Pill Crusher

[Noto]

This isn't RC related but my wife can't swallow pills for some reason and I have to crush them all up for her. Mainly calcium because she needs a lot of it and its rather hard to crush kinda like a stick of chalk or something. I have looked into trying to buy it crushed but the kind she likes only come in pill form and I can't find anyone that can crush it.

I am currently using a small $3.00 crusher I got at like HEB or something and it works but is rather hard and sometimes leaves flakes of plastic in the pill powder. I am looking at some that are about $90 right now but thought I might try to build one that is automatic and can crush lots of them.

I was thinking hydraulic press type thing would be best but that's way too involved I think. So I'm thinking of either going for some kind of rollers to crush between or a weighted object that gets lifted and dropped on them.

If anyone has ideas on how to get this to work or better suggestions I would like to hear them :)

Thanks

[AndyKunz]

Can your druggist recommend a mortar and pestle?

Andy

[Noto]

Hey Andy thanks for the reply. If I'm going to buy a mortar and pestle I might as well buy that $90 crusher as its probably going to be as much work or more using that...I guess I have never used a mortar and pestle but seems like it would be a lot of work. I don't need it to be real fine powder but just crushed. I was hoping to build something I could pour 30-40 pills in and let it rip so I can go though a 1000 pill bottle quickly. This may end up being more trouble than its worth but I like to make stuff so would be fun anyway hehe.

I don't have any kind of welding tools or milling so that may be one of my biggest problems, I think there is a shop near me that does do that kind of stuff If I needed to make a few parts.

BTW this is the kind of crusher I was thinking of getting if I didn't make one.
http://www.mohawkmedicalmall.com/pillcrusher.php

[widgeteer]

I have had the problem too. Some of those 1000 MG pills will gag you. I solved the problem with the calcium by buying the calcium in capsules. Look at www.swansonvitamins.com . You can get a bone building formula that has the proper mix of elements, minerals and herbs to facilitate the reconstruction of depleted bone and joints. You know, one needs to have the right mix of herbs, enzymes, and minerals to make it easier for your body to assimilate and use.
Try 'bone building formula'-250 caps @11.19. you just take the capsules apart, and dump the formula into- orange juice, instant breakfast, or what ever.
The metal minerals don't get absorbed easily- mebbe %8-%10 percent. the rest goes you know where. So,one has to increase the dose to get enough of these minerals in the body. And stay away from a high concentration of calcium carbonate-the body will use that type to rebuild viens, arteries, etc, to the point that blockages can occur. So you need the right mix, as in a formula to use all of the needed components .
Might be a good idea to take an amino acid formula to enhance all of this action. Amino acids run the body.
A person might want to skip the cal. carb., and use cal. citrate instead, if that is the only thing you are going to take.
Being healthy is not cheap- but since the ground has been farmed for @ 200 years steadily, the soil is depleted of minerals needed to live. So you need to find other sources of nutrients. I look at it like food. So I buy what my body needs, and s%%ew the nay sayers. it's your body.I am a junk food junky, but I hold it down in perspective and reative to the needs of my body. ( avoid trans fats- hydrogenated oils, for instance,) and keep a rein on your sugar addiction. We all have it. ( UUMMM, Snickers bar !! ).
Good luck. You might want to get other opinions, and if you talk to 8 people, you will get 8 opinions. Remember an opinion usually not based on fact.
Best Regards
'widgeteer'

[Probedude]

Hey Andy thanks for the reply. If I'm going to buy a mortar and pestle I might as well buy that $90 crusher as its probably going to be as much work or more using that...I guess I have never used a mortar and pestle but seems like it would be a lot of work.

It's not a lot of work - surprisingly so.
You can pick one up cheap at a Chinese grocery store.
Try that before you plunk $90 on something that isn't as robust and isn't as easy to clean.

[Noto]

Thanks for the info guys and EFFORT you took to make your post *looking in widgeteer's direction*.

I will look into the mortar and pestle next time I'm in town near the Asian market or ask my pharmacy where to get a good one.

The wife is real well... Not sure what you call it but It would take a doctors visit to convince her to take another calcium... LOL

I will look over the link and see if I can find something to convince her to take in a power form as well.


Daniel

[Johan B]

This sounds like something a coffee grinder should be able to do, depending on the hardness of the pills and their size...

Johan - Eflight101.com (http://www.eflight101.com/)

[andrew b]

Always keep the pestle seperate from the mortar other wise you may find baba yaga will pay you a visit :rolleyes:

[westfw]

You can try throwing a handful of pills in a blender. Or... How about one of those meat pounders?

[JohnMuchow]

If anyone has ideas on how to get this to work or better suggestions I would like to hear them :)

ThanksI would try using one of those "home" coffee bean grinders. They're small, relatively inexpensive and easy to use. I use one for grinding whole spices and some of them are a lot harder than pills.

You might have to use several pills at once to make sure they don't just bounce around....YMMV. :)

[Malc C]

Just a word of warning guys, crushing pills can be dangerous. Some pills are designed to release their active ingredients slowley over time as they dissolve in the gut. By crushing them they get absorbed into the body a lot quicker and this can cause problems as the body can react badly to the sudden intake (experienced this first hand with my 12 yr old son, its not pleasent).

[Noto]

I would try using one of those "home" coffee bean grinders. They're small, relatively inexpensive and easy to use. I use one for grinding whole spices and some of them are a lot harder than pills.

You might have to use several pills at once to make sure they don't just bounce around....YMMV. :)


I may try that, calcium is rather hard tho harder than a coffee bean... Think its made out of fish bones or something.

[Noto]

Just a word of warning guys, crushing pills can be dangerous. Some pills are designed to release their active ingredients slowley over time as they dissolve in the gut. By crushing them they get absorbed into the body a lot quicker and this can cause problems as the body can react badly to the sudden intake (experienced this first hand with my 12 yr old son, its not pleasent).


