Medication Route

[Ayaoba]

If a tablet can be crushed and mixed, can it be administered subcutaneously if the patient can't swallow?

Thank you

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

No

Medications for injection should be sterile. A tablet is not sterile. Please consult a pharmacist or the patient's provider for appropriate orders.

And I really hope this isn't a serious question.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I can't think of any PO medication that can be crushed and administered subcutaneously. In fact, I think by doing that, you would be putting the patient at risk for potential harm. After all, you're injecting a medication into the upper layers of skin that is not likely to be absorbed.

However, if you talk to your pharmacist, you may be able to find an alternative form of the of medication that can be given in lieu of taking it orally: sublingual (no swallowing needed, it's absorbed under the tongue), transdermal, topical, rectal, intranasal, intramuscular...and of course, intravenous. If the specific medication doesn't come in a non-oral form, perhaps the pharmacist knows an similar medication that does.

Hope this helps.

[dayandnight]

Are you a nursing student? always ask the doctkr for an alternate route or medication if the patient only has po. you can also ask the pharmacist for advice. Also do not ever crush a po med and inject it to a patient...

[Khow89]

If patients cannot swallow generally they a nasal or g tube where you can administer crushed tablets. But also depending on the tablet if the tablet can be crushed. As someone mentioned above, consult with pharmacist.

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

Tablets are not only not sterile but they contain inactive ingredients that don't fully dissolve. While in THEORY a tablet could be crushed, dissolved and the resultant solution injected, the abscesses that practice would cause would be horrible. As the other posters have said, if the patient cannot swallow there are usually alternatives other than injection.