Taking Flomax with an Ileostomy: Is It Safe to Open Capsules?

I have an ileostomy; no colon. Can I take Flomax capsules opened 0.4 mg?

I just found this on the internet. You need to talk with your doctor.

FLOMAX capsules 0.4 mg once daily are recommended as the dose for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of BPH. They should be administered approximately one-half hour following the same meal each day. FLOMAX capsules should not be crushed, chewed, or opened.

You are listed as a female, but BPH is in regard to the prostate, which is male-oriented.??

Regards, IGGIE

Flomax is also used to help pass kidney stones. I have taken it for that purpose.

As IGGIE said, the label says it cannot be crushed, chewed, or broken open.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist, but in my experience, they don't put those statements on labels for nothing. It may be dangerous.

Maybe the drug is absorbed in the small intestine and could just be taken? A pharmacist should be able to tell you that.

Sorry, Susan, I didn't know that. Be careful you don't grow one.

Regards, IGGIE

My Ostomy Journey: Bruce | Hollister

LOL, too late. I have a urostomy bag, so I can now pee standing up. 🤣

Thank you for the information you have given me. Yes, I am a female. A urologist gave this medicine to me. Women have muscle problems that, at an older age, need to loosen their bladder muscles, same as men do. It used to work, the pill, but for 6 months it was out of stock. They probably changed the cover of the pill; it went straight to my ileostomy bag.
The capsule Flomax I got to open; the capsule is big and can block my small intestine, but I found inside my ileostomy bag the little white ground medicine Flomax. That's the reason I was asking.

I opened the capsule. My urologist told me to open this capsule and take only the inside granulated medicine.
I did what I was told.

touché

I have an ileostomy for 8 years now. No colon, nothing left down there. Ken butt last year.

After the Ken butt started taking Flomax, 2 times a day.

1 a.m., 1 p.m.

No issues.

It helps with urination.

Nothing seen in the bag. All good for me.

Absolutely! If your doctor said it was okay, do it. My advice is always way more cautious since I'm not a doctor or pharmacist.

I am surprised your urologist told you to open the capsule. The capsule is designed for gradual release and takes 4-5 hours before it is completely dissolved into your system. Releasing the contents of the capsule all at once exposes the contents to the stomach's acidic environment as well as potentially making side effects more likely. Finally, the therapeutic benefits will be more short-lived.

During the 6-month hiatus, it seems something has changed in your digestive system or with your diet since you mentioned that not only do the capsules show up in your ileostomy pouch, but so do the granules when you open up the capsules. Perhaps you should talk with your gastroenterologist about taking medication such as loperamide (sold OTC as Imodium) to slow down your digestive transit times.

G-Day Traveler,

I take a capsule called DILTIAZEM HCL CD (SZ) 240 mg, and it is full of thousands of granules that show up in my bag the next day.

After talking to my doctor, whom I have had for the last 34 years, he informed me that the medication is absorbed into the body, but the granule is left over. Apparently, the body sucks the medication out of the granule and leaves the granule as waste.

Regards, IGGIE

@IGGIE, Flomax does not quite work that way. I'll respond according to how Tamsulosin works. Flomax is a brand name for Tamsulosin. I currently take a combination of Oxybutynin and Tamsulosin for my neurogenic bladder.

Tamsulosin does support opening the capsule and sprinkling out the beads/granules/pellets. It has proven to be stable under certain conditions. Information on Tamsulosin was submitted to the FDA pertaining to the appropriateness of mixing Tamsulosin HCl granules with acidic soft foods such as applesauce, other fruit sauces, or yogurt. These were assessed by comparing the dissolution profile of the Tamsulosin HCl intact capsules, granules alone, and granules in applesauce or other fruit sauces or yogurt. Granules were determined to be incompatible with liquids or foods above pH 5 (e.g., water or foods such as pudding, rice pudding, milk, or Jello). During trials, dosing of the capsules was accomplished by opening the capsules and sprinkling the contents over a teaspoon of applesauce or yogurt, followed by a spoonful/sip of water.

Tamsulosin is a sustained-release drug, meaning the drug is designed to achieve a delayed therapeutic effect by constantly releasing medication throughout an extended period of time after administration of a single dose — the extended period of time is 24 hours. Tamsulosin is designed such that at the end of the release cycle no pellets/beads/granules are remaining. Therefore, when Tamsulosin pellets are seen in the pouch, it means all the drug has not been absorbed. There is no easy way to tell how much of the drug has been absorbed when you see pellets in the pouch.