Not everyone can swallow tablets whole. If you want to shred them, however, be very careful because it can be really dangerous.
After injections, pills are the most hated drugs by all. Especially for children and the elderly it can be difficult to swallow the tablets whole. But if we divide or grind them we must pay the utmost attention to some aspects or they can become a health hazard.
There are cases where there is no alternative to the much detested tablets that are a real one problem for those who have difficulty swallowing. Administering them to children is then almost impossible as they are scared just to see them. It must be remembered that the integrity of a drug is necessary to ensure its efficacy and safety. However with due precautions there are cases in which the tablets can be crushed.
If it is not possible to replace the tablets with other solutions, then it is good to make them easier to swallow follow these medical indications:
- break divisible tablets along the dividing line. If it is not present, be careful to divide them into equal parts without creating sharp or angular corners;
- do not divide the tablets into less than a quarter if not specified by the manufacturer;
- wash your hands thoroughly before handling the drug and performing the division act in an isolated environment so as to avoid any type of contamination.
Crushing tablets: that’s when it’s dangerous
As explained there are cases in which dividing or shredding the tablets becomes necessary because the patient – for physiological or psychological reasons – cannot swallow the medicine. However, not all tablets are created equal and some, under no circumstances, can be split.
They cannot be divided or shredded the following types of tablets:
- soft capsules;
- gastro-resistant coated tablets/capsules;
- extended/modified-release tablets and capsules.
In all these cases it would interfere with the active ingredient which would be changed by handling the medicine and could even become lethal for the patient. In the case of drugs slow-release, if they are divided, the active substance is released all together and you risk an overdose. Furthermore, it is always necessary to avoid the simultaneous shredding of several active ingredients.
But the risks are not over. Triturating or dividing a tablet may seem like a trivial and harmless operation but it is not at all like that and both the patient and the one who manipulates the drug to divide it into several parts, they run many risks. In particular, the handling of tablets containing carcinogenic, teratogenic, mutagenic, allergenic substances or dangerous active ingredients can expose both the patient and the person in charge of shredding the drug to health risks related to contact or inhalation of the powder obtained. The manipulation of these substances must therefore be carried out only in controlled environments in compliance with current legislation.