Dropping down from 2mg to. 1 1/2mg prednisolone.

[Healthworrier]

I have been following very slow taper going down 1/2 mg each time.and now at 2mg. Is it ok to cut 1mg tablets with pill splitter as they don't have a score marked on them. Any advice would be most welcome. Thanks.

[SnazzyD]

My cheapo pill cutter always held my pill in a central position whatever the size so I just chopped my 1mg. Quarters were more of a fiddle but by the time I was doing that I decided that if the small discrepancies were having that much of an effect then perhaps it was too soon. What’s happening to yours?

[Healthworrier in reply to SnazzyD]

Thanks for the reply. When I use the splitter the pill tends to crumble or cut unevenly. I expect I'll get the hang if it eventually.

[SnazzyD in reply to Healthworrier]

The blade should be so sharp it doesn’t. Is the cutter a bit old perhaps? Do your pills come out of blister packs or a bottle?

[Healthworrier in reply to SnazzyD]

Pills are in blister pack. The cutter is fairly old have just ordered a new one as recommended in a couple of replies. Hopefully should do the trick.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Healthworrier]

I and my husband have the same design of pillcutter - I manage very well with mine, with his the pills just break. He however, can use it!

If it is an uneven break it will balance over 2 days and the tiny difference won't matter. One lady used to cut loads and put all the bigger halves in a box and all the littler halves in another. Then worked through the big bits and then switched to the smaller ones. But all that really matters is that the 1/2 is smaller than the whole ...

You could also ask the pharmacist if they could source a brand that is larger in size. They do vary and some even have score lines.

[TheMoaningViolet]

Hi, well done for getting this far. My 1mg pills have always had a score mark. I assume yours are not the coated ones that should not be cut? I had some problems with cutting 5mg pills in the past and can't be bothered with the splitters, I just use a sharp knife now. I have also been reassured (by this forum of course), that it is not the end of the world if the dose is a little bit more or a little bit less than 0.5mg, it will still work. Good luck with the rest of the taper.

[Healthworrier in reply to TheMoaningViolet]

Thanks for the reply. My pills aren't coated but really tiny. Will persevere with the cutting🙂

[123-go]

Yes, you can cut your 1mg tablets as long as they aren't coated. If it says 'enteric' on your packet of tablets they will be coated; ask your prescriber for non-coated if you need to.You can buy a pill splitter at the pharmacy or online but make sure it is suitable for small pills. Mine is labelled 'Safe + Sound Health'. This is more accurate than splitting by hand. It took a little practise for me to use the cutter without any crumbling and best not to be too heavy-handed.

[Healthworrier in reply to 123-go]

Will see if I can get the cutter you recommended. Thanks🙂

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Ditto to 123-go S&S cutter and gentle but firm press down -it’s a knack but you’ll soon get it!

[Emmylou3]

Yes, I don't see why not although it is difficult to be exact in the division. You could try taking one every other day and tapering down like that. There are withdrawal symptoms eventually which may force you back on again for a little while, but then try again. I got there eventually!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Emmylou3]

We tend to not advise that as the percentage change in dose is then very big and many people find the swing from day to day difficult to adjust to. It's explained in the slow approaches to tapering we talk about a lot here.