tums in an ng tube

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Is the dumbest thing that I have every heard of. But the cherry on top is that it is 3 times a day. Crushing tums makes them chalky and a mess. Not to mention clogging the damn tube up. I have had to do this for the last 3 days and every time i start my process my mind begins to wonder 1- is there not some other medication that could be doing this better,

2- omg not again, and 3- if the doctor that wrote this stupid order had to do this just once the order would be changed due to the pure stupidity of it.

Ok I have ranted thank you. Anyone else have moments like these when doing a task and thinking boy if the doctor that wrote this order had to do this it would be changed?

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

Think through how the patient could get the same pharmacological effects from an alternative med and ask that the order be changed. Hint: Pepcid.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
Think through how the patient could get the same pharmacological effects from an alternative med and ask that the order be changed. Hint: Pepcid.

I agree that the order may be able to be changed, but Tums to Pepcid isn't a direct substitution, especially if the Tums aren't for antacid.

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Specializes in Pedi.

Tums is Calcium Carbonate. Calcium Carbonate is available in liquid suspension form. I gave it all the time in inpatient pediatrics.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

Tums is calcium carbonate and 10mg famotidine. Alternative forms of both are available.

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Until you get the order changed...

Crush finely

Use HOT water to dissolve it.

Mix with 10ml regular temp water and give in tube.

Voila :)

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.
Tums is calcium carbonate and 10mg famotidine. Alternative forms of both are available.

I looked up Tums after this post. From what I read, Tums is just calcium Carbonate. Tums Dual Action contains the both active ingredients you described. Apparently, there are two formulations of Tums on the OTC market. :)

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Specializes in Intensive Care Unit.

Why not good ol Protonix?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.
Why not good ol Protonix?
As BostonFNP said, it depends on why Tums is prescribed, aside from the fact that protonix and famotidine are two different classes that have a similar action. From my reading, Tums can be used as a cheap calcium supplement--apparently cheaper than those drugs used approved as calcium substitutes only.
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Specializes in Pedi.
I looked up Tums after this post. From what I read, Tums is just calcium Carbonate. Tums Dual Action contains the both active ingredients you described. Apparently, there are two formulations of Tums on the OTC market. :)

I did the same thing because when I worked in the hospital, if a patient was ordered for Tums, it was ordered as "Calcium Carbonate".

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Specializes in retired LTC.
Why not good ol Protonix?
Is protonix crush-able??
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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.
Is protonix crush-able??

Nope. But my hospital stocks protonix granules for this purpose

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