Can you crush tablets?
 

I'm really sorry if this is an "illegal" thread, but can you crush pills rather than take them whole? What effect would this have?

I've often wondered this and I'd be interested to see replies.

there are some that you can, like aspirin and paracematol. which i often break up so can take them easier or mix with yoghurt or something.

the ones that look like plasticy things that if you took apart would have powder in-those you must take whole.

best person to ask for more details in a pharmacist :)

aaarrrrggghhhh the taste :(
dont crush!

Sometimes by crushing them it can have the effect of making them kick in sooner, since your body doesnt have to break down a whole pill

That's what I was aiming for :] I just didnt want to overdose.

^^^ agrees with pretty much everything said.

They just dissolve faster, which is not always good.

Best used for pain killers if you are in DIRE need.

Not that it makes an AMAZING difference anyway.

Don't open up capsules though

depends on the drug.

have a look in the patient information leaflet inside the box.

It really depends on what kind of pill it is. If it's not okay to crush it, it'll usually say something like "swallow whole; do not crush or chew" somewhere on the bottle.

It's not always true about the plastic casing - I know that Adderall comes as powdery stuff in a plastic shell and it's specifically okay to open the plastic bit and sprinkle the powder on food, even for the extended release version (it's actually an advertising point, cause a lot of the people taking it are kids who might not be able to swallow pills). On the other hand, I take Concerta, which definitely has to be swallowed whole cause otherwise I'd end up taking 54 mg of methylphenidate at once, rather than as several doses throughout the day, which would definitely be an overdose (plus that's where I quoted the swallow whole thing from). But I'm sure that my Ritalin and Zoloft can both be crushed as I've been instructed to take half a pill of each of those at various points, and they're both released immediately anyway (Ritalin especially takes like 10-15 minutes to start having an effect, and if I leave it in my mouth for more than like 2 seconds it starts to taste bad).

In generally, if the tablet is scored (like to break it in half), it's usually going to be fine to crush it. Also if it comes in a liquid or chewable form and it's not slow-release or anything, it is probably okay to crush it, although the liquid/chewable forms would probably taste considerably better. Like Tylenol isn't scored, but it's fine to crush it, cause it's the same total dose as the adult dose of children's chewables/liquid, but since there's no circumstances under which you're supposed to take half a pill, there's no reason for them to be scored.

best to check with your doctor or pharmacist before you do anything with tablets other than wat u have been told!
be careful