Oct 02, 2017
Hunter asked
My mother-in-Law has cirrhosis of the liver and ha s to take lactulose. 4 times a day she can't stand the taste and we have a hard time getting her to take it, Do pharmacists still sell the empty gel capsules and if so could the lactalose be put in them to disguise the taste so she would take it? And if not do you have any other idea's please help . Thank you for you time.
Answer
The dose of lactulose is typically 15 to 30 ml at a time and that would simply too much to take in via a capsule. Pharmacies DO sell empty capsules but with such a volume, you would have to ingest over 10 capsules per dose.
Lactulose is known to be tough to tolerate. To improve flavor, mix lactulose with a full glass of water, milk, fruit juice, or carbonated citrus beverage.
One alternative could be to try and have her take a drug known as Kristalose. It is a powdered form of lactulose that can be mixed and tends to be better tolerated.
