Issue Date: October 4, 2009
Is pill-splitting right for you?
It's the same medication, same dosage, half the cost.
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Pill-splitting is increasingly an option for patients who need to conserve their dollars. "It's the same medication, same dosage, half the cost," says Christopher Stanley, M.D., a senior medical director with UnitedHealthcare, which offers the Half Tablet program. In this program, the patient's doctor issues a prescription for double the strength of a medication but half the number of pills, instructing the patient to split the pills. The co-pay is then half of what it would be. Premera and RegenceRx also offer pill-splitting programs.
Another option is for the doctor to write a prescription for one month's worth of pills at twice the dosage. Patients pay the same co-pay, but the meds last for two months, so they save half. Before you choose this cost-saving practice, here's what you need to know.
Talk to a pro. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if your medications are OK to split.
Know which pills can be split. Some -- like capsules and those used for chemotherapy -- can't be split; doing so could lessen the medicine's effect, says John Santa, M.D., director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center.
Get the right tools. Don't use a kitchen knife to split a pill. You can find pill splitters at drugstores for less than $10.
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