Gag reflex warfarin

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As various past boyfriends will testify in somewhat different circumstances, I have quite a strong gag reflex but no problem taking Warfarin pills or indeed any others. Have you considered (or tried) taking the pills with a flavoured drink you like, instead of with water?

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Different generic brands may have different dyes and different substances mixed with the warfarin to make them into a pill.
I tried one a few years ago that I made it impossible to regulate my INR.

Your idea of putting the pill(s) into a capsule, and swallowing the capsule is a good one. You can get capsules at VitaminShoppe, online, and probably at some pharmacies. As long as the capsule is large enough to put the pill into, it should work well for you.

As far as chewing the pill, or mixing with applesauce, I don't think these are good ideas. The applesauce may dissolve the pill, making the whole mess taste even worse. Chewing the pill may change the way that it's absorbed into the system.

Have you tried putting a small sliver of bread - something small enough that you can swallow - around the pill and swallowed the pill? Maybe this will help.

I've been taking Coumadin, then Warfarin, for more than 30 years and can't remember EVER having the issue that you report.

(And I wouldn't rule out the psychological aspect -- especially if somewhere along the line, you were convinced that it was Rat Poison. The warfarin that they use to kill rats is much higher dose than any of us can take, and they've stopped using it because some rats have mutated so that they're warfarin resistant. Many of the things that we eat can be poisonous. You can't give a dog chocolate - to them, it's like a poison - but WE can eat it. Consider that the warfarin in Rat Poison might be slightly different chemically from the warfarin that humans take - to the rats, this modified warfarin can cause them to die (they get a massive dose that doesn't really 'poison' them - it just reduces their clotting time so that they bleed internally) - and that the warfarin you take, in such tiny doses, will help, rather than hurt.)
 
Gin and tonic with a leaf of mint?
Personally, I'm not a fan of this idea - dissolving the pill in ANY drink. I feel safer just taking the pill (and you CAN put it into a capsule and swallow the capsule). I think I'd feel safer having my stomach acids and any water in my stomach dissolve the pill than I would having only water (or gin, or juice) dissolve it before I put it into my stomach.

Here's a thought about the taste/nausea issue:

What about some 'blind' testing:

Have your partner, or friend, or some significant other, give you a pill to swallow - with your eyes closed. If you can find a pill (possibly aspirin, perhaps something a similar size) and have you quickly swallow it. What you may get is either warfarin or a different pill - see if you react to either, or your reaction is the 'correct' one. If you can get a placebo from a pharmacy - and I would be shocked if they carry placebos, you can also try this. Or, perhaps putting the pill in a tiny piece of bread, so it can be swallowed without you having any signals what it is (size, shape, etc.), you can see if the reaction is physical or not).
 
It occurs in the stomach, but the stomach acids might have something to do with the effectiveness. You take your pills with water, but this may not be exactly the same as dissolving them in water.

Of course, I may be full of crap about all this.
 
Years ago, with another pill I was having a hard time taking too. I would drink a few sips of water, then quickly I took the pill in-between the sips the water. It worked. Hope you figure it out! It has to be frustrating!
 
FWIW - I always used to get water in my mouth, hold it there, then swallow the pills down with water. It always worked.

Then my wife INSISTED that I should put the pills on my tongue THEN wash the whole thing down with water - even if the pills tasted awful.

I know that water in the mouth followed by pills worked for me, and may help someone who can't handle Warfarin to easily swallow the pills.
 
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