If the medicine is stuck in my throat, can I open it up and take it?

Many babies have experienced this problem when taking medicine: the medicine is too big to swallow. Some parents may break the tablets or soak them in water... However, some medicines really cannot be broken up and taken, so what are these specific medicines?

1. Coated tablets

Coated tablets are tablets with a coating on the surface of ordinary tablets. According to the coating material, they can be divided into sugar-coated tablets, film-coated tablets and enteric-coated tablets. Coating can cover up the bad smell of drugs and improve drug stability, while enteric-coated tablets can prevent gastric acid from destroying drugs and reduce drug irritation to the stomach. Therefore, if you break it apart and take it, it will not only affect the effect, but also cause nausea, stomachache and other discomfort symptoms.

2. Sustained-release tablets/controlled-release tablets

Sustained-release tablets are tablets that can slowly release drugs, while controlled-release tablets are tablets that can control the slow and constant release of drugs. Compared with ordinary tablets, sustained-release and controlled-release tablets can keep the drug at a relatively stable level in the body. If you break it apart and take it, it will not be able to maintain a stable state.

So what is the correct way to take medicine?

Before taking the medicine, you can rinse your mouth first, or drink some water to moisten your throat, then put the medicine on the back of your tongue and drink a sip of water. The density of tablets is generally greater than water, so you need to tilt your head back to swallow them, while the density of capsules is less than water, so you need to lower your head to swallow them. Do not lie down to rest immediately after taking the medicine to avoid damaging the esophagus.

References:

[1] Cui Fude. Pharmaceutics 7th edition[M]. People's Medical Publishing House. 2011.

[2] Liu Rong. Common misunderstandings about medication and medication guidance[J]. Journal of Clinical Rational Drug Use, 2015, 8(10): 172-174.

[3] Liao Hua. Introduction to sustained-release preparations[J]. Hubei Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2008, 30(12): 51-52.

Source: Department of Pharmacy

Author: Pharmacist Wang Senyi

Reviewer: Sun Yanyan, Chief Pharmacist

Yu He, Chief Pharmacist