Struggling to open blister packs with arthritis: practical solutions
When osteoarthritis takes the strength from your fingers, opening blister packs need not be a daily battle: there are aids and pharmacy solutions.
In short
- Hand osteoarthritis reduces the strength and precision of your fingers and can make blister packs so hard to open that you end up delaying or forgetting doses.
- Blister openers, pressing over a wide cup or warming your hands first are simple tips that reduce the effort.
- Do not push all your tablets out of their packs at once: many lose stability outside the blister.
- Your pharmacist can advise you and prepare your medication in an SPD, although not every medicine can go into one.
If osteoarthritis makes it hard to open blister packs, you have several options: aids such as blister openers, small tricks to use less force and, above all, talking to your pharmacist, who can review your packs and prepare your medication in a personalised dosage system (SPD).
What matters is that difficulty opening a pack does not end up making you skip doses. Here are practical options so you can keep managing your medication yourself.
| What will you find in this article? |
Why does hand osteoarthritis make blister packs hard to open?
Because pushing a tablet out of a blister needs strength in your fingertips and precision with your thumb, exactly what hand osteoarthritis makes difficult. The base of the thumb and the finger joints are common sites of osteoarthritis, and pain and stiffness, especially in the morning, make pressing through the foil or tearing the backing hard work.
The risk is not just discomfort. When opening the pack is a struggle, it is easier to put a dose off, leave it for later or end up forgetting it. That is why it is worth looking for a solution rather than just putting up with it.
What tips and aids can you use at home?
There are simple solutions that reduce the force you need. Many people combine several of them depending on the pack and the time of day.
| Solution | How it helps | Caution |
|---|---|---|
| Blister pack opener or pill popper | Pushes the tablet out with a lever instead of your finger | Check it fits the size of your blisters |
| Pressing over a wide cup | You rest the blister on the rim and push with your palm, so the tablet drops in | Do it over a tray so you do not lose tablets |
| Spring-loaded scissors | They open by themselves and cut the foil with less effort | Only cut the pocket of the dose you are about to take |
| Warming your hands first | Warm water or moving your fingers for a few minutes eases morning stiffness | Do not use water that is too hot |
| Taking tablets over the table | If one falls, you can find it easily | Avoid doing it standing over the sink |
What you should avoid is pushing all the week's tablets out of their blisters in one go to keep them loose in a pot. Many lose stability outside their packaging because of light or moisture, and they also get mixed up and are easy to confuse.
The NHS notes that when osteoarthritis affects your hands, you may need help with hand-operated tasks, and that an occupational therapist can advise you on assistive devices for home or work. In Spain you can ask your health centre about an occupational therapy or rehabilitation assessment.
What can you ask your pharmacist?
Your pharmacist can go through which packs you find hardest and look for alternatives. Explain that you have osteoarthritis in your hands: it is useful information for them, not a complaint.
- Ask them to show you how best to open each pack or recommend a suitable opener.
- Ask whether any of your medicines comes in another presentation that is easier to handle. There is not always one, and any decision must respect your treatment.
- Ask about personalised dosage systems (SPD), in which the pharmacy prepares your medication in a blister pack by day and dose.
- Ask whether your tablets can be split or not, if you also struggle to split them. There is more information in how to split tablets.
Can an SPD be a good solution?
Yes, for many people. With an SPD the pharmacy takes the medicines out of their original packs and places them in a blister pack with one pocket per dose, so you open a single compartment instead of several different packs. The General Council of Pharmacists' Associations in Spain states that, whenever the summary of product characteristics allows it, SPDs are prepared with the medicines already removed from their blisters.
Bear in mind that not everything can go into an SPD. According to the General Council's good practice procedure, items that are not repackaged include effervescent, dispersible, chewable or sublingual tablets, sachets, syrups, drops, patches, inhalers, medicines that need refrigeration and light-sensitive medicines. Those will stay in their original pack, but you will have greatly reduced the number of times you have to battle with a blister. You can read more in what an SPD is.
A practical example: Pilar and her morning stiffness
Let us take the case of Pilar, 67, retired and very active, with osteoarthritis at the base of both thumbs. She takes five medicines for blood pressure, cholesterol, her stomach and pain. In the mornings, with stiff hands, opening four different blister packs takes her several minutes, and now and then she has left the dose "until after my walk" and forgotten it.
Pilar talks to her pharmacist. He recommends a blister opener for the packs that will stay in their boxes and explains the SPD service, in which her daily tablets are prepared by dose. The painkiller she only takes when she is in pain stays out of the SPD, in its box, because it is not a fixed dose. Pilar also asks her health centre to assess her for occupational therapy. Now, in the morning, she only has to open one pocket.
How can IMA Health help?
If opening packs has become a daily struggle, IMA Health can make things easier: a specialised pharmacy prepares your medication by day and time of each dose, in a format that does not force you to open several blister packs each time. IMA coordinates with the pharmacy, delivers it to your home and provides personalised follow-up, so you keep managing your treatment yourself, with less effort.
Sources
- NHS: Osteoarthritis, treatment
- General Council of Pharmacists' Associations (Spain): Good Practice in Community Pharmacy no. 14, SPD service (in Spanish)
- Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy (SEFH): Tips to help you take your medicines (2018, in Spanish)
This article is for information only and does not replace advice from your doctor or pharmacist.