Cutting pills in halves and quarters.

[sobs1962]

I know this is going to sound like a stupid question but having bought a Pill Mate pill cutter, it just doesn't cut the pills in equal halves so quarters are a definite no no. Any suggestions as to how to cut pills accurately in halves and quarters, would be appreciated or any tips for using the pill cutter better.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

sobs1962

Some members get on well with a craft scalpel like this

amazon.co.uk/Modelcraft-PKN...

I use a Safe and Sound Pill cutter and can cut a 25mcg Levo tablet and a 25mcg T3 tablet into quarters

amazon.co.uk/Safe-Sound-Pil...

I bought mine from my local pharmacy.

[sobs1962 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks to all for the replies,hoping that at some point, that I may be prescribed liothyronine as have treatment resistant depression and I believe it's because of my poor conversion. It seems that more people are being prescribed it,but it's still going to be an uphill battle for the rest of us.

[bantam12]

I break mine by hand, nerver had a problem doing it that way.

[Hennerton]

I take 10mcg per day and have bought every cuttting product around but still find my Liothyronine 20mcg tablet sometimes crumbles. I just make sure I keep all the crumbs in the same pot and make a guess at each 5mcg dose, being sure to use the remainder on my next doses. If I do that over two days, I am getting all of one pill. If only they made it in 5mcg. Sigh!

[Lalatoot in reply to Hennerton]

They do make 5mcg liothyronine. It depends on how you source it as to whether it is economical or not.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Lalatoot]

Indeed they do!

UK Liothyronine Tablets and Oral Solutions

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

Last updated 10/10/2020.

This is a list of currently marketed liothyronine tablets in the UK.

Please note that re-branding (whether by a manufacturer or as an ‘own label supplier’) – which has happened with several products – does not mean any change to formulation.

—————————————————————

🔹 Advanz (marketing authorisation holder) – branded Mercury Pharma (also branded Tertroxin but not marketed under that brand in the UK)

🏭 Custom Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (manufacturer)

🥛 contains lactose

  20 microgram  PL 10972-0033

🟢 PIL mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 SPC mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

—————————————————————

🔹 Morningside (marketing authorisation holder) – branded Morningside Liothyronine and Iraksin

🏭 Morningside Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (manufacturer)

🥛 contains lactose

  5 microgram  PL 20117-0323

  10 microgram  PL 20117-0324

  20 microgram  PL 20117-0270

🟢 PIL Morningside Liothyronine & Iraksin 5, 10 & 20 microgram mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 SPC Morningside Liothyronine & Iraksin 5 microgram mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 SPC Morningside Liothyronine & Iraksin 10 microgram mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 SPC Morningside Liothyronine & Iraksin 20 microgram mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

—————————————————————

🔹 Teva – (marketing authorisation holder)

🏭 TEVA Gyógyszergyár Zrt. in Hungary (manufacturer)

No lactose ingredient

  20 microgram  PL 00289/2116

🟢 PIL mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

🟣 SPC mhraproducts4853.blob.core....

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

Some non-UK Liothyronine Tablets

—————————————————————

🔹 Abdi Ibrahim (marketing authorisation holders – Turkey) – branded Tiromel

🏭 Abdi Ibrahim, Turkey (manufacturer)

🥛 contains lactose

  25 microgram  

—————————————————————

🔹 Ace (marketing authorisation holder – Netherlands) – branded Cytomel

🏭 Ace (manufacturer)

  5 microgram  

  12.5 microgram  

  25 microgram  

—————————————————————

🔹 Greenstone (marketing authorisation holder – USA) – branded Greenstone

🏭 Peptido GmbH in Germany (manufacturer)

No lactose ingredient

  5 microgram  NDC 59762-1206-1

  25 microgram  NDC 59762-1207-1

  50 microgram  NDC 59762-1208-1

🟢🟣 dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailym...

—————————————————————

🔹 Grossman Cynomel (marketing authorisation holder – Mexico)

🏭 Grossman subsidiary of Bausch (formerly Valeant) in Mexico (manufacturer)

  25 microgram  

—————————————————————

🔹 IBSA oral solution (marketing authorisation holder – Italy) – branded Liotir

🏭 IBSA Farmaceutici Italia S.r.l in Italy (manufacturer)

No lactose ingredient

  5 microgrammi/ml

  10 microgrammi/ml

  15 microgrammi/ml

  20 microgrammi/ml

🟢 PIL – farmaci.agenziafarmaco.gov....

—————————————————————

🔹 Mayne Pharma (marketing authorisation holder – USA) – branded Mayne Pharma (formerly Libertas, Perrigo and Paddock)

🏭 manufactured in Germany (manufacturer)

No lactose ingredient

  5 microgram   NDC 51862-320-01

  25 microgram  NDC 51862-321-01

  50 microgram  NDC 51862-322-01

🟢🟣 dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailym...

—————————————————————

🔹 Pfizer (marketing authorisation holder – USA) – branded Cytomel

🏭 Peptido GmbH manufactured in Austria and/or Germany

No lactose ingredient

  5 microgram  NDC 60793-115-01

  25 microgram  NDC 60793-116-01

  50 microgram  NDC 60793-117-01

🟢🟣 dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailym...

—————————————————————

🔹 Sanofi (marketing authorisation holder – France) – branded Cynomel

🏭 PATHEON FRANCE in France (manufacturer)

No lactose ingredient

  25 microgram  ANSM 34009 302 775 5 3

🟢 PIL (French) base-donnees-publique.medic...

