Medication Question - cutting pills in half

~invisible~girl~ · 30-08-2007, 12:30 AM

This is a sort of silly question, but I'm starting a new medication tomorrow, and I'm supposed to take 1/2 a pill for the first four days, and I just realized I have no idea how to go about cutting a pill in half. They're really small, so it seems like if I don't do it right, I'll end up leaving half the medication behind as powder, and also I think it probably matters that the two pieces be pretty close to actual halves.

Animad · 30-08-2007, 07:46 AM

Yeh they would have to be pretty much equal halves. It is a problem especcially with small pills as they can already be pretty difficult to handle. I used to work at a vets and we had this problem all the time, you do tend to end up with one half being mainly powder though a lot of the time. Its easier if you use a very sharp knife and try to get as clean a cut as possible through it but its not very easy.

~invisible~girl~ · 30-08-2007, 07:53 AM

So the other problem is I don't exactly have any knives. Would a razor blade work?

Animad · 30-08-2007, 07:59 AM

Yep, that'd probably work better as its thinner and tends to be sharper.

Aidee · 30-08-2007, 08:11 AM

You can also get pill cutters that are specifically made to split pills in 1/2. You can find them in the Pharmacy section of most stores.

~invisible~girl~ · 30-08-2007, 08:15 AM

I don't think I can get a pill cutter before tomorrow morning though, considering it's already after midnight and I have class at 9 am tomorrow (and I still have homework left to do). So I guess I'll be trying a razor blade

Ami · 30-08-2007, 09:17 AM

Yeah i was gonna say about pill cutters..

i just used to bite em lol.. tasted horrible though x

romancandle · 30-08-2007, 09:22 AM

Pill cutters are great, a pretty good investment in the long run. But yeah, razorblades work too. I also find that when I use a knife, my pills crumble apart. But if the pill is large enough, I can break it with my fingers [I did this with Trazodone].