Why are vitamins and supplements so large?

[mountainsoft]

I have never really taken supplements before. I tried taking a multi-vitamin last year, but the huge pills were too hard to swallow so I stopped. Now I have started taking 225mg Magnesium pills in an effort to control my PAC's (premature atrial contractions), but again the pills are huge. The 225mg Magnesium pills are almost three times the size of a 220mg Naproxin or 200mg Ibuprofin.

Obviously the majority of the pill must be fillers, but WHY do they choose to make them so big?

I thought about trying to find a lower dose Magnesium and just taking two, but the ones I saw look about the same large size. Weird.

I rarely have problems swallowing pills, but these things are a struggle to get down every morning.

 

[RunningBum]

Some of them have a coating designed to keep the active ingredient from being released too early, or helps it be spread out over 24 hours. I'm not sure how many of the big pills this applies to.

The largest pill I take is a fish oil pill. I think those just have to be that large to have enough of the Omega fatty acids that you'd want. Maybe they should make them smaller and make a dose be 2 pills. They probably find that people only take one, so they sell half as much.

I'm lucky that I can take a handful of pills at once and swallow them with just a bit of water. The only one I always take separate tastes terrible so I have to put it on the back of my tongue.

 

[Jerry1]

I don’t know, but I feel for you. I take a lot of supplements and a couple of them are so big, I’ve literally choked on them. As in kinda giving myself the heimlich maneuver to get it out after it went down wrong. I hate the big pills.

 

[Ian S]

Part of the problem is that your 225 mg dose of magnesium comes tied up in a compound (e.g. magnesium oxide) so the volume associated with the compound is much larger and contributes to the extra bulk. There will of course be fillers too and that all adds up.

 

[GrayHare]

A doctor taught me the following trick. Next time you take a big pill, when you are ready to swallow, first turn your head a little (left or right), then swallow the pill. For most people, a little turn can help the pill go down, but it takes some trial and error to figure out which turn direction is best for you.

 

[Jerry1]

I’ve resorted to taking my supplements with food. I get the food and the pill mixed together and swallow. Usually works pretty good. Practicing for when I’m in the nursing home and they mix my pills with pudding

 

[Qs Laptop]

Along with some supplements some antibiotics can get to be a bit large.




This came in handy:
https://www.target.com/p/safety-shield-tablet-cutter-1ct-up-38-up-8482/-/A-11200382

Obviously won't work for gel-caps, but it will split most tablets.

Also, when shopping for supplements oftentimes they will show the size of the tablet on the side of the bottle or else list it in the description. I've passed on some products because they're a tough pill to swallow.

 

[Mark1]

I have problems with large pills, so I always take them a straw or a small mouthed bottle of liquid (e.g. propel), such that I can tilt my head back more.

 

[slaternuthink]

There is a simple solution for the magnesium pills - switch to a powdered form.
I use the Calm brand which dissolves completely in water. This is a citrate formula. If sensitive to the laxative effects, there are glycinate forms available, but I have not tried them.
One could also crush the tablets and mix with water or a small amount of yogurt etc.

Same with fish oil - switch to the liquid form. There are flavored versions if taste is a problem.

 

[RunningBum]

Obviously won't work for gel-caps, but it will split most tablets.

Make sure the tablets should be split. If the size is due to a time release coating, it probably shouldn't be split.

 

[Lewis Clark]

Make sure the tablets should be split.

+1

If the dosage is very small, the medicine may not be evenly distributed enough in the pill to make splitting the pill a good idea. If the dosage is measured in micrograms, I'd recommend asking your doctor or pharmacist before splitting a pill.

 

[athena53]

Maybe they should make them smaller and make a dose be 2 pills. They probably find that people only take one, so they sell half as much.

I think we have a winner. Yes, I've noticed that and although they're not quite as awful to swallow as capsules, manufacturers are making pretty big "caplet" type pills, especially the fish oil ones I take.

