Medicinal risks when dividing the tablets

Not all tablets are suitable for division

08/21/2014

Many tablets are divided before use to adjust the dosage or to facilitate swallowing. However, according to the announcement of the Apothecary Chamber Westphalia-Lippe, not every tablet may be shared, as some of them could lose their effect. In a recent study funded by the Apothekerstiftung Westfalen-Lippe, Professor Klaus Langer investigates how precisely tablets can be divided.

According to the information provided by the pharmacy chamber „not every fourth tablet in Germany taken in whole, but halved or even quartered.“ This is associated with quite significant fluctuations in the dosage, reports the association on. This also applies to tablets with special break notches, which should actually be suitable for a division. „In divided tablets, the patient receives the drug form many times in a higher range of variation than when taking an undivided tablet“, so the conclusion of Professor Langer.

Fluctuating dosage when dividing tablets
Gabriele Regina Overwiening, President of the Apothecary Chamber Westphalia-Lippe, mentions one of the possible reasons for the division of medicines „graduated and individual adjustment of the dose“ and „difficulties swallowing“ with too big tablets. In addition, the health insurance would „especially with high-dose medications through divisible drugs save costs.“ However, there are considerable difficulties in dosing for the patients. If it is difficult to reach the prescribed dose when halving, it is often not possible to do so in quarters, according to Professor Langer. „Many tablets can be cut halfway clean. But if you want to quarter them, they literally crumble. At some point, the dose taken is only a matter of luck“, emphasizes the expert in the press release of the Apothekerkammer Westfalen-Lippe.

For some tablets, parts are taboo
The pharmacy chamber also makes clear in its current communication that a division by no means is possible with all tablets. „For example, there are medicines that are coated with an extra protective layer to help them stomach surviveand only later“, explained Angelika Plaßmann, spokeswoman for the Münster Apothekerschaft. „Who shares here, injured the protective layer and the drug can no longer work where it is needed“, so Plassmann on. This also applies to capsules and dragees. (Fp)