Frustrated!

[susyj]

How on earth do you cut these tiny round pills in half?!

[Marlenec]

Hi Susyj

If you're on more than two and a half you can cut the 5mg in half then add on the 1mgs.

My pill cutter managers 5mg very well.

Good luck.

[Patricia157]

Hi Susy

You can buy little pill cutters from any high street chemist, but only cut the non coated pills. They are quite cheap to buy.

Best wishes

[susyj in reply to Patricia157]

Thanks. I'm supplied with enteric coated because of a stomach ulcer.....I saw the rheumatologist yesterday.....he told me to cut them in half!!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to susyj]

You MUST NOT cut the enteric coated version if you need them for an ulcer. The whole point of the enteric coating is to protect your stomach from further irritation due to contact with the pred. If you can't tolerate plain pred you can't tolerate cut enteric coated - the pred is exposed as a result instead of passing unaltered through the stomach to lower down the gut. And it makes far more sense if you are doing that to use ordinary pred anyway.

See your GP before you start cutting and request 1mg enteric coated - they do exist and here is the proof:

medicines.org.uk/emc/medici...

And here is a link here:

healthunlocked.com/lupusuk/...

Where DO they come from???????

[PMRpro Ambassador]

You can buy pill cutters - some are better than others. As marlene says, above 2.5mg you can cut a 5mg tablet in half and add 1mg tablets to make up the dose you need.

BUT, and it is a big BUT, if you are in the UK and on the enteric coated pills which come in 5mg and 2.5mg sizes you must not cut them.

Or you can do 1mg at a time and use the dead slow approach;

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

which will usually work with 1mg drops and even, if you have no other choice, 2.5mg drops using enteric coated pills.

[HeronNS]

Pill cutter. I'm getting quite good at it - blade needs to be clean and you need to cut quite firmly. A sharp tap, rather than cautious pressure. I used to end up with one good half and one half that was crumbled, so just took the crumbs that day and saved the good half for next time, but I'm getting better at achieving two good halves, with practice. You don't have to worry if they aren't exactly equal. It all balances out.

[susyj in reply to HeronNS]

Thanks for your reply I feel a bit better about it now.....I've tried every knife in the house and a pair of very sharp nail clippers but the shape of the pill makes it shoot out!

The air was blue and I had 7 thousand fragments of prednisolone over my kitchen table LOL

I shall send my man out for a pill cutter tomorrow!

[Zacsmimi in reply to susyj]

You cN use a straight edge razor u rail you have a pill cutter...

[Islandgirl50]

I do find it easier to just get my thumb nails each side of the centre line , then snap , I get a more even break, and no fragments flying around ,

[paddyfield in reply to Islandgirl50]

Where there is already a line on the pill to aim for , I find thumbnails get a better result than a pill cutter.

[maria40]

I wish I had such strong thumbs - lucky you!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to maria40]

It isn't particularly difficult. If you have a tablet that is biconvex (i.e. rounded on both faces) put it on a solid surface (e.g. kitchen worksurface) and press it firmly towards the edges. It should break in the middle.

[Pieater67]

Look for a pill cutter very easy to use.