need help with pills through feeding tube

[Phil's wife]

I am just wondering if there are some best practices someone can share with crushing pills and putting through the feeding tube. What is the best way to do it without worrying a significant amount is left in the container as residue and the weight has caused it to settle on bottom of container it was mixed in?

Thanks for your help.

Stephanie

 

[Jane]

Hello Stephanie, I found if I added liquid to the meds left in the bottom of container and mixed I could get almost all of the meds ( only a very few grains would be left). Sometimes it was necessary to add the extra fluid more than once, but I felt Sis needed the extra fluid anyway! I added only small amounts each time otherwise it would be too much for her to take in. Hope this is some help to you.
Jane

 

[COlisa]

Hi Stephanie,
Go to a kitchen store and buy a small mortar and pestle. I bought a small marble one for $15. It is FANTASTIC for crushing pills. It is much, much, much, much more effective than those crummy plastic pill crushers the pharmacies give you. It crushes pills into a very fine powder with much less effort. Crush the meds, then just add some water, stir it up with the tip of the syringe, draw it up and it is ready for the tube.

Trust me, this works a charm!
Lisa

 

[joelc]

Good advice. Here is the pill crusher we use. It is the easiest one you will ever use and works excellent, we have not had any PEG clogging problems since we got it.

Pill Crusher

 

[amber and bruce]

from a nursing and caregiver perspective, I agree with all the above said and sometimes you can put the syringe on the tube with the plunger out and pour in your feedings and or meds (in liquid) and allow to flow in per gravity. Depends alot on whether the feedings are contiuous or bolus and if the person has residual or not on whther or not this will work. But worth a shot to try and see cause it is easier than trying to do all that stringe work snd pinching the tube (or clamping and unclamping).

 

[t34gib]

I do exactly like Lisa, works great.

 

[Phil M]

I stir it around while pulling the plunger. Also...experiment with dropping you tablet type pills in water. I found that all mine dissolve on their own in less than 5 minutes. Rilutek dissolves in seconds! I don't crush any pills now...

 

[LauraW]

I crush mom's with the crusher Joel uses, then let them soak in a dixie cup with warm water for a couple of minutes. Then pour them in the syringe and flush it with water. No problems at all!