Today, more and more patients are making split decisions when it comes to their medication. Pharmacists, physicians and other health care providers have noticed an increased interest across the board in the controversial practice of pill splitting, according to reports.
Growing consumer interest make sense, too: bigger doses of many popular medications usually cost the same as smaller doses. If your doctor prescribes cholesterol-lowing Lipitor, for example, you may find that a month's supply of 40 mg pills costs the same as the same days' worth of 20 mg pills. Because this practice can help patients save up to 50 percent on the cost of their prescriptions, both consumers and their HMOs have embraced the practice of pill splitting, or cutting a large pill in half or quarters to match a smaller prescribed dosage.
Is pill splitting safe?
Though pill splitting is an obvious way consumers can save money, it might cost more in the long run, as the practice isn't without risks. According to Belgian research cited in a January 2011 USA Today report, the rate of inaccuracy among doses of split medications can be high. In fact, the study cited found that one-third of split pills differed from prescribed dosages by 15 percent or more.
The Food and Drug Administration has also warned consumers about the risky business associated with pill splitting. According to the warning, the FDA asserts there are a few things that can go wrong when splitting pills:
- You might take the wrong dose. Not only are pills sometimes split unevenly, there have been cases where consumers have purchased larger pills intending to split them, then accidentally taken the entire pill. Taking too much medicine can lead to further complications, like unintentional overdose and other adverse reactions.
- Medicine inside your pills might not be even distributed. According to the FDA, some medical studies have determined that one side of a tablet might contain more medicine than the other, even if it is scored down the middle.
- Some pills can be tricky to split. Even with a splitter, it can be hard to separate some pills--especially tiny ones.
- Not all pills can be split safely. Capsules and time-released medications should be taken whole, according to the FDA.
Splitting pills safely
If you're still interested in splitting tablets, there are a few things you can do to make sure you're doing it safely. First, talk to you doctor or pharmacist to see if any of the medications you take can be split. Most of the time pills that are safe to split are scored down the middle, but this isn't always an indicator so it's best to make sure. Also, the safest way to split pills is with a specially-designed pill splitter rather than a knife; most pill splitters retail for about $5, according to WebMD.
