Question:
I am having problems taking my crushed meds, im not!!

there is a reason that medicines come in tablet and capsule form, because crushed they are so gross!!! I am really having such a hard time with them that i havent been taking my meds at all! (except my flinstone vitamin) im one week post op and constantly nauseated. they have me on zantac,the gall bladder pill, pain meds, antidepressants, anti nausea, and more. my insurance would not cover almost any of the liquid versions of the meds. I dont know what to do!!    — geckomom74 (posted on February 13, 2005)

February 13, 2005
It's imperative that you take your meds whether they are gross or not. I don't mean to sound like a hard case, but you knew before (or should have) that taking our supplements is something that we have to do in order to stay healthy. If you can't take the meds crushed then the alternative would be to pay for them out of your own pocket. Granted the liquid is preferable as an early post opt. However, I had to take mine crushed and lived to tell about it. I hope that you seek the answers your hoping to hear, but from me I say just grin and swallow them.
   — Belle

February 13, 2005
Have you tried mixing them with Splenda? I heard that helps.... "A teaspoon of sugar helps the medicine go down!" Seriously... a friend of mine takes a bit of crystal light, splenda and her crushed tabs and mixes it together in a small shot glass and just downs it. (I MEAN IN VERY SMALL AMOUNTS.... NOT the whole shot glass.) How far out are you? After a week I could just break my tablets in half and swallow them just fine. I never needed to crush them. As far as gel tabs and capsules, my doc just switched my med to a pill or a liquid. And yes, on one or two I had to pay out of pocket. Here is the thing when considering to pay out of pocket or not. First.... how much sugar is in the liquid? You do not want to pay $80 for a med that makes you dump. (I have two bottles of liquid allergy meds that I cannot take!) Is the pill water soluable? A lot of medications that are in pill form are water soluable so if you break them in half and swallow they begin to dissolve immediatly! So even if you have a bit of discomfort, it is only temporary. Allegra is like this. Also, is there a patch or sublingual or spray form of your medication? I use mostly spray or sublingual vitamins and supplements. The only pill I take is my allegra and my anti-imflammatory. HTH! :-)
   — MagickalMom

February 13, 2005
Jennifer, instead of crushing the pills try splitting them in half. If they are large pills you can cut them into quarters. That was the only way I could take larger tablets early post op. Most of the time I still split the tablets even at 1 1/2 year post op.
   — SJP

February 13, 2005
I noticed that in nursing homes they put crushed meds in applesauce for patients who had difficulty swallowing. The applesauce holds it all together and is easy to swallow. Put the crushed pill(s) in just enough applesauce to coat it. Preferably get the sugar free or no sugar added applesauce and sweeten with Splenda if necessary. This worked for me and after one month my surgeon gave the okay for me to take all meds whole, since I had no problems swallowing anything. Good luck!
   — [Deactivated Member]

February 13, 2005
My Doctor never made me crush anything, even in the hospital or post op. He and his nurses, gave a demonstration on taking meds, by putting them in water and they dissolve all on their own. No need to crush or half, unless you have trouble swallowing. I've never had any trouble with any of my medicene. If you have any questions, please let me know.
   — Ronda B.

February 14, 2005
There is a reason that you need to crush and that is because a large pill or capsule can get caught on your stomas while they are going through you and can cause you harm. You need to let your insides heal the length of time that your doctor needs you to do it. For me I had to take chewables, liquid or crushed forms of meds. DO NOT NOT TAKE YOUR MEDS YOU ARE PUTTING YOURSELF AT RISK FOR HEALTH ISSUES. Get in contact with your doctor and insurance company and get liquid forms. Once your insurance company understands why there should not be a problem. I think your insurance company is giving you the run around. Try putting the crushed pill/capsules in some yogurt or apple sauce, If I had to to it for six months I think you should be able to do it. And I had some pretty bitter pills (pun intended) to swallow.
   — ChristineB

February 18, 2005
It is gross. There is no way around the fact that tasting the bitter pills is disgusting. I am two weeks post op today, and am still on clear liquids, so applesauce and so forth is not an option for me. I just do it. I know it's horrible, and I hate it. BUT I went through so much to get this surgery that I am just not willing to put myself at risk over a few seconds of nasty taste. I put the crushed meds on my tongue and then swallow a sip of water. Then I continue to sip until the taste is gone. It sucks, but I just keep doing it. I did try cutting one of my small pills in half and swallowing, and I knew immediately it was a mistake. It just sat and sat until it finally dissolved enough to go down. Trust me, after that I decided maybe the crushed meds weren't so bad after all. Good luck!
   — Jenny B.