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Re:A deadly fungus that can infect cats and people is spreading by mschuster91 on Wednesday June 24, 2026 @10:50AM (#48660842)
> Do yourself a favor, crush the pill and put it in food.

This does not work on compounds sensitive to stomach acids. Some medications (both veterinarian and human) have to be specially coated to survive this environment [1], if you crush the pills the medication gets less effective, completely ineffective or, like ibuprofen, irritate the stomach. Or, worst case, the medication is designed for retarded release in the stomach acid - and now that you've crushed it, the entirety of the compound is dissolved in the stomach at once.

Please always ask your veterinarian/physician, the pharmacy staff and always read the medication's application notes because particularly physicians often are unaware and the same ingredient on the prescription might be fulfilled by a crushable or a non-crushable variant which only the pharmacist knows.

[1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magensaftresistente_Tablette

Re:A deadly fungus that can infect cats and people is spreading by robocat on Wednesday June 24, 2026 @04:46PM (#48665404)
> like ibuprofen

Your conclusion is based on your misunderstanding: perhaps take more care in future, and be especially careful if sharing your misinformation.

  After absorption into the bloodstream, ibuprofen indirectly reduces the prostaglandins that normally protect the stomach lining

  crushing ibuprofen can make local irritation more intense and quicker, but this is usually not the main driver of ulcers
And sorry if the above is misleading, I'm no expert in this stuff either.
Re:A deadly fungus that can infect cats and people is spreading by ahartmetz on Wednesday June 24, 2026 @06:02PM (#48666142)
To go further on this tangent, just mentioning it because it's rather useful: Studies show that vitamin C protects the stomach lining from stomach acid - unclear why exactly, but clear that it does. There are pills that combine the two, but you can also just buy some vitamin C and take it it with the pills. Like all water-soluble vitamins, you can't really overdose: the excess is excreted.
Re:A deadly fungus that can infect cats and people is spreading by robocat on Wednesday June 24, 2026 @06:16PM (#48666263)
And you've just done the same mistake?

  Taking too much vitamin C [acidic] can cause side effects, including: Upset stomach, vomiting and loose stools. Heartburn. Stomach cramps or bloating.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-vitamin-c/art-2...

I mean what you've said is interesting (albeit irrelevant to ibuprofen given the pathway).

Re:A deadly fungus that can infect cats and people is spreading by ahartmetz on Wednesday June 24, 2026 @07:00PM (#48666612)
OK, so you can overdose and that is important to know - but a few hundred mg fortunately won't do it. The article recommends against daily use of 2,000+ mg.