Hey Malc long time no talk :)

Yea its just calcium so I don't think there is any real risk to it. Glad you son came out of it ok.

[Malc C]

I might not be posting as much as I used to but I'm still around ;)

That should be OK - just don't try it with antibiotics :eek: My son is fine now thanks - suffered stomach cramps and threw up most of the night, but was fine the next morning - we now make sure he has the liquid alternative if there is one.

[Noto]

I seen a coffee grinder at the grocery store so I picked it up will post on how it does. I have a feeling it will probably be broken soon lol.

[Eric_N57105]

For half the price of the Silent Knight Pill Crusher, you can get this arbor. One ton will crush a lot of pills, but what a handy tool to have around the shop!

Crush some pills, punch a broken shaft out of a motor...multi-purpose. You treat yourself and make points with the wife. How often does that happen? Watta deal!

Eric
www.ke6us.com

[Noto]

Cool was there supposed to be a link? "you can get this arbor"
I'm not sure what that is?

I did however try the pill crusher and it didn't break :) it crushes them really fine but takes a while and doesn't seem to crush them all. You have to put about only 5 in and do it for a bit and then it kinda slows down and you have about 3 3/4 pills left and 1 whole one and some 1/4 chunks. Thinking about trying to use pill cutter first and see if that helps some.

Ok so whats this arbor? :)

[Noto]

Ahh I found this http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=3552

That would probably work I am going to have to visit to play with it in person. Looks like something would have to be fabed to place the pills on.

With the coffe grinder it seems to do ok with a number of pills if you shake it up and down as you grind.

Did about 2 weeks worth of pills :)

[Corbin_Dallas]

I have PLENTY of solutions for you, well... things I would/have tried

Okay, first off, ASSUMING she can swallow the small caplet sized pills<
ask a pharmacist if you'd like, about buying JUST two-halve dissolvable caplets (asking if there was such an option/source to do so)
Otherwise buy the cheapest bottle of ones you can find that perhaps are harmless supplements as they will be emptied out anyway (into a toilet if you wanna be cautious )
Then try 1 or all of the following:

1: If you can simply cut them or crush them into pieces that are small enough to fit in a couple of emptied caplets, it'd be easier than getting it's powder off of things ;)

2: (even if the capsules are a no-go, this might help w/ what's already being done)
see if you can get your hands on some small jewelry type ziplock baggies (they get as small as 1"x1" but you may want the size just above that) then you can just put the pills in them while you crush the living :censored: out of them however you find best, and afterwards it's all contained in a bag small enough where any residue left inside wouldn't barely be measurable!

3: you could tediously shave it down with a razor-blade ;) :p

4: or in all honesty, you could look on line or better yet, go to your nearest 'Head Shop' and if they don't have a better solution, I know they'll probably have these things that are smaller than a hockey puck, but a little bigger than a lip-balm canister,
that have grinders/ blades/ whatever they are strategically scattered about inside both parts of the contraption, so when closed the thing can be twisted in both ways & the 'grinders' inside will no collide with eachother, (the thing is meant for putting marijuana/ganja/weed/other herb's- 'buds' or 'nugs' into and then 'grinding really fine' the inserted chunk whilst also separating the seeds & whatnot so that what is left inside can be used to easily roll into a spliff/doob/lid/joint/blunt/perhaps a simple cigarette.
(Wow! it's pretty apparent that I was once a "pothead" or "stoner" :rolleyes: , whatever u prefer to refer to em' as, ...oh well >not ashamed< who cares, but 4 any young-enz reading this >Drugs Are Bad, Mmkay'... they will never make any1 "cool" so don't try em' if that's what u r after...n' stuff :cool: )

hope any of this helps though mang!!
good luck

-(v)/\'|'|'-

[ghoti]

Will the Ca tabs dissolve in water? I don't know, but if so then the blender plus water and 20 or so tabs could make them go into solution. Use proper proportion and then keep cold or frozen until needed. Bill

[westfw]

we now make sure he has the liquid alternative if there is one.
Interesting. We had a horrible time getting our kids to take liquid medications, and both we and they were VERY happy when they got old enough to swallow pills instead.

[Noto]

Interesting. We had a horrible time getting our kids to take liquid medications, and both we and they were VERY happy when they got old enough to swallow pills instead.



Now if I could only get my wife to grow up and take hers lol.

Just kidding, not sure what it is for her but she can't handle any pills no matter what the size... Gotta be in her head, maybe some traumatic childhood experience like choaking on PEZ or something.

[z-matrix]

hi Noto

i believe Ca pills can be dissolved in soda(-water)
or in tea? :)
i have not tried it yet.

i used to drink dextroze monochidrate - c6h12o6 powder
dissolved in mineral water

[Noto]

Found my solution :) I had a magic bullet setting on my counter I had tried it before and decided I didn't want to break it... After seeing how much the coffee grinder could take I decided to test it out. Man that thing is a monster it took half a bottle and crushed it in like 30 seconds.

So now I have enough calcium to keep her busy for a month :)

Thanks all.

[Eric_N57105]

Cool was there supposed to be a link? "you can get this arbor"
I'm not sure what that is?

I did however try the pill crusher and it didn't break :) it crushes them really fine but takes a while and doesn't seem to crush them all. You have to put about only 5 in and do it for a bit and then it kinda slows down and you have about 3 3/4 pills left and 1 whole one and some 1/4 chunks. Thinking about trying to use pill cutter first and see if that helps some.

Ok so whats this arbor? :)

Sorry about that. Harbor Freight and Northern Tool have them. Lots of other places too, I'm sure. Very handy around the shop.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=3551


Eric