Humane way to take crushed pills?

[meyouus 415]

Hi. I'm on 7-10 meds, all crushable. A few are coated, and in the past when I crushed them, pieces of the coating did not crush completely but I was still able to take them. My pills are 1/2 psychiatric and 1/2 sleep aids. I need them and doubt the RNY will make me not need them.

Question: We DO have to crush our pills, right? For how long?

Big question: What is the most humane way to take crushed medication when we can only drink ounce(s) at a time? I'd be making a paste!

I know how horrific crushed pills taste, I need a lot of ideas on how to make them taste better. Humane ways, .

[red37 116]

Not necessarily, they had me taking all my pills normally, uncrushed, while I was in the hospital! I was worried at first but it was fine.

[aelovelady 243]

I took 6 pills, one of them was large. I was NEVER told to crush, just to space them apart a little bit. Take with lots of Fluid.

[noura4 6]

I've taken pills normally since day one.

[robinsmj 39]

The hospital gave me a pill crusher. Prior to surgery my program has us meet with the pharmacist to convert medications that can be converted to liquid. The rest we were told to crush for 1 yr.

[llovecats 4]

I am 5 days out of revision surgery and I am swallowing all of my pills. I am taking liquid oxycodene because it absorbs faster.

[F4T-TRAP 37]

I was given a pill crusher by the hospital. My dietician advised me to crush pills to be on the safe side, as not everyone can take whole pills. In my case, I was given a 3-month prescription for a gallstone medication, and also take Zyrtec daily. I crushed for the first six weeks, and then started taking them whole. I've been fine since.

[Veronda 30]

My surgeon's guidelines say that any pill smaller than the diameter of a dime can be taken whole, and most that are larger than that can be halved or quartered to equal that size. As a pharmacist it makes me nervous that you're crushing your coated tablets....make sure with your pharmacist that all of your pills can be crushed (if you need to take them that way). If not, you may need to change the form of a med (like from an extended release to an immediate release given throughout the day). As for taking them, probably the easiest is with a bite of "food". When I was released from the hospital I was allowed full liquids right away, and that included strained yogurt, so as an example you could sprinkle the meds into a bite of yogurt or Jello or something. That tends to make it easier. I do take powdered Calcium citrate and just sprinkle the powder directly on my tongue and then swallow Water, but it has no taste to it. Check with your surgeon about rules for meds. We were told immediately that we could swallow less than dime-sized, and I haven't had any trouble with swallowing meds.

[meyouus 415]

I will definitely call my surgeon and pharmacist and see what the deal is. My largest pill is generic Neurontin, gabapentin. It has a half score on it. But wouldn't the sharp edges from the cut pill(s) be a potential harm to the stapled pouch? If not, then why are we straining things like plain yogurt? I'm on full liquids upon arriving home. I still hate to crush. I also take bupropion, which seems like it's coated.

But I'm not understanding how we/some can take pills when the pouch is so "sensitive" that we go on special diet protocols to avoid hurting it.

I like your ideas on how to take crushed pills, and like even better that some people swallow whole pills. Again, I do what my surgeon says!

[Veronda 30]

I will definitely call my surgeon and pharmacist and see what the deal is. My largest pill is generic Neurontin, gabapentin. It has a half score on it. But wouldn't the sharp edges from the cut pill(s) be a potential harm to the stapled pouch? If not, then why are we straining things like plain yogurt? I'm on full liquids upon arriving home. I still hate to crush. I also take bupropion, which seems like it's coated.

But I'm not understanding how we/some can take pills when the pouch is so "sensitive" that we go on special diet protocols to avoid hurting it.

I like your ideas on how to take crushed pills, and like even better that some people swallow whole pills. Again, I do what my surgeon says!

Yes, find out what your surgeon says about pills. My educated guess about pills is that they are made to dissolve while foods require "grinding" and acid to be broken down. By the time I went home from the hospital I was okay'd to drink as I felt comfortable, so taking in Water with my pills was not and is not a problem. Mine are for allergies and mood, so yeah, not getting rid of them with surgery! Bupropion comes in three (!!) forms, two of which are extended release, so if it says SR or XL after, you should probably avoid crushing. If you are still required to crush, you'll probably need to get it changed to the immediate release. But my hope for you is that they will let you start swallowing tablets!!

[TXMissy 211]

Can you crush and put it in some yogurt? Anything to not have to taste the drug. I never had to crush any pills. Of course my thyroid med is a liquid pill like Vitamin e.

[Veronda 30]

Can you crush and put it in some yogurt? Anything to not have to taste the drug. I never had to crush any pills. Of course my thyroid med is a liquid pill like Vitamin e.

Yogurt is a great vehicle for crushed pills!

[MSWMike 22]

I was advised to opt for the smallest pills possible. If I were to be prescribed a larger dosed pill, my doctor would need to specifically write it for the smaller pills to be dispensed as a medical necessity.

I was also advised that for any liquid-filled medications to poke a hole in them so they start releasing once they reach my stomach. It's supposed to help my body absorb more of the contents.

[stayce5 3]

Try using sugar free cool whip to swallow crushed medicine. My nut told me this. It works.

[megmom757 113]

I put all my crushed medication in a spoon of unsweetened applesauce. Any other way and I get dry heaves.