6 Risks Of Crushing Medications
Grinding drugs to facilitate their administration is a common practice that alters the integrity of the drug and, therefore, its effectiveness. Ideally, all medications should be administered without tampering.
However, most of the drugs used are presented in the pharmaceutical form of tablets, capsules or lozenges. For this reason, when there is difficulty swallowing or another problem, it is common to split or crush them.
Why is it not good to crush the medicines?
Many people use to crush the medicines to facilitate their consumption. However, as a publication in Nursing magazine details , there are some varieties that are made to release their active ingredients over a certain period of time.
Therefore, it can be harmful to crush them and then consume them. Are there more reasons to avoid that? We will detail it below.
1. Loss of drug stability
Difficulty swallowing is often common among the elderly population. It is also common in people with behavioral disorders.
In these cases, it is decided to crush the drugs and open the capsules, which can lead to significant alterations in the stability of the active ingredients.
This leads to a possible loss of the effectiveness of the drug, and unpleasant flavors and odors that are not perceived in their full form.
2. Dosing error
As a general rule, only tablets that are scored can be split. However, this is not always the case, since there is no accuracy when splitting them due to their shape, size or type of coating.
However, if you want to divide the dose, it is not possible to ensure that the distribution of active ingredient is the same in the two halves. You can take the wrong doses and cause other health problems.
There are tablets that are very small, and a small difference when breaking them can cause you to go from the dose you need to a dose that presents a health risk. You can use a divider to make the cut more precise, but it also leads to errors.
3. Alteration of the release of the active principle
Crushing medications can lead to significant variations in the administered dose. This can affect the release and absorption characteristics of the active substance of the drug. In addition, it can increase the risk of adverse reactions, have problems in the effectiveness of the drug or side effects.
There are medicines that have a special coating so that they are absorbed in a certain way. With this type of coating, the release rate of the active principle is regulated and, therefore, the action of the medicine. Thus, when crushed, the shell and the mechanism that controls the release of the active principle is altered.
This also results in uncontrolled delivery of the drug, which can cause underdosing or overdosing. What’s more, it could even reach toxic concentrations or increase the probability of adverse effects.
4. Modification of absorption
There are tablets that have a coating called enteric. Its purpose is to ensure that the medicine passes through the stomach intact and releases the active principle in the intestine.
In this way, irritation of the stomach lining and the effect of gastric acids on the active ingredient are avoided. Stomach acids can destroy the active substance or delay the onset of its action.
When the tablet is crushed, the enteric coating is disturbed and this adversely affects its pharmacological action. In addition, it could cause irritation to the stomach and produce side effects.
5. Change in its effect
The sublingual tablets are made to dissolve quickly and thus obtain rapid absorption. These medications dissolve under the tongue to reach the bloodstream in a very short time. If you crush a sublingual tablet, you completely alter its stability and modify the effect of the drug.
6.Risk in handling
Another drawback of crushing some types of drugs is that they can be dispersed in the air and breathed in by the person handling them .
This can be a risky situation for the drug handler, since there are medications that can irritate the mucous membranes. Even in the case of women, if you are pregnant or planning to be, there are drugs that are teratogens.
It is better not to crush the medicines
A good option to avoid crushing your medications is to look for other dosage forms. These alternatives can facilitate treatment without the need to manipulate medications. In this way, you will avoid the aforementioned risks. When in doubt, always consult your doctor or pharmacist.
