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This article was co-authored by Chris M. Matsko, MD. Dr. Chris M. Matsko is a retired physician based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With over 25 years of medical research experience, Dr. Matsko was awarded the Pittsburgh Cornell University Leadership Award for Excellence. He holds a BS in Nutritional Science from Cornell University and an MD from the Temple University School of Medicine in 2007. Dr. Matsko earned a Research Writing Certification from the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) in 2016 and a Medical Writing & Editing Certification from the University of Chicago in 2017.
This article has been viewed 300,101 times.
There are many reasons for crushing tablets or capsule contents before taking them, including difficulty swallowing the medication or unpleasant taste. With caution as to which medications can and cannot be crushed, you can easily ingest your medication by crushing your medications and mixing with food or drinks.
Best Way to Crush a Pill
Place the pill in a clean, dry cup or mortar. Use the back of a metal spoon to crush the pill into a fine powder. Mix the crushed pill into applesauce, pudding, peanut butter, or milk to ingest it.
Steps
Consult with your doctor or pharmacist. Before proceeding further, check whether or not medication can be crushed. In some cases, crushing medication is simply not an option — it can cause the medication to work improperly can in fact be quite dangerous in some cases.[1]- Extended (sustained)-release medications should never be crushed. Crushing them can interfere with their release mechanism and cause administration of a large dose all at once.
- Delayed (enteric-coated) medications should not be crushed. These drugs are coated with materials that are designed to protect the drug from stomach acids or to prevent the drug from irritation your stomach. Crushing them can alter this mechanism.
- Never crush or snort narcotics, such as oxycontin, codeine, or vicodin.
Look at the drug's label. You may be able to identify medications that must not be crushed by looking at the drug's label. Spot certain prefixes or suffixes that may indicate the pill should not be crushed.- Most common prefixes or suffixes for sustained-release, controlled-release, or controlled-delivery products include: 12-hour, 24-hour, CC, CD, CR, ER, LA, Retard, SA, Slo-, SR, XL, XR, or XT.
- Prefixes for enteric-coated tablets include EN- and EC-.
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Ask for alternative formulations. Many medications come in or can be prepared in other formulations such as in liquid or in an injectable formula. If crushing the medication is not an option, ask your doctor or pharmacist if this is the case with your medication.- Oral solutions may be commercially available so that you can drink your medications. If unavailable, consult your doctors or pharmacists whether a liquid formulation can be prepared.
- In some cases, an injectable formulation of the medication may be possible. Consult your doctors or pharmacists.
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Get the crushing tools. There are multiple ways to crush the pills. None is superior or inferior to others.- Purchasing a pill crusher may be the easiest way for this task.
- A plastic Ziploc/sandwich bag along with a small hammer or a heavy cup. Make sure the plastic bag is dry and clean before use.
- A small bowl or cup along with a sturdy spoon.
- A mortar and a pestle.
Get some water, if using. You can soak the pill in some water. This may soften the pill, making the pounding/grinding task a little easier.
Pick a food or drink to mix the crushed medication with. Make sure the medication can be taken with food or liquid other than water. Some medications interact with food or drink to cause food poisoning and/or other harmful effects.
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Make sure the tools are dry and clean. You don't want to contaminate your medication. This could potentially have a harmful effect.
Use a pill crusher. For this method, follow the manufacturer's instructions. Different types are available from different companies. Find out which one works best for your needs.- Use a plastic bag. Place your pill in a clean, dry plastic bag. Close the bag and lay it on a flat, hard surface.
- Pound the pill once with a hammer or a heavy cup.
- Shake the bag around. Make sure that larger parts of your pill can be crushed evenly.
- Pound the pill again. Use less force this time. You may need to repeat this several times, before the pill is completely crushed.
- Use a small bowl-spoon or mortar-pestle method. Place your pill in a clean, dry cup or mortar. Soak the pill in a small amount of water for five minutes. This is optional but may help soften the pill. Less pounding/grinding may be required too.
- Pound the pill once with a spoon or a pestle, using great force. Make sure that the pill doesn't jump out of the container.
- Scrape down the medication that may be stuck on the side.
- Pound or grind the pill again. Use less force this time. You may need to repeat this several times, before the pill is completely crushed.
- Clean up the tools. With anything that will be reused, clean them well so that no residual drug will remain and react with medication to be crushed in the future. Again, contamination of the medication could potentially have a harmful effect.
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Make sure that the medication can be taken with food or liquid other than water. Some medications interact with certain food or drink, altering their effectiveness or even causing food-poisoning or more severe side effects. Consult with your doctor or pharmacist when unsure.[2]- Mix the powdered medication with food or drink. If it is safe or appropriate to ingest with food or liquid other than water, mix the crushed pill with food or drink of your choice. It is best to consult with your doctor or pharmacist whether the medication should not be mixed with certain food or drink.
- Food: Applesauce, pudding, peanut butter, etc.
- Drinks: milk, chocolate milk, fruit juice, etc.
