The Dilemma of Crushing Pills
Gary Joseph LeBlanc
One of the jobs that every caregiver will have to perform is the
daily dispensing of medications. Dealing with all the new drugs in
today’s world, this task can become extremely confusing. In a twentyfour-hour period, one may have to administer medications as much as
four or five times a day, possibly more.
It is estimated that 60 percent of our elders have trouble
swallowing their medications. When caring for Alzheimer’s patients,
you will learn that as the disease progresses, they will most likely have
a chronic problem with swallowing, for this is one of the symptoms of
the disease. This leads to most nurses and caregivers resorting to
crushing their pills and mixing it into foods such as yogurt or puddings.
But be advised; crushing pills can lead to serious complications,
including death!
Some pills often have a special coating that affects how the
medicine is released into the body. Crushing them can disturb this
complex system, discharging the medicine too fast, possibly causing an
overdose. If this type of pill is prescribed to take once a day, what now
could be happening is that all the medicine is released at once and the
patient is not receiving the proper dosage throughout the rest of the
day. Always talk to your pharmacist. In this circumstance he or she may
advise you to break the pill in half and administer the crushed dosage
twice a day.
When you first start to notice that your loved one is having
problems swallowing, speak with his or her attending physician. There
may be alternatives to which form the medicine can be prescribed. It
may also be available in liquid, patches, through inhalers or even
suppositories.
There are also precautions that should be taken for the person
who is doing the crushing. It always wise to use an actual pill crusher or
at least place the pill inside of a zip-lock bag before turning to into
granules. This way you’re not inhaling any of the dust. (Be especially
cautious if you’re pregnant.) There are many medications that should
never be crushed.
Here are a few examples of some medications and what
complication that could occur when crushed:
• Nifedipine and other high blood pressure medicine.
Higher risk of a stroke or heart attack could occur, also possible
headaches and dizziness.
• Morphine and other pain killers.
When crushed there is a high risk of an overdose.
• Tamoxifen (Breast cancer medication)
Should never be crushed, it could lead to a fatal release of the drug.
Once again, speak with you doctor and pharmacist about your
options. Figure out what works best for your loved one and yourself. I
know from my past experience that the dispensing of my father’s
medications was a task that constantly weighed heavily on my mind
while caring for him.