Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
Took Vitamin Supplement. Getting Sharp Pain In Upper Esophagus. How To Get Relief?
Question: I just took a handful of vitamin supplements, and it felt like they didn't go completely down, so when i drank more water, I got an intense stabbing pain in upper esophagus, that area immediately puffed out and the pain keeps coming on every few minutes.
If I try to drink more water the pain is a10 out of 10
If I try to drink more water the pain is a10 out of 10
Hi XXXXXX
If the pain is so intense and not going away you should definitely go to the nearest emergency department.
If you took multiple pills at the same time, there is a possibility they got "stuck" in your esophagus. Usually these go down by drinking water, however if you feel the pain is even worse and you still feel something stuck, you are at risk of developing "pill induced esophagitis", which is basically inflammation of the esophagus. The danger with a pill stuck in your esophagus, is that the inflammation can quickly lead to an ulcer, and this can even perforate or rupture the esophagus. This is an emergent situation, and can require surgery. If you go to the emergency soon enough you can get this complication prevented (you can get an intravenous medication that can help the pills go down, or you can get an upper endoscopic examination). Hope that helps.
If the pain is so intense and not going away you should definitely go to the nearest emergency department.
If you took multiple pills at the same time, there is a possibility they got "stuck" in your esophagus. Usually these go down by drinking water, however if you feel the pain is even worse and you still feel something stuck, you are at risk of developing "pill induced esophagitis", which is basically inflammation of the esophagus. The danger with a pill stuck in your esophagus, is that the inflammation can quickly lead to an ulcer, and this can even perforate or rupture the esophagus. This is an emergent situation, and can require surgery. If you go to the emergency soon enough you can get this complication prevented (you can get an intravenous medication that can help the pills go down, or you can get an upper endoscopic examination). Hope that helps.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
