Can You Crush Eliquis?

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It's always a good idea to reach out to a pharmacist or another health care professional regarding whether or not it is safe to crush/split your medication.

For some drugs, it's perfectly fine, for others, doing so could potentially ruin the release mechanism, causing them to be either ineffective, dangerous, or both.

Crushing Eliquis

As it concerns Eliquis (apixaban), it can safely be crushed and mixed with certain liquids and foods before taking.

In fact, the FDA prescribing information for the drug states this specifically, which is nice to have, since many other package inserts for drugs don't discuss the safety of crushing one way or the other.

Per the prescribing information:

For patients who are unable to swallow whole tablets, 5 mg and 2.5 mg ELIQUIS tablets may be crushed and suspended in water, 5% dextrose in water (D5W), or apple juice, or mixed with applesauce and promptly administered orally. Alternatively, ELIQUIS tablets may be crushed and suspended in 60 mL of water or D5W and promptly delivered through a nasogastric tube. Crushed ELIQUIS tablets are stable in water, D5W, apple juice, and applesauce for up to 4 hours.

It is important to know that if you do crush Eliquis and intend to take your dose that way, it should be taken within 4 hours (as stated above), and not stored for later use.

Final Words

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