Splitting tablets, a process that has become popular due to its financial benefits, can lead to dangerously higher dosages than intended, a recent study has found.
The study, published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, was performed by five people ranging in age from 21 to 55 intended to reflect those who typically encounter pill splitting in medical and non-medical settings. Together, they split 3,600 tablets of eight different sizes using three methods: a splitting device, a knife and a pair of scissors.
The study found the medical splitting device to be the most accurate method, but it still caused a 15 to 25 percent error margin in 13 percent of cases. The knife and scissors produced the same error margin in 17 and 22 percent of cases respectively. This error margin could be dangerous for tablets that vary slightly between a normal and toxic dose.
Lead researcher Dr. Charlotte Verrue hopes that this study brings to light the dangers of pill splitting. “We would also like to see manufacturers introduce a wider range of tablet doses or liquid formulations so that tablet splitting becomes increasingly unnecessary,” the study says.
If you are taking higher dosages of medication than prescribed, it’s a good idea to have adequate health insurance coverage so your doctor can verify that a pill is suitable for splitting before engaging in the process.
