Crushing Vitamins: Effects & Safety - A Doctor's Perspective

Question
Greetings, this may seem like an extremely elementary question, but I have never really thought about it..

Is it alright to crush a 'standard' otc vitamin (Centrum, for example) and mix with water to take? Is it harmful at all?

Thank you very much for your time!  

Answer
To be honest I am not sure if crushing vitamin supplements would be harmful. I don't think they would be harmful to your health but they may do something like decrease absorption or decrease the strength of the supplement.  I would contact the company itself to ask about their specific product.  Centrum DOES have a liquid and a chewable supplement so you may want to think about that instead of taking any chances.
Kim Tessmer, RD LD