Clinical Information
Evidence-based information for healthcare professionals and patients
Dysphagia
Dysphagia is the medical term to describe a difficulty swallowing solids or liquids. It occurs when nerves, muscles, or structures in the mouth, throat, or oesophagus don't work together properly. Early signs of dysphagia include coughing, gagging or choking when eating or drinking.
Pill dysphagia is when a person has an inability or strong aversion to swallowing medications, often triggered by a pill's shape, size, or a dry throat.
Explainer video — Dysphagia (coming soon)
Crushing medications
Crushing tablets isn't always safe. Many medications, including slow-release or enteric-coated tablets, must not be crushed. Doing so can increase the risk of side effects, reduce the therapeutic effect, or result in a loss of dose.
Always check with a pharmacist before altering any medication.
Adding foods to medications
Foods have not been designed for use with medications and may impact the efficacy, side-effect profile, and absorption of the drug. Research has shown that mixing crushed tablets into foods and thickened liquids can significantly reduce the rate at which a medication dissolves and becomes available to the body.
Thickened liquids present a particular challenge. For people with dysphagia who are already on thickened fluids, mixing crushed tablets into those fluids can further interfere with drug absorption due to the sticky, thick nature of the gum in thickeners.
Some foods do not adequately lubricate the digestive tract which may lead to tablets getting stuck and an increased risk of medication-induced oesophagitis. Common medications that can cause drug-induced oesophagitis are: Paracetamol, Antibiotics, NSAIDs (e.g. Aspirin/Ibuprofen), antihypertensives, oral hypoglycaemics (e.g. Metformin) and bisphosphonates (e.g. Fosamax).
Recent research published by the University of Queensland concluded that mixing whole tablets with Gloup® was considered bioequivalent to swallowing whole tablets with water.*
Gloup vs apple sauce (coming soon)
Gloup vs water (coming soon)
Semi-recumbent (coming soon)
Clinical Papers
Published clinical papers supporting the use of Gloup® to assist with medication administration.
* Based on published clinical evidence. † Always check with a pharmacist before altering any medication.