🟣 SPC base-donnees-publique.medic...

—————————————————————

🔹 Sanofi Deutschland (marketing authorisation holder – Germany) – branded Henning Thybon

🏭 Sanofi-Aventb, Barcelona, Spain (manufacturer)

No lactose ingredient

  20 microgram   ZN 6085344.00.00

  100 microgram   ZN 6085344.01.00

🟢 PIL 20 (German) mein.sanofi.de/produkte/Thy...

🟢 PIL 20 (English translation – out of date) dropbox.com/s/ccfr0tnmr7nom...

🟢 PIL 100 (German) mein.sanofi.de/produkte/Thy...

🟣 SPC 20 & 100 (German) mein.sanofi.de/produkte/Thy...

—————————————————————

🔹 SigmaPharm (marketing authorisation holder – USA)

🏭 Sigmapharm Laboratories, LLC in USA (manufacturer)

No lactose ingredient

  5 microgram  NDC 42794-018-12

  25 microgram  NDC 42794-019-12

  50 microgram  NDC 42794-020-12

🟢🟣 dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailym...

—————————————————————

🔹 Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (marketing authorisation holder – USA)

🏭 Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited in USA (manufacturer)

No lactose ingredient

  5 microgram  NDC:62756-589-83, NDC:62756-589-88, NDC:62756-589-08, NDC:62756-589-18

  25 microgram  NDC:62756-590-83, NDC:62756-590-88, NDC:62756-590-08, NDC:62756-590-18

  50 microgram  NDC:62756-591-83, NDC:62756-591-88, NDC:62756-591-08, NDC:62756-591-18

🟢🟣 dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailym...

—————————————————————

🔹 Uni-Pharma (marketing authorisation holder – Greece)

🏭 Uni-Pharma in Greece (manufacturer)

  25 microgram  

🟢🟣

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

🔹 – identifies marketing authorisation holder (or equivalent in other countries)

🔸 – identifies ‘own label supplier’ products

🏭 – identifies manufacturers (where known)

🥛 – contains lactose

🟢 PIL – Patient Information Leaflet

🟣 SPC – Summary of Product Characteristics document

🟢🟣 – Single document combining typical PIL and SPC information

—————————————————————

Numbers refer to tablet dosages in micrograms.

Only products which definitely contain lactose are identified (🥛 contains lactose). Please always check other products. Where products are ‘own label supplier’, check the marketing authorisation holder for the specific product.

If there is anything inaccurate in this information, please let me know by Private Message, or on the forum:

healthunlocked.com/user/hel...

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

This document is updated whenever I am aware of any changes or enhancements are needed. Please check the Last updated date. The current version is available as a PDF here:

dropbox.com/s/xlibro9l9jbfb...

The PDF version of this document has a QR code above this sentence. If your device has a camera and can interpret QR codes, this QR code should take you to the same place as the link and make it easier to download on devices, such as phones and tablets.

[Hennerton in reply to Lalatoot]

My supply currently is Unipharma but I shall soon be back on NHS procured Mercury Pharma, as my dear friend did not get to Greece this year for my supply. I much prefer Unipharma and it saves the NHS paying inflated prices for MP. Who makes the 5mcg?

[Lalatoot in reply to Hennerton]

Morningside are the ones I get in 5 mcg.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Hennerton]

NHS charged much higher price for 5mcg (Back to the single license issue again as currently only one licensed supplier)

5mcg - 28 tablets- £98

10mcg - 28 tablets - £148

3 suppliers

20mcg - 28 tablets- £121

[Hennerton in reply to SlowDragon]

Then they will never give it to me in 5mcg and I do not blame them but it should not be allowed to happen.

Recently my pharmacy had no Levothyroxine in Mercury Pharma 50mcg ( my choice and noted as such on my prescription) I asked them for two packs of 25 instead and he agreed to give me one but not two, as “ they are too expensive in 25s”.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Hennerton]

Per 28 tablets

Levothyroxine 100mcg - £1.24

Levothyroxine 75mcg - £3.07 - single brand - Teva

Levothyroxine 50mcg - £1.21

Levothyroxine 25mcg - £1.53

Levothyroxine 12.5mcg - £12.49 - single brand - Teva

[jimh111]

I find it easier to snap them. If not you can use a sharp knife like a Sabatier, preferably one with a thin blade. Hold the knife at an angle of about 45 degrees and lower it onto the tablet, this snaps it rather like cutting glass. It may not go into perfect halves but there is less crumble.

[wisewoman108]

I have a run of the mill cutter from Boots but I have invested in a mini digital scale so I can accurately measure my dose, crumbs and all.

[serenfach]

My pill cutter is getting old and no longer cuts accurately. I find myself going for the small half or the large half depending on how I am feeling. It is not really a conscious decision, I just let my brain tell me which to choose without thinking about it, if you see what I mean! Seems to work for me!

[dashi2208]

I've seen suggested somewhere dissolving (or making a solution) the pill in 20ml of water using a syringe to measure this and sucking 5ml at a time back into the syringe for a quarter dose.

[Hennerton in reply to dashi2208]

Yes, but apparently you cannot keep the remainder for your next dose. It must be discarded, so that is an incredible waste of money. My pharmacist was as amazed as I was when I told him that this is what Mercury Pharma had suggested to me. His view was that as long as you keep and swallow all the crumbs at some point, all will be fine.