Peer Reviewed
Gastroenterology clinic
How to manage drugs and PEGs
Abstract
Patients who are being fed via gastrostomy tubes often need medicines to be administered by the same route.
Key Points
- Use alternatives to solid oral formulations of medicines for patients with a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) whenever possible. Parenteral alternatives are generally only a short term solution. Liquid oral medications should be mixed with a small volume of water prior to administration via a PEG if they are viscous. Topical alternatives include transdermal patches, enemas and suppositories.
- Consider the effect of food. Administer drugs whose gastrointestinal absorption is impaired in the presence of food either half an hour before or two hours after a feed. Decreased absorption of such drugs, and possibly subtherapeutic responses, may occur in patients undergoing a continuous feeding regimen.
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