People who take more than four doses of medicine a day appear more likely to crush tablets or open capsules potentially reducing their effectiveness, QUT research has found.
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From Medical Express
Many patients modifying medication dosage forms without professional advice
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According to a new study published in the Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research, researchers from Queensland University of Technology and the University of Queensland in Queensland, Australia, have found that people who take more than four doses of medication each day are more likely to crush tablets or open capsules, thereby possibly decreasing their effectiveness.
Results of the study showed that 44.2% of the 369 respondents believed there would be no issues with crushing tablets or opening capsules.
Researchers also found that 14% said they have trouble swallowing capsules or tablets and that people modified their medicine despite no issues with swallowing. In addition, 10% of respondents reported modifying their medication regardless of how many doses they took each day.
Although the findings found that many participants said they would not ask for advice before modifying their medications or inform their healthcare professional of problems swallowing, previous research has found that healthcare professionals are not asking their patients about swallowing difficulties often enough.
