Pills

[LouLamb]

Visited my gp because not well.

She asked if I was taking any of my tablets I said not yet. She told me I should crush them. But im not sure if they can all be crush

I'll be taking

Steroids

Folic acid

Hydroxychloroquine

Mainly need to know if steroid can be crushed as will start them again next week

[Bebe76]

Hi LouLamb, if you are unsure you can call the pharmacy to check. I think if the tablets are delayed-release tablets they should not be crushed.

[PMRpro]

The person to ask is the pharmacist - and not the counter staff by the way.

Whether you can crush the pred depends on what sort of pred tablets they are. If you have been given a form that is coated to protect your stomach from them then you must not crush them. If they are plain white tablets without a coating then yes, they could be crushed but it wouldn't be ideal - they have a very unpleasant lingering taste even when you have just cut them in half.

Do I assume you have problems swallowing? If so, it should be possible to get a liquid version of prednisolone or there are intramuscular depot injections you could ask your doctor about. One injection lasts a few weeks.

[LouLamb in reply to PMRpro]

Injection is a No not brave enough for that yet . Gonna be start methotrexate injections in April so that's enough for now .

[PMRpro in reply to LouLamb]

You don't have to give yourself the pred injection - the doctor will do that. Not like the mtx. You'll be fine!

[LouLamb in reply to PMRpro]

I'm just making progress with needles . That will take me a longer to get to that stage

[Diagnosed2012]

Are you anxious about swallowing tablets because they look so big in the palm of your hand? If so, try this. Next time you're eating something you like e.g your favourite sandwich, burger, pizza, cake etc and you take an enormous chomp out of it, think how much bigger that gobful of food is compared to the tablet. If you can gulp that gobful down, a tablet is so much smaller in comparison.

If you're not self-injecting, just tell the nurse/doctor who is giving you the injection that you're anxious about needles. They'll take a little extra special care.

Good luck with the meds.

[Barnclown]

Hello loulamb

You've got some great replies!

I have had chronic swallowing probs all my life (am 62 now). My pharmacist has been a great help with tips on successful swallowing & advice about which tabs can be crushed etc. I don't crush gastro-coated tabs because I have chronic gastritis & oesophagitis which means I need the protection gastro-coated tabs give. The swallowing advice I've found most helpful is:

-stand or sit upright with good posture so anything you swallow has a nice straight pipe to head along

-swallow several sips of water or fresh ginger tea before swallowing meds

-then swallow a spoonful of plain yogurt

-Swallow tabs & caps with chin slightly raise so gullet can open fully & extend without any bend into the oesophagus

-swallow another spoonful of yogurt between meds if you have lots of tabs & caps to get down

-avoid bending over &/or lying down for at least 30 minutes after swallowing meds

🍀🍀 coco

[Gillykay46]

You can get soluble prednisolone. You will need another prescription as they won' t be able to just substitute them though. Your retail pharmacist can do an intervention for you on your behalf if you ask.

[LouLamb in reply to Gillykay46]

What's the difference

[Gillykay46]

No difference but only available in 5mg tablets. They are quite expensive to prescribe so not many doctors mention them! Also,try looking down as you swallow tablets. This lengthens the oesophagus and means they shouldn't get stuck so easily.