Author Question: Why do you think unscored tablets should never be cut? What will be an ideal ... (Read 37 times)

Hungry! · **on:** Jul 3, 2018

Why do you think unscored tablets should never be cut?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Why do you think XR, ent, DR, SR, and SL tablets should never be crushed?

What will be an ideal response?

Expo · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 3, 2018

Answer to Question 1

The medication may be unevenly distributed within the tablet. The cut probably would not be precise. With either of the foregoing problems, one part would have too much and one part would have too little of the medication. The patient would receive the wrong dose.

Answer to Question 2

Crushing these tablets would cancel the delayed or extended or sustained release. The patient might then have an adverse drug event from the side effects of too much of the medication being released and absorbed too soon. The medication may be very irritating to the mucosa of the GI tract if broken down before it leaves the esophagus or stomach.