No problems swallowing them yet but I appreciate the hints for the day I need them.

 

[Highbeam]

I imagine the marketing department told the manufacturer that bigger OTC pills fill a bigger bottle and we can sell it for more money. The buyer thinks they are getting "more" good stuff.

They can be too small too. I take the 24 hour costco allegra allergy pills and those buggers are super tiny.

 

[mountainsoft]

There is a simple solution for the magnesium pills - switch to a powdered form.

I will have to think about the powdered magnesium. I keep my meds next to the bed so I remember to take them when I first wake up each morning. I don't know that fussing sleepy eyed with a powder would be very convenient.

I also thought about splitting the pills into a more manageable size and just swallowing two halves. I could prepare those in advance.

Sheesh, this time last year I wasn't taking any pills. Now my bed side table looks like a pharmacy.

 

[mountainsoft]

I tried splitting one of the magnesium pills with my wife's pill cutter. Nope, it just shattered into dust. So much for that idea.

 

[Davidhelp]

#5 "A doctor taught me the following trick. Next time you take a big pill, when you are ready to swallow, first turn your head a little (left or right)......"


Doctors usually say this then bend over and cough : )

https://st2.depositphotos.com/10114...98005-stock-photo-hand-holding-a-big-pill.jpg

 

[EastWest Gal]

My flute teacher taught me how to swallow pills. Be sure to bring you neck up straight and keep your chin down. The opposite of craning your neck. When you crane your neck you bring the back of your throat more directly open over your trachea. When you move your head back with your chin tucked in, the back of your throat is more open over your esophagus, where the pill needs to go.

Regarding the difference between a supplement and a medicine, it's all in the amount. Fish oil and glucosamine supplements often have over a gram of material (1000 mg), as do some mineral supplements. Medications are often in small milligram amounts, such as 5-40 mg. Vitamin D pills are small, since 25 mg=1000 IU.

 

[mountainsoft]

Regarding the difference between a supplement and a medicine, it's all in the amount. Fish oil and glucosamine supplements often have over a gram of material (1000 mg), as do some mineral supplements.

Not necessarily. My 250mg Magnesium tablets are 3-4 times as big as a 220mg Ibuprofen. Nearly identical amount of active ingredient, but the supplement is much larger.

 

[brett]

Don't get it.

We each take three vitamin D every day. They are tiny. DW takes 2 Calcium pills. They are like horse pills. So much so she delays taking the second until later in the day..

 

[Helen]

I bite a 200mg magnesium citrate pill in half and take it before bed. It's the only supplement I've ever taken where I can feel a difference. No more restless leg feeling.

 

[Badger]

I put my calcium, chondroitin, glucosamine pills in a fruit smoothie and blend them up since they have no taste. I also recently started with multi vitamin and magnesium in gummy form. I just can't swallow pills easily. They get stuck half way requiring eating something to push it down.


Cheers!

 

[pacergal]

DH can take all of his pills in one swallow. Me, I have to take only on or two at a time with large amounts of water. Capsules go down easiest because they get a bit slippery with liquid. I find if I swish the tablets in my mouth with a bit of water before I swallow, it helps. I save the worst tasting for last and drink a glass of water afterwards!
Be careful with any cutting or breaking of pills, make sure it is safe to do so as some have special coatings to decrease the way/amount your body digests at one time.

 

[Sunset]

Maybe larger pills make the person feel they are getting their moneys worth.

Like the old cars, example Lincoln Continental Mark IV - had about a foot of empty space from the radiator to the bumper, made the car longer so worth more

 

[msieweke]

Magnesium is a small/light molecule compared to the other parts of the compound. A typical compound (glycinate or malate) is only 20% Mg. So your "200 mg Mg" weighs 1000 mg. Couple that with the low density and you get a large pill. The same goes for calcium. It's cheaper to buy it in the powder form, and easier to take when mixed with water, so that's how I get it.