Pharmacists have warned that crushing tablets, especially modified-release medicines, can destroy their carefully designed release mechanism and expose patients to serious health risks including overdose and treatment failure.
They explained that modified-release formulations, often labelled as MR, SR, XL, ER or LA, are specially engineered to control the rate and location at which the active ingredient is released in the body. When such tablets are crushed, the entire dose is released at once instead of gradually.
According to health experts, including the UK National Health Service Specialist Pharmacy Service and the US Food and Drug Administration, this rapid release can lead to excessively high blood levels of the drug, resulting in toxicity, severe side effects, or the medicine acting at the wrong part of the gastrointestinal tract and losing its effectiveness.
The World Health Organisation has also identified unsafe medication practices and errors as a major cause of preventable harm. Pharmacists stressed that some tablets have enteric coatings that protect the stomach from irritation or protect the drug from stomach acid, and crushing removes this vital protection.
Patients who struggle to swallow tablets have been advised not to crush or split their medicines on their own. Instead, they should consult their pharmacist or doctor for safer alternatives such as liquid formulations, smaller tablets, or other suitable dosage forms that will maintain efficacy and safety.
Why You Should Never Crush Your Tablets Without Pharmacist’s Advice – Experts Warn