Take one dose-worth of the medication. It is crucial that you take one dose-portion of the medication, no more or no less. Drug dosage is calculated precisely, and you need to stick to it!- If you mix powder from one pill (one dose) with an entire container of applesauce, finish eating that entire container of applesauce.
- If you crush two pills (two doses, one for the morning and the other for the evening) with one container of applesauce, eat half the container in the morning and finish the rest in the evening.
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Expert Q&A
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- QuestionFor how long can I store a crushed medication?
Chris M. Matsko, MDDr. Chris M. Matsko is a retired physician based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With over 25 years of medical research experience, Dr. Matsko was awarded the Pittsburgh Cornell University Leadership Award for Excellence. He holds a BS in Nutritional Science from Cornell University and an MD from the Temple University School of Medicine in 2007. Dr. Matsko earned a Research Writing Certification from the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) in 2016 and a Medical Writing & Editing Certification from the University of Chicago in 2017.
Family Medicine PhysicianDo not crush the medication until right before you intend to use it for medicinal purposes. Never crush an extended release tab or a narcotic. - QuestionHow do I crush pills and add them to food?Chris M. Matsko, MDDr. Chris M. Matsko is a retired physician based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With over 25 years of medical research experience, Dr. Matsko was awarded the Pittsburgh Cornell University Leadership Award for Excellence. He holds a BS in Nutritional Science from Cornell University and an MD from the Temple University School of Medicine in 2007. Dr. Matsko earned a Research Writing Certification from the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) in 2016 and a Medical Writing & Editing Certification from the University of Chicago in 2017.
Family Medicine PhysicianYou can buy a pill pulverizer or a mortar and pestle to crush the pills and then add them to soft food.
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Tips
- The lean-forward method may also help you swallow the pill in case it should not be crushed.[3] This may help people taking capsule-style pills. Place the capsule on your tongue, sip some water (not too much or not too little), and lean your head forward as you swallow.Thanks
- When your medication cannot be crushed, the pop-bottle method may make the pill swallowing a little easier.[4] This is helpful for people with large, dense tablets. Put the tablet on your tongue and then close your lips tightly around a bottle containing water. Suck water from the bottle as you tilt your head back as you swallow.Thanks
- To make it easier to remove the powdered pill, cut the corner of the plastic bag.Thanks
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Warnings
- Be careful with herbal supplements with a higher concentration. They can potentially burn your tongue or leave unpleasant sensations to your tongue.Thanks
- When taking your crushed medication with food or drink, such as milk or applesauce, make sure that they don't combine to cause food poisoning or other severe side effects.Thanks
- Never crush pills so that you can snort them. This is drug abuse.Thanks
- Be sure to consult with your doctor if you have difficulty swallowing pills. It is possible that something such as problems with nerves or muscles is causing the swallowing problems.[5] [6]Thanks
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References
- ↑ http://www.ismp.org/tools/donotcrush.pdf
- ↑ http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2013/11/don-t-mix-your-meds-with-these-foods/index.htm
- ↑ http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/two-tricks-make-easier-swallow-pills-201411137515
- ↑ http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/two-tricks-make-easier-swallow-pills-201411137515
- ↑ http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/two-tricks-make-easier-swallow-pills-201411137515
- ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dysphagia/basics/definition/con-20033444
About This Article
Family Medicine Physician
This article was co-authored by Chris M. Matsko, MD. Dr. Chris M. Matsko is a retired physician based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With over 25 years of medical research experience, Dr. Matsko was awarded the Pittsburgh Cornell University Leadership Award for Excellence. He holds a BS in Nutritional Science from Cornell University and an MD from the Temple University School of Medicine in 2007. Dr. Matsko earned a Research Writing Certification from the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) in 2016 and a Medical Writing & Editing Certification from the University of Chicago in 2017. This article has been viewed 300,101 times.
Co-authors: 16
Updated: March 7, 2024
Views: 300,101
Article SummaryX
Crushing a pill can make it easier to swallow and help you hide the taste. Keep in mind that crushing certain medications can make them ineffective or even potentially dangerous, so always talk to your doctor or pharmacist first. If your pill is safe to crush, one of the easiest ways to crush it is in a plastic bag. Just place the pill in a clean plastic bag, lay it on a flat surface, and use a heavy object like a hammer to pound the pill until it's a fine powder. You can also use a mortar and pestle to crush a pill. Just place the pill in a mortar, then grind it into a powder with the pestle. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, use a cup and spoon instead. To learn how to ingest the crushed pills, keep reading!
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"I have been told by doctors that I require magnesium and vitamin D supplements. My husband got me a bottle of large oval tablets containing those, along with calcium. I normally have no problem swallowing pills or capsules, but these were so large (and a one day dose is 4 tablets). The first one got stuck in my throat, so the next day, I cut it in half and it still got stuck in my throat. A coworker suggested crushing it, and I was looking for ways to do this. This article was very helpful."..." more
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