Splitting Pills

[Cursitor Doom]

That's a very good point and much overlooked. You could only do this with tablets that explicitly state they are split-able.

[Peter Parry]

If that was the case then no two pills would ever carry the same dose. The contents of each pill are, within very sight tolerances, the same. Pill mixing/packaging machines are huge re configurable production lines with sampling and checking for mixture components and homogeneity throughout the process. Take half a pill and you are going to have half the active ingredient.

What you shouldn't do is split either enteric coated pills or slow release capsules as these are designed to start releasing the active ingredient in different parts of the gut and the capsule or pill coating is vital.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Cursitor Doom explained on 17/06/2018 :

That seems a bit big and rather expensive at $699.

How about something smaller, more suitable and a lot cheaper -

£1.94 each

[The Natural Philosopher]

The difference between 50% and 30% is such that only a delusional paranoid could spot it.

[pamela]

Er, it's a 40% difference.

In the case of diazepam, long term users dependent on it can react badly and for a long time to a reduction of as little as 10%.

[tabbypurr]

Yes. Pills are pressed from bulk powder, it has to be properly mixed before tabletting or you won't get consistent doses.

Unless you specifically want it not-EC of course.

NT

[Cursitor Doom]

That was just the first one I found. There are smaller and cheaper agate ones available.

Here's why not:

Remember he's dealing with very tiny quantities.

[Cursitor Doom]

You're obviously a bit out of your comfort zone here, NP!

[Cursitor Doom]

Not always. Let me give a simple example. You have a dropper full of medicine and a succession of sugar cubes going by on a conveyor. You have to drip one drop on each as they pass. Every single one of those cubes now provides one whole dose of medicine. If you take one of them you will get one whole dose. OTOH, if you break it in two and take one half, you might get the half with the whole dose, or the half with zero dose. What you will *not* get, is half a dose.

Enteric coated, certainly, but some modified release tablets *can* be split into smaller doses: the DHC 60, 90 & 120mg range of painkiller tablets for example.

[Cursitor Doom]

Most of the tablets you find *are* made this way - but not all.

[tabbypurr]

how else are they made? Other than adding a coating.

NT

[dennis]

That's not a good idea. Asprin tablets have an enteric coating on them to stop them dissolving in the stomach where they can cause problems. Just buy the 75mg ones intended for daily doses to thin the blood a bit.

[dennis]

8<

If its a homeopathic remedy you will get the whole dose even if you throw the cube in the bin.

8<

[Tim+]

Not really relevant since they stopped giving polio vaccine on sugar lumps.

Tim

[Cursitor Doom]

I was just trying to get the *principle* across; that's all!

[The Natural Philosopher]

yes, but all of the pills I take are homogenous.

I mean they can't allow variation in strength because a pill isn't selected specially - its just a lump of a mixture. If they were not then one pill in a batch could be twice as strong as another.

Its just an example of a smarty pants who hasn't thought things through before stunning us with his (lack of) brilliance.

[AnthonyL]

What? Even soluble/dispersible aspirin? How does that work?

[Cursitor Doom]

'Dennis the Dunce' at it again.

[The Natural Philosopher]

No, its just dennis extrapolating from extremely narrow experience to make a general statement that is completely false.

Some aspirin is enteric coated and some is not. I had issues till I changed to the coating. Was practically getting ulcers,

[dennis]

You take them at your own risk. There is a list on them somewhere telling you who shouldn't take them.