Not taking tablets can they be crushed

[Ashburton]

My mum is now on several tablets including Solian,Lorazepam and Delmane, also Ebixa and Aricept,however over the weekend sometimes she won't take tablets and will get agressive, today concentrating on the Solian and Lorazean, I have cut them in pieces and placed in a sandwich which she ate, I assume by giving my mum the tablets this way or by crushing them into a poweder form, this won't take from the effectiveness of the tablets.

 

[jenniferpa]

You really need to check with your GP (or at a pinch a pharmacist). Some tablets are designed to have a time-release effect, and breaking them means that all the medication get into the system at once. Other might have a coating designed to stop them dissolving until they're in the stomach. It can work the other way as well: some years before her strokes my mother was taking dissolvable asprin, but NOT dissolving it in water, with the result that she ended up with GI bleeding as the asprin was sticking half way down and then causing a bleed.

 

[Ashburton]

Just called my mums specialist and he has given me the all clear to do this, apparentll they also do this for patients in the home.

 

[Nebiroth]

If it's been OK'd by a doctor then it's not a problem. But it's not something you would want to do normally, as many medications have special coatings that cause them to dissolve at different rates, so they deliver a slow, steady dosage over several hours.

If you crush them into a powder, you can get a sudden, higher than intended dose over a short period, which can cause problems.

You could also ask the prescriber to see if you can get the medications in a liquid (syrup) form.

I imagine that as with most medications they taste absolutely foul if they dissolve in the mouth.