Talk:Pill splitting

Assertion of notability
The content of this article, which I had drafted, was deleted as not notable. I'd agree that it's not world-shakingly important, but will give my reason for creating it.

I needed to split pills into quarters, and for some time did it, messily, with a screwdriver. Then I thought I could make something better, and as a first step did a Google search, finding that what I wanted already existed. I think an encyclopaedia should have the answer to this sort of question - that's what it's for; also, if I had stumbled upon the pill-splitter in browsing through Wikipedia it would have been useful to me. So I added the article as it is useful for others with the same problem as me, and claim on these grounds that it is notable.

I expect that ultimately the article will be deleted by somebody who hasn't read this, but I would suggest that the original reverter (Deltabeignet) should hold off at least for a while, but anyone else who thinks the article should be replaced by a redirect to Pill, or deleted, should do so.

Pol098 09:06, 20 May 2006 (UTC)


 * It's perfectly notable. Should mention whether it's important/actually possible to get exact dosages with some pills, as the concentration in different parts of the pill might not be uniform?  Sometimes it matters, sometimes it doesn't. — Omegatron 23:57, 9 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Actually, it looks like there's peer-reviewed papers about this. — Omegatron 01:48, 10 December 2006 (UTC)


 * http://www.split12.com/en/faq.html
 * The Potential of Pill Splitting to Achieve Cost Savings
 * http://www.ncpa.org/pub/st/st262/st262d.html
 * Pill Splitting Can Save Money, but Talk to Your Doctor First
 * Pill Splitting Can Save Money On Prescription Drugs
 * Pill Splitting: Know When To Avoid Splitting The Difference
 * Pill-splitting can yield cost savings on common prescription drugs, Stanford researchers find
 * A Look at Pill Splitting - Should you cut your antidepressant in half to save money?


 * This article is excellent. I came looking for advice on a pill splitter, and found the article to be most useful. The person who thought it wasn't notable should take his head out of his arse. 216.123.197.22 01:13, 28 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Good grief. Not only is it notable, federal agencies have advocated the practice, and lives are potentially at stake if people engage in this practice for inappropriate medications.  I'm of the opinion that most potential causes of human death are notable. MaxEnt (talk) 01:14, 23 November 2007 (UTC)

Crushing
We should cover pill crushing, too, probably in this article with a rename. — Omegatron 04:49, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

Rewrote lede, added visual warning
I'm hoping to find time to read through the existing refs and expand the rest of the article to be far more comprehensive. MaxEnt (talk) 01:12, 23 November 2007 (UTC)

possible addition for risks
According to a Pharmacy Technician friend, pills that can cause birth defects are deffinately not allowed to be split by women who can become pregnant. The small amount of dust generated can be hazardous. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 170.92.1.251 (talk) 14:02, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

AKA tablet cutters
A search of the Internet turned up some brand names that use the word-pair "tablet cutter," in addition to "pill splitter": EZY Dose Tablet Cutter, Apex Ultra Pill Splitter, Walgreens Safety-Shield Tablet Cutter. I will therefore add a redirect from "Tablet cutter" to here. The product info pages suggest that the devices can be used to split up large tablets so that the whole-pill dose is easier to swallow. This is in addition to the usage noted in the article of splitting pills into smaller doses (potentially saving money). The product information also points out that enteric-coated tablets are intended to be swallowed whole and should not be cut. --Keith111 (talk) 04:58, 12 August 2009 (UTC)

I have personal experience with a few elderly people who split pills in order to make them easier to swallow. I found it interesting that all the mentions in this article are in regards to cost savings. I was going to add some text with respect to splitting tablets in order to make them easier to swallow, but could not find supporting documentation. Anyone know of any? Dr Neo Lao (talk) 01:24, 3 December 2009 (UTC)