That's not gross. It's actually a really good question.

Without sufficient stomach acid, you won't digest pills or food. They can go through whole.

I know a lot about the stomach acid issue because my lack of it went undiagnosed for over a decade. I had reactive hypoglycemia from my food not digesting and it "dumping" into my small intestine. I didn't absorb nutrients and ended up with a severe B12 deficiency (iron too but not as bad).

Depending upon what other meds you are taking, you can try Betaine HCL, a mild acid made from sugar beets (usually with Pepsin). I use the Solaray brand from iherb. Talk to your doctor first, of course. You should always take Betaine with food, along with the meds.

Maybe it's not that. Maybe the Timespan tabs are super hard. But still. If you have a good amount of stomach acid, you should be able to digest tough things. Steak is actually the hardest thing to digest. Have you seen the old footage of putting Coca-Cola on steak and watching it digest? So, you could always try drinking a Coke with your tab instead.

Those are my thoughts. Definitely talk to both your pharmacy and doctor.

Annie