Some tablets even have special dividers to make them easier to break, but not every tablet can be cut in half or crushed. Why? This is explained by specialists from the Medical University of Bialystok.
Is it possible to separate the tablets and how to do it? This is one of the questions answered by the specialists of the Białystok Medical University in an educational film entitled “A pill is not equal to a pill, or about modern forms of the drug.”
Can each tablet be divided?
Drug manufacturers note on the packaging how the substances contained in the drugs are released. The drug release process can be modified in various ways, for example, when we want to slow down the action of the drug, or when we are talking about enteric tablets, that is, those that will release the drug only in the small intestine.
“Only tablets with an unmodified release profile can be separated. We are looking for information on whether this can be done and how to do it in the leaflet,” explains Katarzyna Kruk, Master of Pharmacy of the UMB Department of Applied Pharmacy, in the film. As the specialist emphasizes, “drugs with a modified, i.e. prolonged, controlled or delayed release, should not be divided or crushed, as this can lead to a sudden release of the entire dose of the drug, and therefore to a toxic effect on the body, or in the case of enteric drugs, premature release of the substance and its inactivation.
How to split the tablets?
Tablets that can be split often have a scale to make this process easier. In pharmacies, you can also buy special guillotines for tablets, which will allow you to accurately dose medicines. “If we have any doubts about splitting a tablet, we should consult a pharmacist who will give us the appropriate advice based on the information contained in the Summary of Product Characteristics, i.e. in the extended version of the package leaflet, the so-called SmPC,” advises Katarzyna Kruk .
Design “Now I Know - A Series of Educational Films” produced by the Białystok Medical University. received funding from the state budget under the program “Social Responsibility of Science - Popularization of Science and Popularization of Sports”. In total, 6 educational films will be shot within the framework of the project.
Source: Wprost
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