There are many reasons why it may be necessary to crush the tablets or the contents of the capsules before taking them, including difficulty swallowing and an unpleasant taste. With proper precautions, as some medications cannot be shredded, you can take your medications by breaking them up and mixing them with food or drink.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: See if the Drug Can Be Shattered
Step 1. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice
Before proceeding, check if the medicine can be crushed or not. In some cases this method is simply not contemplated, because it could interfere with the effectiveness or be quite dangerous in certain situations.
- Extended-release active ingredients should never be crushed; pulverizing them alters the absorption mechanism and you may take too much at one time.
- Gastro-resistant coated drugs should not be crushed, as they are coated with materials that protect them from stomach acids or prevent gastric irritation. By shattering them you change this feature.
- Never crush or nosebleed narcotics such as oxycodone, codeine, or hydrocodone.
Step 2. Read the leaflet
You may be able to recognize medicines that should not be crushed by looking at the packaging. Identify certain terms or directions that tell you you can't break the pill.
- The most common words that appear on the packaging of prolonged-release, controlled-release, or controlled-dose medicines are: 12 hours, 24 hours, retard, progressive, long-acting.
- The terms that you can read on the boxes of gastro-resistant medicines are: coated, gastro-resistant, intestinal absorption.
Step 3. Request alternative formulations
Many medicines are available or can be prepared in different formulations, such as liquid or injectable. If the tablet cannot be crushed, ask your doctor or pharmacist if you can take the active ingredient in another way.
- In pharmacies you can find oral solutions that allow you to drink the medicine. If the specific active ingredient is not also produced in liquid form, ask your doctor or pharmacist if it is possible to proceed with a personalized galenic preparation.
- In some cases it is possible to purchase the injectable equivalent of the drug; ask your pharmacist or doctor for advice.
Part 2 of 4: Getting the Supplies
Step 1. Get the shredding tools
There are many methods of pulverizing pills and none are better or worse than the others.
- Buying the specific tool might be the simplest solution.
- A zip lock plastic bag along with a hammer or heavy cup is a good alternative. Make sure the bag is dry and clean before using it.
- A small cup or bowl and a sturdy spoon.
- A mortar with pestle.
Step 2. Get some water if needed
You can soften the pill in water to facilitate the crushing / pulverizing process.
Step 3. Choose a food or drink to mix with the shredded medication
Check that the active ingredient can be taken with food or a liquid other than water; some medicines can interact with food and cause poisoning or other dangerous effects.
Part 3 of 4: Grind the Pills
Step 1. Make sure the tools are clean and dry
You must not contaminate the drugs, as negative reactions may occur.
Step 2. Use a specific tool
For this method you just need to follow the instructions of the manufacturer of the instrument. There are several models created by different pharmaceutical companies; find the one that best suits your needs.
Step 3. Use a plastic bag
Put the tablet in a clean, dry bag that you have to place on a flat, hard surface after closing it.
- Hit the pill once with a hammer or heavy cup.
- Shake the bag and check that even the larger pieces of the tablet have crushed evenly.
- Hit the pill again using less force. You have to repeat the process several times before completely pulverizing the medicine.
Step 4. Get a small bowl and spoon or mortar and pestle
Put the medicine in the mortar or dry bowl. Add some water and let the pill soak for 5 minutes. This is an optional detail, but it helps to soften the drug and consequently reduces the "grinding" work.
- Hit the pill once with the spoon or pestle using a decent amount of force. Make sure the medicine is not thrown out of the container.
- Scrape off any medication that sticks to the sides of the container.
- Hit or grind the pill again, this time using less force. It may be necessary to repeat the procedure several times before the tablet is completely pulverized.
Step 5. Clean the tools
Just like with any tool that can be reused, you must clean them to avoid traces of the active ingredient remaining, which could react with the medicine you will grind in the future. Remember that drug contamination can cause dangerous effects.
Part 4 of 4: Taking the Crushed Pills
Step 1. Make sure the medicine can be taken with food or drink other than water
Some active ingredients interact with certain foods or liquids, altering their effectiveness or triggering food poisoning or much more serious problems. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice if you are unsure.
Step 2. Mix the powder with your food or drink
If it is safe to take the medicine with food or liquid other than water, combine it with the product of your choice. Before proceeding you should speak to your doctor or pharmacist, as some active ingredients should not be combined with particular liquids or foods.
- Food: Apple puree, pudding, peanut butter and so on.
- Drinks: milk, milk and cocoa, fruit juice etc.
Step 3. Take an amount equal to one dose of medicine
It is important to take the equivalent of one dose, no more, no less. The dosage is calculated precisely and you have to respect it!
- If you mix one pill powder (one serving) with a whole pack of apple puree, you have to eat it all.
- If you have crushed two pills (two doses, one for the morning and the other for the evening) and mixed them with a pack of apple puree, eat half of them in the morning and the rest in the evening.
Advice
- To make it easier to extract the powdered pill, cut a corner of the plastic bag.
- If you are unsure about medications that can be shredded or want to know if it is possible to take them in this format, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice.
- The technique of leaning forward helps to swallow the drug in case it is not possible to reduce it to a powder. This is a useful way to take the capsules: put one on your tongue, sip some water (not too much, but not too little), and tilt your head forward as you swallow.
- When the medicine can't be shredded, the bottle method might make taking it a little easier. It is effective with large and very compact tablets; place one on your tongue and then bring a bottle of water to your mouth, sealing the opening with your lips. Suck on the water as you tilt your head back and swallow.
- I only crush one type of drug at a time. Some active ingredients interact with others, altering their effectiveness and even causing dangerous negative effects.
- If you have mixed more than one dose of medicine with water before triturating it, you can keep the leftovers tightly covered for 24 hours at room temperature; after this time, discard any remaining drug-water mixture.
Warnings
- Be careful with highly concentrated herbal supplements; they can burn the tongue or leave an unpleasant sensation on it.
- When taking a crushed drug with food or drink, such as milk or apple puree, check for any negative interactions that could trigger intoxication or serious side effects.
- Never grind a pill to snort it, because it is drug abuse.
- See your doctor if you have trouble swallowing pills. It is possible that you have some problem with the nerves or muscles that control this movement.
