A Complete Guide on Crushing Tablets and/or Opening Capsules of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Medications

Abstract

There are limited data regarding the ability to crush tablets or open capsules for antiretroviral agents. This lack of data is problematic when encountering patients who cannot swallow these tablets or capsules, especially for patients who are mechanically ventilated. Furthermore, many antiretroviral agents do not have an oral or intravenous solution available. The authors address this issue by reviewing all commercially available antiretroviral agents to determine whether they could crush tablets or open capsules.

Weight‐adapted fixed‐dose combined adult antiretroviral tablets for HIV‐infected children

“…A general drawback of solid formulations is the administration to infants and toddlers or children with swallowing difficulties. To overcome this, for most capsules and tablets, patients can disperse their contents and mix them with a little liquid or semisolid food immediately before administration 14 …”