Pill-splitting is it safe?

Many of us try saving money on prescriptions by splitting pills in half and this has been at the heart of the prescription drug debate. It is definitely a cost saving solution which is so effective and simple that health care systems have embraced it. Pill-splitting may not be a good choice even if it means saving money.

The FDA (Food & Drug Administration) and the American Medical Association, advise against pill splitting, unless the drug label states that it is ok. This is because there are some concerns around pill-splitting that can be harmful to an individual, such as:

-Not splitting the pill evenly
- Pills may have unusual shapes or may be too small to split
- Forgetting to split a tablet or being confused by the correct dose which can lead to accidently taking too much of that medicine.

Pill- splitting is definitely not safe for all drugs, especially pills with the following characteristics:

- Capsules
- Pre-packaged pills such as birth control pills
- Pills which cannot be broken easily
- Medication that are not taken orally, such as asthma drugs administered by inhaler
- Pills which are available only in one dose
- Pills which have an enteric coating that allows the drug to remain whole until it passes through the stomach to the intestine
-Medicines that have extended release or long acting characteristics
-Drugs taken more than once a day

Pill-splitting will cut your costs, but splitting some medications may end up causing more harm than good. If you want to split your tablet before use, it is important that you consult with your doctor and find out whether the medicines you use can be safely split. Also, it is always safe to use a tablet splitting device to ensure accurate splitting!