A pharmacist has shared advice for people who crushes, cuts, or opens their medicine
A pharmacist has warned that people could be making their medication less effective without realising it. The warning was shared by a Clinical Pharmacist named Anum, who took to social media as @Pharmacist.anum, to raise awareness of the ‘serious issues’ that could be caused by the common mistake.
In an educational video posted on Instagram, Anum issued a warning to anyone who crushes or opens their tablets before taking them. She said: “Did you know that crushing your tablets or opening capsules and just taking the powder can be dangerous?”
Anum continued: “Hi, everybody, it’s your clinical pharmacist, Anum, based here in the UK. And yes, you heard that correctly. Not all tablets are suitable to be crushed, and not all capsules are suitable to be opened.
“Some are modified release. So if you are crushing these tablets or opening the capsules, you could impact the release profile of the medication, meaning that it might not last as long, and you can increase the risk of side effects.”
Anum added: “Some have an enteric coating. What this means is that it can help to protect your stomach from the medication, and it can protect the medication from the acid in your stomach. So you do not want to be tampering with this coating. And more concerningly, some tablets and capsules can be irritating and harmful to you if touched once they’ve been crushed.”
As such, the expert urged people to always speak to a qualified medical professional before crushing or cutting up any medicine. “Before taking matters into your own hands with crushing tablets or opening capsules, if you’re struggling to swallow your medication, please speak with your pharmacist or GP, so they can discuss your options,” she advised.
A pharmacist can help suggest alternatives if you struggle to swallow pills. “It could be liquids, it could be smaller tablets, but have that discussion first,” the expert added.
The pharmacist reiterated the message in the caption of her video, pointing out that people could be doing more harm than good when they might think they’ve found a ‘simple fix.’
Anum wrote: “Crushing, cutting, opening capsules ect might seem like a simple fix if you are finding them difficult to take – but it can lead to some serious issues and can make medication less effective! If you are struggling with your medication always speak with your pharmacist or GP before altering the formulation of any of your medicines!”
The NHS says: “Do not crush pills, open capsules or alter your medicine without getting medical advice – this could stop the medicine working properly.” To make it easier to swallow pills, the NHS says: “Take pills with water – you can take some pills with other drinks or food.
“Always read the instruction leaflet. Lean forward slightly when you swallow. Practise swallowing with small sweets or bits of bread – try bigger pieces as swallowing gets easier.”
