Why are enteric coated and film coated tablets not crushed for administration via an enteral feeding tube?

• A. They are too large to fit.
• B. They do not crush well and tend to clump, increasing risk of tube clogging.
• C. They taste bad.
• D. They dissolve too quickly.

Answer: (B)

Enteric-coated and film-coated tablets are designed to stay intact and release the drug at a specific point in the GI tract. Crushing disrupts the coating, creating powder and coating fragments that tend to clump and can block the lumen of an enteral feeding tube. That tube occlusion risk is the main reason these coatings should not be crushed for tube administration.