Medicosnext
Tablets are the most common form of medicines taken by mankind. I believe none of us reading this article can claim not to have ever taken a tablet. Though tablets are very commonly used by us all, how well do we know about tablets, I believe at least the part that deals with administration is something we should know for sure.
Today, I will be focusing mostly on the subject of breaking tablets for the ease of taking them. Should we break them in the first place? Are all kinds of tablets breakable? What might go wrong when you break them?
Tablets are medicines that come in various shapes, sizes, and colors. Some tablets are small, some big, some are white, some colored, some round, some long. Besides the variations in the things that can be noted by our naked eyes, there are many more differences in the make-up of the tablets, which mandates different administration techniques. Some tablets can be broken, while others can’t. So, let us delve deep into the article to find out more about the topic today.
The general public recognizes tablets as a medicine that ought to be taken by mouth. Most of the tablets are orally administered, however, there are a whole lot of tablets which are meant to be administered differently. We take our tablets mostly with a gulp of water, though it is wise to take a little more water with the medicine. There are tablets like Digene (antacids) and vitamin C, which should be crushed by teeth; they are explicitly named as chewable tablets. Since you can chew them, you certainly can break them. There are GTN tablets used in angina, which should be placed under the tongue and are called sublingual tablets. They may be too small to try and break, and also, since they are placed under the tongue, they may be spitted out once the pain subsides. When it comes to treating fungal infection in the female vagina, there are tablets like clotrimazole that should be inserted inside the vagina using special applicators. There are many instances where the drug is administered by mouth by patients in the absence of proper communication regarding the proper use of drugs. So, we should all develop a habit of learning a bit about the administration techniques of medicines from the pharmacists when buying the medicines.
Why are tablets broken in the first place?
When liquid medicines are prescribed, it is easy to give them in the amount exactly as necessary for the patient, one can easily give 2 ml, 3 ml or even 4 ml, instead of the regular 5 ml measure. But, when it comes to tablets, it is difficult to break them into different parts, that is the very reason why the same tablet comes in different strengths, sometimes 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, likewise. Even so, it is not always possible to make tablets in strengths that are not regularly used. That is when the tablets are broken down to get the required dose. Once the tablet strength is above 500 mg, the size of the tablet gets a little bigger. Such tablets are often broken by the patients to ease the intake of tablets. But then, can all those tablets be broken?
The first thing most of us remember when we hear the word tablet is paracetamol tablets. Let us try to recall what it looks like. It is a white, round tablet with a line running at the center. That line is called scoring in pharmaceutical science, and its main aim is to help patients break the tablet into half when necessary. Scored tablets can generally be broken into two pieces. However, it is not advisable to break the tablet into more than two pieces, since it is not possible to break the tablets into equal pieces. There are bound to be inconsistencies in dosing if one tries to break the tablet into multiple pieces.
Which kind of tablets cannot be broken and why?
1. Tablets which are not symmetrical in shape (triangular or heart-shaped tablet: does not break in half)
2. Enteric coated tablets (Pantoprazole: If the enteric coating is breached, tablet ceases to work as intended)
3. Film coated tablets (Metronidazole: If the film coating is breached, tablet becomes disagreeable in taste)
4. Sustained release tablets (Voveran SR: All the contents may get released in a short time, does not work for specified time)
5. Highly potent drugs or drugs that come in low strengths (Levothyroxine 25 microgram: The dose may be altered when such drugs are broken) (Please note 1mg = 1000 microgram)
I believe that people should try and use medicines as a whole as far as possible. But then, in instances where you cannot find the strength that you need, you certainly can break the tablet if it does not fit the aforementioned categories. There are lot many categories of tablets, and it is not feasible for the general populace to try and remember each different kind of tablet. So, the better thing to do would be asking the pharmacist where you buy the medicines if it is okay to break the medicine you consume. Next time you are purchasing your medicines, try and learn as many things as you need about your medicines. It is not just important to take the correct medicine, but it is also equally important to take the medicine correctly.
