Attachment of a handle to a solid oral dosage form

1. A method of attaching a handle to a solid oral dosage form, the method comprising:

placing a handle in contact with a solid oral dosage form, wherein an area of contact between the handle and the solid oral dosage form forms a joint interface;

applying high frequency mechanical vibrations to the joint interface until a localized melting of the solid oral dosage form at the joint interface is achieved; and

cooling the joint interface in a molten state to allow solidification, thereby attaching the handle to the solid oral dosage form.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the joint interface has an area of about 0.01 cm 2 to about 10 cm 2 .

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the high frequency mechanical vibrations are generated by a horn, and wherein the distance between the horn and the joint interface is about 1 μm to about 25 cm.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein pressure is applied to increase contact between the handle and the solid oral dosage form during application of the high frequency mechanical vibrations.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the pressure is about 1 psi to about 100 psi.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the high frequency mechanical vibrations are ultrasonic vibrations.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the ultrasonic vibrations are linear vibrations.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the ultrasonic vibrations are orbital vibrations.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the high frequency mechanical vibrations have a frequency of about 5 kHz to about 100 kHz.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the high frequency mechanical vibrations have a frequency of about 15 kHz to about 40 kHz.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the high frequency mechanical vibrations have an oscillation amplitude of about 5 μm to about 300 μm.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the high frequency mechanical vibrations have an oscillation amplitude of about 10 μm to about 100 μm.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid oral dosage form comprises an active agent.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the active agent is fentanyl, fentanyl citrate, or combinations thereof

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the handle comprises acetonitrile butadiene styrene, a thermoplastic, a semi-crystalline thermoplastic, a thermostat polymer, an olefin, a thermoplastic rubber, a metal, a composite plastic, or a mixture thereof

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid oral dosage form is a compressed dosage form.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid oral dosage form is a molded dosage form.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the handle is a rigid rod.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the high frequency vibrations are applied for about 0.1 seconds to about 10 seconds.

20. The method of claim 1 , further comprising employing a means for aligning the handle and the solid oral dosage form.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the means for aligning is selected from the group consisting of a pin, socket, tongue, groove, or combination thereof.

22. A method of attaching a handle to a solid oral dosage form, the method comprising:

applying high frequency mechanical vibrations until localized melting is achieved between a handle and a solid oral dosage form that are in contact with one another; and

cooling the handle and the solid oral dosage form to provide a bond there between.