Budesonide - Can you open the capsules?

[dad_01]

Just wondering if anyone could direct me to any studies about the effectiveness of Budesonide when you open up the gelatin capsules that it comes in.

My 10 year old son was taking it for crohns because it seemed to be the steroid of choice for children - not being systemic and releasing in the right spots.

We had a difference of opinion with his pediatric GI specialist. The Budesonide capsule was way to big for our son to swallow, so we opened up the capsule and he swallowed the little granules that were inside the capsule.

His GI specialist thought that that would undermine the effectiveness of the drug, but he didn't seem to know exactly why.

Our pharmacist thought opening the capsule would be fine - he said that the capsule dissolves in about five minutes anyway after you swallow it and that the little granules have a special coating that only dissolves when the granules hit the right spot in the digestive system.

I actually called astrazenca, the manufacturer, to ask if the capsules could be opened and got a cryptic answer that they couldn't tell me but they suggested that if my pharmacist called them they might be able to give him / her info on third party studies about the effectiveness of opening the capsules.

Would appreciate any information anyone might have on this.

Thanks.

 

[kpratte]

Our pharmacist thought opening the capsule would be fine - he said that the capsule dissolves in about five minutes anyway after you swallow it and that the little granules have a special coating that only dissolves when the granules hit the right spot in the digestive system.

That's the theory that I have heard. Most of the items are capsules so that it doesn't upset the stomach, etc. The capsules also help with the time release part, but again I think it depends on the capsule.

Since you want to open the capsule, I would try to see what happens when you open it, and take just the capsule and put it in very small cup with a bunch of saliva. Does it soften up / dissolve in a couple minutes? etc.. Just a thought.

- Ken

 

[dad_01]

Great idea. Our pharmacist even said the same thing.

We did that and, in about five minutes, the gel capsule is already decomposing.