I have a terrible time taking big pills therefore I always request a capsule or oral suspension if I can. I was put on ceftin last week, omg, a big huge oblong pill. I told the pharmacist I cannot swallow it, he said do not cut or crush it. ask for oral. I got an email from my llmd last night to cut it or crush it.
Now, what, what do I do?
Posted by MissVictoria (Member # 45232) on :
Since your doctor said that it's ok for you to cut or crush it, it's fine.
Posted by Bartenderbonnie (Member # 49177) on :
I know I can't crush Bactrim DS because the DS stands for double strength.
Agree that LLMD trumps pharmacist.
Crush into applesauce or pudding so as not to upset stomach. But they do make liquid suspension of Ceftin
Posted by lindadanis (Member # 51204) on :
ok I will. but why wouldn't llmd just order oral suspension, don't understand it.
thanks so much
Posted by Kristyn (Member # 51857) on :
Hey linda, I agree with what that other person wrote....doctor trumps pharmacist. If "H" says you can, then do it!
Posted by no_lyme_in_florida (Member # 5537) on :
Doctor's don't always trump pharmacists. I have known several doctors through the years who were woefully ignorant about the drugs they were prescribing.
One doctor said that my pharmacist was an idiot when he rejected the prescription that had been written for a gout medication on the grounds that the pills didn't come in the dosage written. The idiot doctor had to eat his words when it was shown he was wrong.
Another doctor tried to prescribe me a fluoroquinolone for a sinus indfection, and when I told him I had suffered a ruptured tendon after taking that class of drug in the past, he point blank told me that antibiotics do not cause ruptured tendons and that it was probably the stupidest thing he had ever heard in his career from a patient.
When I showed him the scar on my knee and pulled up the actual Black Box Warning for this class of drug warning about Tendon rupture, he staired at me like a deer in headlights. He was considered by many to be one of the best General Practitioners in the Ft. Myers, Fl. area. It was completely inexcusable not to know this basic information on a class of drug his nurse later admitted to me he prescribed all the time.
A quick Google search for "Can Ceftin pills be broken or crushed" yields an almost universal admonition not to do either one of those things.
Excerpts:
"Because the crushed tablet has a strong bitter taste, the tablet should not be crushed."
"Do not break, crush, or chew it."
"Do not chew, crush, or split the tablets - this may make the treatment less effective."
"Do not crush or chew because the tablets have a strong bitter taste."
...and many more.
In this case, though, I think you are OK to break or crush your pills because the overwhelming reason given for not doing so is the bitter taste. I would break or crush it if it were me and not be worried at all.
This post isn't meant to be argumentative with anything said, it is just intended to show what a quick, basic search brings up for the question asked and why the pharmacist very likely said what he did.
Posted by Bartenderbonnie (Member # 49177) on :
I agree with no_lyme_in_florida also when it comes to dealing with main-stream doctors. Main-stream doctors are on big pharma payroll. Just think how many times a pharma rep walks into your primary doctor's office, wearing the best clothes and shoes, pulling a wheeled luggage rack full of pharma samples.
They spend maybe 15 minutes, spew the latest and greatest pharma products, covering the just the basics, and that med is streamlined into your doctor's practice. Selling their product comes before patient safety.
When it comes to your LLMD, they are not on big pharma payroll or insurance protocols and have your interest placed 1st. They truly want you to get well.
Posted by lindadanis (Member # 51204) on :
she prescribed the oral suspension, now medicare wants me to pay 200.00 a month for it. cannot win any which way.
thanks for all the comments, very much appreciated.
Posted by kidsgotlyme (Member # 23691) on :
I will just say this: I can't imagine how you would ever mask the taste of Ceftin!! I can swallow pills, and just putting it in my mouth before swallowing is horrible.
I actually got a pill a little stuck in the back of my throat a few days ago and I thought I was going to puke the taste was so bad. I had to brush my teeth and brush in the back of my throat to get the bitter taste out(really fun after you've just swallowed a boat load of pills!)
I hope you can find a solution to the problem.
Posted by Kristyn (Member # 51857) on :
Oh man yea Ceftin is horrible, the taste. It made my urine smell pretty bad too.
Posted by lindadanis (Member # 51204) on :
thanks for the response. I finally got cipro oral suspension from her and guess what. my cost for one month is over 200.00. that is with insurance coverage. Now I am wondering how bad the oral suspension taste will be. I hope I can get it down after paying this much money. So mad, when will I treat this? Maybe I should look into herbal protocol as well?
Posted by lindadanis (Member # 51204) on :
Hi. so my llmd told me to break the ceftin in half. I did and man, those pills are crazy to swallow. It got stuck in my throat and finally it went down. I am thinking it might be easier to take the liquid and just spend the 200.00 a month for it.