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Old 01-03-2019, 12:56 PM
 
6,503 posts, read 3,386,496 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by caco54 View Post
I have a med that says I must take 1/2 a pill a day which requires splitting. Using a splitter a lot of time I end up with crumbs. I am taking the pill every other day. Wife says I'm off base here. Thoughts?
If this is hormones, thyroid, seizure, psychological, or any kind of life-saving medication, continue splitting the pills.

If blood pressure, cholesterol, migraine, or other maintenance medication not listed above, you may have greater leeway.
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Old 01-03-2019, 01:14 PM
 
841 posts, read 545,886 times
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I had a 5lb dog on several meds. I think it was a 12.5 mg Lasix tablet that was so small and her dose was 1/2 pill. I always had trouble splitting them and then one day I was at the vet's office and saw a tech split some pills using her fingers. When I got home, I tried it and it worked. Perfect little split down the score line. Now, this didn't work with any of the larger pills, but it worked perfectly with that particular one. If splitting by hand does not work, I'd try a new pill splitter.
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Old 01-03-2019, 01:24 PM
 
Location: Central IL
20,726 posts, read 16,195,654 times
Reputation: 50367
Quote:
Originally Posted by aa6660 View Post
I had a 5lb dog on several meds. I think it was a 12.5 mg Lasix tablet that was so small and her dose was 1/2 pill. I always had trouble splitting them and then one day I was at the vet's office and saw a tech split some pills using her fingers. When I got home, I tried it and it worked. Perfect little split down the score line. Now, this didn't work with any of the larger pills, but it worked perfectly with that particular one. If splitting by hand does not work, I'd try a new pill splitter.
Not all tablets are scored so doing by hand likely wouldn't work. Also, you have to be careful - some tablets/pills are time release and if you cut them they don't work correctly. That's why you really need to consult your doctor or pharmacist.
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Old 01-03-2019, 07:49 PM
 
Location: colorado springs, CO
9,512 posts, read 6,016,980 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by caco54 View Post
I have a med that says I must take 1/2 a pill a day which requires splitting. Using a splitter a lot of time I end up with crumbs. I am taking the pill every other day. Wife says I'm off base here. Thoughts?
I think you should call your doctor to clarify; the office nurse could probably do this for you & you would have an answer within a few hours.

I’m uncomfortable with the thought of a daily medication being taken at twice the ordered dose & every other day; unless your doctor is agreeable.

A scored pill shouldn’t break & crumble. Many that would crumble are those that shouldn’t be split, such as those with an enteric coating. The pharmacy would probably call the doctor to clarify if the doctor had ordered a half of a tablet of an “un-splittable” medication, so that’s not the issue.

It’s just as easy to write “QOD” (every other day) on a prescription but your doctor didn’t. They specifically wrote “one half every day”; so I think you should clarify with the doctor. It’s possible that simply switching to the same medication from a different manufacturer may provide you with a more user friendly pill.
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Old 01-03-2019, 08:26 PM
 
Location: Madison, Alabama
12,612 posts, read 9,111,646 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ClaraC View Post
I use something like this. I can't find the actual tool I use, but it's similar. Works great!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CQ52VXY..._t3_B07D9C48XG
Haha. That's a bit overkill.

Looks like on Amazon pill splitters are from $5-$10, but I have one just like they show for $7 that I got at Walmart for about $2 as I recall.

Amazon even has one that'll do 7 at a time. But it's $30, kind of exorbitant for such a simple device.
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Old 01-03-2019, 09:41 PM
 
Location: Eugene, Oregon
11,119 posts, read 5,530,502 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Parnassia View Post
THIS! Your wife is spot on. If the medication was most effective when used every other day, the prescription would direct you to take it that way. If your dose is so low you have to split a pill, chances are you can cause yourself problems taking twice the amount at any one time.

Tell your prescribing MD or the pharmacist you are having trouble splitting the pills. There are ways to avoid it.
Most medications are available in many dosage sizes, even if the right one has to be special-ordered by a pharmacy. Another issue is that the cut part of a pill that is kept until the next day, may suffer from oxidation and degradation. The outer skin of many pills may be hardened and resist this, until it's cut open.

If you take a double-dose one day and none the next, the desired "maintenance level" of the drug in your body may not develop and there could be a constant flux of its concentration.
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Old 01-03-2019, 10:10 PM
 
13,754 posts, read 13,193,207 times
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I've used a pill splitter in the tiniest pills.
Also I set up my pills for the week. No big deal. If I get crumbs they go into the little daily compartment.
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Old 01-04-2019, 04:06 AM
 
Location: The Driftless Area, WI
7,121 posts, read 4,956,084 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by reneeh63 View Post
No - it's a real, doctor-approved thing for people who forget to take their Synthroid - it may not be perfect but at least for Synthroid it is far better than forgetting half your doses:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2600132/

And, I said, talk to your doc or pharmacist for specific recommendations for other meds.

Did you read that "study?" ONE lousy pt whom they suspected wasn't taking her pills (why would she continue to deny skipping pills?)...Better explanations would include impaired carriage or metabolism of the drug. OD wouldn't be a problem with taking a large dose for the rare pt due to slowed conversion to usable forms in the unusual genetic case. I maintain that most pts would get in trouble with weekly dosing.


My confidence in the authors (not to mention the editors) was first shaken after reading the second sentence: " some patients, however, remain hypothyroid despite adequate thyroxine replacement." ??? If it was adequate they wouldn't remain hypothyroid, by definition of adequate. Maybe English isn't their first language?....the article sited is was actually published in Postgrad Med J-- intended for the not quite ready for prime time junior researchers.
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Old 01-04-2019, 06:26 AM
 
Location: Central IL
20,726 posts, read 16,195,654 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by guidoLaMoto View Post
Did you read that "study?" ONE lousy pt whom they suspected wasn't taking her pills (why would she continue to deny skipping pills?)...Better explanations would include impaired carriage or metabolism of the drug. OD wouldn't be a problem with taking a large dose for the rare pt due to slowed conversion to usable forms in the unusual genetic case. I maintain that most pts would get in trouble with weekly dosing.


My confidence in the authors (not to mention the editors) was first shaken after reading the second sentence: " some patients, however, remain hypothyroid despite adequate thyroxine replacement." ??? If it was adequate they wouldn't remain hypothyroid, by definition of adequate. Maybe English isn't their first language?....the article sited is was actually published in Postgrad Med J-- intended for the not quite ready for prime time junior researchers.
My bad - I knew the facts but picked the first thing that came up from a google search - here is something better:

https://www.endocrineweb.com/news/pa...s-weekly-daily

Even docs who don't do weekly synthroid dosing often fine-tune the dose by alternating e.g. a 50 microgram daily dose with a 75 microgram dose to get something in-between. Or even just add a tablet weekly...many variations that work perfectly fine to get the "perfect" dose for the patient.

So it IS done - you also know that people can take a weekly megadose of D3 too, right? It works for some things, NOT everything.

As a counterpoint, if you are taking a shorter-acting thyroid medication like liothyronine, you're often advised to take it 2 or even 3 times a day - yeah, everything is different, depending on half life and the need to keep the blood level steady for the best effect.
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Old 01-04-2019, 10:14 AM
 
Location: Vermont
11,754 posts, read 14,565,163 times
Reputation: 18502
It's kind of crazy to be asking a bunch of strangers whether you should disregard your doctor's medical advice.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
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