Divided pill, a common practice among many people, locate to reduce the cost of drugs or dosages, is risky, according to a study in the journal of advanced nursing issue January.
A few pills can be split 50-50, can influence it to a tight margin between a dose that can help you and who you, report researchers.
Not all formulations "are losses or weight, that can occur in high dose [and] this may be clinical consequences of drugs with a narrow therapeutic range available for the Division, and even if they are, the deviation toxic," write the researchers under the direction of Charlotte Verrue, PharmD, PhD, of the University of Ghent in Belgium.
In the study of split five volunteers eight different types of pills with a knife, scissors/hands or a pill splitter. Participants were divided quarters or halves pills with these three methods. Three had the eight types of pills, 01: 20 in the Middle, two had two notes with a cross and three were unscored. The drugs were for a variety of conditions, including Crohn's Parkinson's disease, arthritis and heart disease.
Researchers weighed before and after the separation the Tablet and its parts. They found that 31% of the pill segments redirected their doses of more than 15% and 14% the pill, the fragments of more than 25% departed recommended. Still more accurate means of pill splitting, the dividing line of a pill has been associated with margins of error.
"We have tested all kinds of tablets: large, small, round, with or without marking the line… and sought a global method best suited to split tablets,"Verrue said in an email to WebMD."." "Dose deviation separation of tablets is not always a problem." For example, for chronic treatments (e.g., high blood pressure, etc.) often regardless of if a patient takes a little more than a drug, per day, and a little less on the next day. It becomes problematic when we talk about the major differences of the dose and drugs that have a narrow therapeutic index (for example) (If you in fact can have a significant difference a small difference in dosage). »
If you use your tablet, you a device separation of researchers to close.
Share or not share?
Jeffrey Brewer, PharmD, associate professor at the Faculty of pharmacy, Albany, and the health sciences in New York says the pill is a widespread practice in the United States among those which a medium dose or reduce costs in health care.
"The new study sets the disadvantages of the pill, the distribution in a special light," he said.
In some cases, the pill splitting can be only an option, that a person due to financial constraints. For example, a 90-day supply for six months could take if the pills are divided.
A half or a quarter of a pill is better than nothing, but this varies depending on the type of drugs and dosing preparation.
He said "Various tablets unlike share,". "Some crumble, others are difficult and cut very own.". Some tablets are coated, others are trade long or short acting, and some are capsules or extended version, "he says."Other apply, is in the Center and can be broken with the thumb, and many have no results for all. "."
There is no consensus there clearly, on the pills, you can or can not, share, he said.
"It would be unwise to say" Yes you could this with three of the five your roles or all your drugs ' ", he explains."You must evaluate how your disease is controlled, why you want to split and divide the tablets, you. "."
Pills are constantly divided, and some insurers reduce incentives to its members to their pills, said Alan M. White, MD, doctor of medicine, internally for the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. "It is a great savings mechanism for patients, which can do, and do so at the right pills."
"There are a few pills, where you can break the seal if they cut you, and this lead to the drug that can to worsen," he said.
Version that advanced, coated pills can be split
"He says"If a pill would like to share, there are many that are already registered and are to be cut,"."
"Extended version tablets and capsules can be cut."
Says Yuli Belchikov, PharmD, Assistant Director of education on long Iceland Jewish Medical Center and clinical pharmacy services, New Hyde Park, New York, that the pill can split a problem for the pills with a therapeutic window. It is a pill in very controlled, precise doses are taken.
"Pill-sharing is a drug with a therapeutic window over, because any deviation from the recommended dose, even a small percentage, serious consequences can have," he said.
PAPATYA Tankut, PharmD, Vice President of professional services of pharmacy to CVS Caremark in Woonstocket, r.i., he summarized: "you ask a doctor or pharmacist before cutting each pill." "Decide not to do your own is there some toxic effects of split pills, which were not to be divided up."
"You are using a device pill splitting, so that you share with precision dose", she said, and divided the pills only as needed. "Air or humidity can change the wording and less effectively account, when you do this, in advance."