Adverse Effects of Crushing Pills?

**MCBushbaby** · 03-24-2008, 07:52 PM

So I'm trying to pack as many pills as I can in the smallest waterproof container I can. I found I can fit about 13 crushed aspirin pills in a glass vial that would normally only hold 6-7 solid pills. I know there is "headache powder" which is crushed aspirin, but are there any adverse effects I should be aware of by crushing other medications? Maybe expire faster due to increased surface area? Can I crush Advil?

No I'm not crushing gel tabs

**crashdive123** · 03-24-2008, 08:01 PM

Mitch, I would think that the biggest problem that you will run into is doseage, unless of course you get stopped by the law.

Son - what's this white powder in the vial.

Honest officer, it's just crushed aspirin...........

**Rick** · 03-24-2008, 08:04 PM

Mitch - If you have any questions on a specific medication, you should ask your pharmacist for their opinion. However, there are a couple "rules of thumb" you want to keep in mind.

1. Make certain you will not take more than the recommended dosage when a medication is crushed. It's one thing to pack 8 packed, crushed aspirin in a small container but can you adequately judge the dosage?

2. Enteric-coated drugs should never be crushed. The coating is designed to keep the medication intact until it safely passes through the stomach and into the intestines. Crushing the coating can cause stomach problems or diminish the medications affectiveness or both.

3. Long Acting medication should never be crushed. Not only do you diminish the long term affect the drug is designed for you can also can get a large initial dose that might be dangerous depending on the drug. Long acting drugs will usually have SR (slow or sustained release), LA (long acting), CR (controlled release), CRT (controlled release tablet), SA (sustained action), TD (time delay), TR (time release), XL (extended length), contin (continuous acting), and 24 (24 hour) somewhere in the name.

4. Some tablets are really yucky and have a sugar coating to make taking it a bit more pleasant. Crushing the tablet exposes you to the bad taste.

5. Some drugs have special coatings so it won't be absorbed while handling it. Proscar is an example. It isn't prescribed to women but if a pregnant woman handles a broken tablet it can be absorbed into her system and possibly cause birth defects.

I never cut or crush a tablet unless my PCP or my pharmacist tells me okay. Another rule of thumb. If the tablet is scored then it can be cut. If it is not scored then it is not designed to be cut. Again!!!! That's just a rule of thumb and can certainly vary.

Honestly, pills are so small it shouldn't be a concern. I have a small medicine container with eight compartments I take with me. I keep my medicines inside with my PCP's number taped to the bottom. That way if I do stumble upon a ranger in the woods, he can call my PCP and confirm what it is and that I have a script for everything that is a prescribed med.

**canid** · 03-24-2008, 08:07 PM

thewre's a greater risk of toxic overdose from pills which have been crushes, as there is no dissolution period and subsequent latency in uptake. this is a small risk with low to moderate doses of things like asprin.

if you where taking a moderate to high dose of acetamenophen on the other hand, i'd be a tad cautious. same for many perscription meds, particularly those with time release coatings. they're there for a reason.

**MCBushbaby** · 03-24-2008, 10:45 PM

Gotcha. I decided I'll just put 30 Ibuprofen and 20 aspirin in a film canister, whole pills of course, and call it good.

**Alpine_Sapper** · 03-25-2008, 12:36 AM

Originally Posted by mitch.chesney

Gotcha. I decided I'll just put 30 Ibuprofen and 20 aspirin in a film canister, whole pills of course, and call it good.

A few years ago I was using a film canister to store pills in a similar manner and everytime I opened it I got hit with a distinct chemical smell, presumably from the film. Since then I've always been leary of storing anything directly in a film container as I didn't want to inadvertently cross contaminate something. I know a small plastic liner would probably resolve the situation, but again, plastic is porous.

Does anyone know for sure if the chemicals used on the film leaks into the container, and if so, is it toxic under repeated exposure? I know P2P is used to create film, which is probably the reason for the strong oder, but I'm not sure.