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Like it or not (and mostly it’s not), medication is part of living with RA. But when you’re not used to swallowing pills or giving yourself an injection, how do you get to a point where it’s less intimidating or gross? In my new column for HealthCentral, I share my pro tips to get the pills down easier and keep self-injections as painless as possible:

“WHEN YOU HAVE rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a variety of medications and supplements become part of your life. It can feel overwhelming if you’ve only rarely been exposed to tablets or injections and certainly never stuck yourself with a needle. Doctors give you the prescription, then pharmacists fill it and give you a brief how-to on taking them, but no one tells you the tricks of taking medication that can help change the experience from awful to entirely tolerable. That’s because it takes personal experience to learn those tricks and workarounds and I (and my 50 years of taking RA meds) am here for you.

If you’ve ever gagged after a bitter pill dissolved in your mouth before you could swallow it, had a capsule stuck halfway down your throat, or yelped in pain as you injected yourself in your thigh or stomach, this column is for you!”

Read my tips on how to make taking medication easier.