Splitting pills in half?

Question

Sometimes a physician will instruct the patient to reduce the dosage of a prescription medication by 50%. Obviously, if the tablet has an enteric coating, or is in a special encapsulation (such as with medications like Pristiq), it should not be split in half. But what about other medications? Can they be split in half? I have heard that, unless the pill is scored, the patient should not split the pill in half. The reasoning I have always been provided is that the active ingredient in the pill may not be evenly distributed. Is this true? Or is it a way to sell more medications and increase profits? Is there any scientific (or even anecdotal) evidence regarding this?

Answer 1

Yes, this is true. Pills can be split in half in some situations. You are correct about not splitting those with enteric coating or special encapsulation. Along with these kinds, are most sustained, controlled, or timed release medications. You are correct in that if a pill is not scored, it is risky to cut it because the contents may not be evenly distributed or you may unintentionally take more or less of the correct dose. It is impossible unless its scored and done with a pill cutter to cut a pill evenly in half. You can check on the information on the pill box marked how supplied if it can be split. If it does not say, it is best to assume that it cannot be split. Make sure also to split pills only in the moment needed, for example not to split the pills in a whole bottle and store it because it can be affected by the environment.