OTC Pain Meds - Crushed??

Can anyone out there tell me how they take pain medication that isn't in liquid form? I have liquid narcotic pain meds, but I would like to take something during the day once in awhile if I am sore. Any suggestions? And how do you take them? I was told NO pills, can we crush them?

Hi Carrie, Whether or not you can crush them depends on the pill. I'm pretty sure (check with the pharmacist & label) aspirin/Tylenol can be crushed and added to applesauce or a liquid. Be prepared for a real bitter taste. There are chewable anti-gas if you're allowed to take them. Everything else - see the pharmacist. No pills... ugh. Is that just early pre-op or forever for your doc? Eventually you're going to need a med that can't be crushed and/or doesn't come in liquid form. Good luck. Dawn

I have not been able to take any kind of liquid med since my surgery last month (they either contain too much sugar or the texture is too similar to the castor oil they had me swallow the day before surgrey and makes me violently ill). SO, what I have found that works well is Jr. Tylenol Meltaways. They only contain160mg of acetaminophen each, so sometimes I chew as many as 4 in one sitting and then chew a couple more a few hours later if I need to (hardly ever happens). They come in several flavors. I have had to crush a few of my regular meds and am having a lot of trouble (the taste is awful even when mixed with something like yogurt). A lot of the OTC meds (and prescription meds) now come in this "meltaway" form; often they are with the children's medication in the stores. Good luck, Samantha

It all depends on the medicine. One of the tricks my doctor told me about is to drop the pill in a glass of water. If it starts to dissolve, he said I can take it whole because it will dissolve in my pouch. If it seems too big, he said to cut it in half and take half with a little water, wait a few minutes, then take the other half. These types of pills can also be crushed, he said. I have to take a prescription muscle relaxer for my back and the first time I crushed it, it was horribly bitter. So, the next time I dropped it in some water and let it soften a little, then cut it in half and was able to tolerate it quite well. I have two other prescriptions (wellbutrin and potassium) that can't be crushed (it says so right on the bottle). Those don't dissolve at all and actually came out the other end undigested (gross, I know). The wellbutrin doesn't come in liquid or chewable form, so I had to go off it for now. The potassium comes in liquid form, but it tastes so horrible, I gag even looking at the bottle. I just can't take it, so I eat baby food bananas twice a day to get some potassium. For OTC pain meds, I just bought some children's liquid Tylenol. I haven't had any problems with the sugar content, but that depends on the individual person as well.