Large numbers of people have difficulties swallowing medicine when it is offered to them as tablets or capsules. Dysphagia or swallowing difficulties can impact men and women of all ages including young children although it is most usual in older people since they are more susceptible to the causative illnesses and age connected changes in the functions of the saliva glands. Up to 1/3 of people in care homes have problems with Dysphagia which makes tending to their health and well-being a much more complicated task.

Dysphagia consequences can be quite serious as it can clearly interfere with medicine management and medication management proscribed by doctors if the patient is reluctant or unable to take medicine in capsule form. Furthermore there’s a risk that pills ingested orally may cause choking or a blockage of the airway and there is also a danger that capsules could become lodged in the throat which may lead to the incorrect dispersal of the drug to the body and also possible damage to the oesophagus.

Up till now the most typical method of dealing with the difficulties that Dysphagia presents has been tablet crushing in order to make treatments less difficult to swallow. However there are a number of problems associated with crushing tablets that can have serious implications and can have an effect on the effectiveness of the medicine. Some pills are sugar coated to make them taste better and while crushing them may not alter the way the pill works it will make them taste very unpleasant. Pills that have an enteric coating should never be crushed before they’re used because the coating is made to keep the tablet together within the stomach to either; guard the stomach from the medication, protect the medicine from the stomach or to release the medicine after it has left the stomach.

Fortunately there is an alternative for people who are afflicted by Dysphagia and also the people that care for them. There is currently a wider range than ever before of liquid medicines which can be taken orally and have exactly the same effect as pills or capsules. Oral liquid medicine is produced to treat an array of illnesses and diseases such as those affecting the cardio-vascular system and endocrine system and more liquid medicines are being produced all the time. Liquid medicines possess a number of advantages over other kinds of medicines not least of which is the fact that they are a great deal easier to swallow for people suffering from Dysphagia .