Tag: Extended release drugs

While relatively rare, with an estimated prevalence of about 0.4%, some individuals may develop a pharmacobezoar—a tightly packed mass of ingested medications. The question of which drug causes gastric bezoar most notably points to sucralfate, though several other formulations, including extended-release products, are also implicated, especially in high-risk patients with impaired gastrointestinal motility.

The average transit time through the small intestine alone is 2 to 6 hours. Given this process, many people wonder, can you poop out a pill right after taking it? The truth is that while seeing remnants of a pill is possible, passing a completely intact, unabsorbed pill immediately is physiologically improbable.