My medicine

see if any comes in a liquid form or in "sprinkles"

a lot of the "bipolar meds" are actually anti-epileptic meds now

as such, a lot of infants.. babies... toddlers... little kids take them

as such, many come in liquid form, chewable, or can be sprinkled onto food

also, a lot of elderly are not able to swallow tablets and/or capsules

I know one mood stabilizer/anti-epileptic drug right off that comes in "sprinkle" form

if you do not have problems with liquids or sprinkles - then ask your doctor AND pharmacist about if any of your meds can be prescribed in either form

or, ask your doctor and/or therapist if there are other options to help you overcome your anxiety of swallowing the pills

then you can take your meds as scheduled

and your dad and bf don't have to fight and/or force them

Alexis313,

Its seems you do understand the benefits from taking your medication.  You recognize your current mood may be in part due to not taking them and you have no fear of the effect the medication has.  So far you have presented some good reasons for taking your medication.  I want you to examine your thoughts about your pills getting stuck in your throat.  Are they rational?  Is that really going to happen?  You swallow much larger objects when you eat and do not even think about it.  Why should a small object like a pill cause such difficulty?  Your fear is irrational, dispel it by recognizing how it is irrational and replace it with the rational thought that you are fully capable of swallowing such small objects.  You have done it before and you when you eat you do not give swallowing or choking on your food a second thought.  What is there to keep you from swallowing a pill?  Your irrational fears.  Overcome them and you assuredly will have no problems.  It is nothing to swallow a pill, compared to some of the food you eat.  Quit thinking about it, like you do do when you eating a meal or drinking a glass of water.

I suppose when you start taking them and are able to demonstrate to your father and boyfriend that you can, without a problem, they will not feel they have to resort to such extreme measures.  I am sure they are just concerned and can see no other way to help you.  Try getting past the irrational thought that are in control of your actions.

I take my pills with applesauce.  That is the only method that keeps me from choking and gagging.

I worked with a girl that had the same problem. She would get a cola (the bottle kind) and crush the pill in the cap, then add some cola to it and drink it real fast. Then add some more cola to make sure she got it all down.

My DH is the same way, but does something different. A pill is usually smaller than a peice of food that we swallow every day at every meal, it is more the worrying and thinking about it that makes it hard to go down. So when he needs to take a pill, he takes it with a meal, or peice of bread and 'fools' himself into thinking he is just swallowing another bite of food. It may take him a time or two, but it works for him.

I usually do fine with taking meds, but on some occasions, they do seem to just stick in my throat. To avoid that I usually take a few sips of liquid first and then get some liquid in my mouth to swallow with the pill. Keeps the pill from staying dry and sticking to my throat.

I hope one of those ideas helps you out! Don't feel bad about it, there are a lot of people out there who have problems with swallowing pills, you are not alone.