HealthCentral: Can You Split Your Cholesterol-Lowering Pills in Half?
HealthCentral recently interviewed Helen Leung, PharmD, a cardiology pharmacist at Cedars-Sinai, about whether it’s safe to split statins and other pills prescribed to treat high cholesterol.
Leung told HealthCentral some people consider splitting their pills to make them easier to swallow, to help manage a side effect or to save money.
“Most statins are safe to split as long as they do not come in a capsule, special coating or extended-release formulation,” she said, explaining that the coating is a delivery mechanism. When tampered with, it can alter the medication’s effectiveness.
Leung added that people who are considering splitting a cholesterol-lowering pill because they are experiencing side effects should first get approval from their doctor.
She told HealthCentral a pill splitter—sold online or at a pharmacy—can cut a medication with accuracy and precision, whereas a knife or scissors can be dangerous to use for that purpose and “may not provide the same amount of drug with each dose.”
Leung also recommended splitting each pill just before taking the medication.
“When cutting your medications, it’s important to only split one tablet at a time, as air and moisture may decrease the potency [over time],” Leung told HealthCentral. “I would not recommend splitting the next tablet until both halves have been taken.”
Leung told HealthCentral that people already cutting their cholesterol medication in half should confirm with their pharmacist that it’s safe because formulations and drug types can change.
Click here to read the complete article from HealthCentral.