|
May 23
|
Tablet Crushing Can Cause Many ProblemsHealth Comments Off
|
Many individuals have difficulties swallowing medicine when it’s offered to them in the form of tablets or capsules. Dysphagia or swallowing difficulties can affect men and women spanning various ages including young children although it is most common in older people as they tend to be more prone to the causative illnesses and age related changes in the functions of the saliva glands. Up to 1/3 of residents in care homes have problems with Dysphagia which makes tending to their health and well being a much more difficult job.
Dysphagia consequences can be very severe as it can clearly interfere with treatments proscribed by medical professionals when the affected person is reluctant or unable to take medicine in capsule form. Furthermore there is a danger that tablets ingested orally might cause choking or a blockage of the airway and there’s also a danger that pills could become lodged in the throat which might result in the incorrect dispersal of the drug to the body and also possible damage to the oesophagus.
The most prevalent and common method of dealing with Dysphagia is tablet crushing to ensure they are more palatable and easier to swallow. However there are lots of problems related to crushing tablets that could have significant implications and may affect the efficacy of the medicine. Some drugs are sugar covered to make them taste better and while crushing them may not alter the way the tablet works it will make them taste very unpleasant. Tablets that have an enteric coating must never be crushed before they are taken as the coating is designed to keep the pill together in the stomach to either; guard the stomach from the medication, protect the medicine from the stomach or to release the medicine soon after it’s left the stomach.
Fortunately help is on hand for individuals with Dysphagia and the people that take care of them. There is currently a bigger range than ever before of liquid medicines that may be taken orally and have the exact same effect as pills or tablets. Oral liquid medicine is produced to treat a wide range of ailments and diseases such as those affecting the cardio-vascular system and endocrine system and more liquid medicines are being created all the time. Liquid medicines are painless to swallow for those with Dysphagia and are available in a number of pleasant flavours.