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Line 1: − + + + + + − − Not all pills are designed to be split, and the production process is not necessarily designed to distribute the drug evenly within the pill; thus, even if the pill splits into two portions that appear equal in size, they may not contain equal quantities of the drug. Generally speaking, if the pill is not manufactured with a scored groove, it is not intended to be split.
changed the order of two paragraphs so that "this third strategy" follows the "three strategies" paragraph.
'''Pill splitting''' means dividing a medicine tablet into two pieces, each containing half the dosage of the full tablet. An example would be breaking a 325 mg aspirin tablet into two halves, each containing about 162 mg. '''Pill splitting''' can be done for several reasons:
'''Pill splitting''' means dividing a medicine tablet into two pieces, each containing half the dosage of the full tablet. An example would be breaking a 325 mg aspirin tablet into two halves, each containing about 162 mg.
Not all pills are designed to be split, and the production process is not necessarily designed to distribute the drug evenly within the pill; thus, even if the pill splits into two portions that appear equal in size, they may not contain equal quantities of the drug. Generally speaking, if the pill is not manufactured with a scored groove, it is not intended to be split.
'''Pill splitting''' can be done for several reasons:
*To obtain the correct dosage; for example, in some cases a doctor might advise a half-tablet dosage for a child.
*To obtain the correct dosage; for example, in some cases a doctor might advise a half-tablet dosage for a child.
*To stretch out a supply of a drug when the patient cannot afford to buy enough tablets. Obviously this is a dangerous practice, but impoverished patients have been known to do it.
*To stretch out a supply of a drug when the patient cannot afford to buy enough tablets. Obviously this is a dangerous practice, but impoverished patients have been known to do it.
*To save money on prescription drugs by deliberately purchasing tablets that contain twice the proper dosage and splitting them. (The practice requires the cooperation of the doctor prescribing the drug).
*To save money on prescription drugs by deliberately purchasing tablets that contain twice the proper dosage and splitting them. (The practice requires the cooperation of the doctor prescribing the drug).
The phrase '''pill splitting''' often refers to this third strategy. It is made possible by a quirk of pharmaceutical economics: in many cases, ''the price of a tablet of a particular drug is almost the same regardless of the dosage.'' For example, one online pharmacy quotes these prices for simvastatin, a frequently-prescribed cholesterol-reducing drug:<ref>[http://www.drugstore.com/pharmacy/drugindex/rxsearch.asp?search=simvastatin&expand=Simvastatin&trx=1Z5007 Simvastatin], drugstore.com.</ref>
The phrase '''pill splitting''' often refers to this third strategy. It is made possible by a quirk of pharmaceutical economics: in many cases, ''the price of a tablet of a particular drug is almost the same regardless of the dosage.'' For example, one online pharmacy quotes these prices for simvastatin, a frequently-prescribed cholesterol-reducing drug:<ref>[http://www.drugstore.com/pharmacy/drugindex/rxsearch.asp?search=simvastatin&expand=Simvastatin&trx=1Z5007 Simvastatin], drugstore.com.</ref>