If you take a pill (of the legal sort, of course), you’ll most certainly get a horrible, bitter taste in your mouth. As insignificant as it may appear, this is a significant problem in medicine, yet it exists for a reason.
Medicines taste is so bad: According to the American Chemical Society, the majority of the compounds in pharmaceuticals are sourced from plants and are thus naturally bitter.
Drugs are also designed with as few additives as possible because they can interfere with the active ingredients’ activity. The addition of delicious flavorings is low on the priority list and may cause more difficulties than it helps.
It is claimed that bitter taste originated as a deterrent to eating hazardous chemicals. Because medications can be dangerous in large enough doses, it’s a good thing that many of us find the taste of pills repulsive.
This is not true for all pharmaceuticals. Ibuprofen (Advil) has a sweet taste because it is candy-coated with a layer of sugar. The most plausible explanation is that ibuprofen can cause stomach irritation, thus coating it stops the medicine from breaking down until it reaches the intestines.
Tips to make swallowing pills easier: If you have trouble taking medication because it tastes bad, there are a few simple strategies you can try. To begin, place the pill on the back of your tongue and take it rapidly with a glass of water. Second, simply hold your nose; your sense of smell accounts for over 80% of what you taste.
Finally, you can coat the pill with something sweet, such as honey or maple syrup. As Mary Poppins once said, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.”
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