 1/3 of residents may well suffer from it which makes tending to them a far more difficult and time intensive process.
Dysphagia consequences can be very serious as it can clearly interfere with medicine management and medication management proscribed by medical professionals when the affected person is unwilling or not able to take medication in tablet form. Furthermore there’s a threat that capsules ingested orally could potentially cause choking or a blockage of the airway and there’s also a danger that capsules may become stuck in the throat which may lead to the incorrect dispersal of the drug to the body and also possible injury to the oesophagus.
The most widespread and common technique of coping with Dysphagia has been tablet crushing to make them more palatable and less difficult to swallow. However there are lots of issues associated with crushing tablets that can have significant implications and may affect the efficacy of the medicine. Some pills are sugar coated to make them taste better and while crushing them might not change the way the capsule works it will make them taste very unpleasant. Many of the pills and tablets developed these days come with an enteric layer that is designed to keep the pill together inside the stomach. Tablets with an enteric covering should never be crushed because the coating is there to either protect the stomach from the medication or to protect the medication from the effects of the stomach .
Fortunately there is an alternative solution for those who suffer from Dysphagia and also the people that care for them. There is today a larger range than ever before of liquid medicines which can be used orally and have precisely the same effect as pills or capsules. Oral liquid medicine is created to treat a wide range of illnesses and diseases like those affecting the cardio-vascular system and endocrine system and more liquid medicines are being created all the time. Liquid medicines are effortless to swallow for those with Dysphagia and are available in a number of enjoyable flavors.