January 4, 2007 - 9:47am
Hi. My niece is studying in Australia for a year. Home for Christmas.
The Aussies sell OTC ibuprofen w/codeine (12.8mg+ 200mg ib.) So she stocked up...Merry Xmas!
My question: the pills are not capsules (called nurofen-plus, don't have a picture) would it be ok, to only take 1 and a half pill instead of 2 even though the pill is not scored? How important is a score(hash mark) to a pill's integrity, anyway? 1 pill is not enough for my headaches and 2 is overkill AND (lets just say it...constipating).
Ideas? Thanks.
January 4, 2007 - 12:55pm
#2
not medical advice/codeine
Yes, I understand no~one is taking the place of a doctor or nurse here. It just seems that since it is a small amount of ibup. it shouldn't really matter if the pill cuts exactly in half or not. I know with some medications that it is important, but this does not seem the case.
Does a 'score' always mean a pill can be cut, or is it sometimes used for decoration or id?
January 4, 2007 - 2:10pm
#3
Quote:Does a 'score'
Quote:
Does a 'score' always mean a pill can be cut, or is it sometimes used for decoration or id?
99% or the time the score is there so that the pill can be cut into two or more pieces. That is the entire purpose of having one.
The reason I don't say always is, that I have seen a couple of meds that appeared to be scored, but the lines where not much more than a 'scratch' and the pill was much too thick to break, making it obvious it was not intended to be broken. So in that case they were for decoration, we know this because it was an extended release med (It was also foreign, believed to be from Russia, so you can call this one pretty much a 'fluke' or a very odd exception to the rule).
I don't think I have ever seen a domestic (US) med with a superficial score.
I know a doctor who tells his patients to cut things in half all the time, even if they are not scored. One of these pills was Lunesta 2mg (trying to determine satisfactory dosage, said if 2mg wasn't enough, take one and a half tablets) now that is one tiny pill to try and cut.
(this being said, no one would ever advise cutting or crushing an extended/sustained/controlled release medication).
January 4, 2007 - 1:58pm
#4
your assumption is correct
your assumption is correct that the general purpose of the score is used to make it easier to divide pills into halves or quarters. to my knowledge all scored pills can be divided. however just because it isnt scored doesnt mean that it cant be divided.
all thoughts and opinions expressed are those of my own and should not be mistaken for medical advice. i am not a doctor nor a pharmacist. all medical questions should be answered by a licensed pharmacist, doctor, or primary care manager.
January 4, 2007 - 6:44pm
#5
Scored pills was OTC codeine
"this being said, no one would ever advise cutting or crushing an extended/sustained/controlled release medication"
------
I would agree with that. And I would imagine on the pills' packaging it would say something to that effect; but also, there wouldn't be any scoring, right? Why encourage someone to break a pill that should be intact?
January 4, 2007 - 6:57pm
#6
Right, in your case it
Right, in your case it should be fine.
I just put the warning on there for future members who may read this. Just a disclaimer of sorts.
January 4, 2007 - 7:30pm
#7
Nurofen Plus Image
I'm really not adding anything important to this thread except to agree with incognito and phisher.
The presence of a score means the tablet is fine to divide into halves or quarters. The absence of a score doesn't mean you can't divide the tablet into halves or quarters. It's fine to split a tablet as long as the drug is not controlled release, sustained release, delayed release or extended release.
Insurance companies are recommending this method - some advise getting a larger dose and cutting it into halves since 30 tabs of a 50 mg pill might cost as much as 30 tabs of a 25 mg pill. Leave it to the insurance companies to figure out cost savings for them!
Oh, almost forgot. Here is an image of Nurofen Plus:
Nurofen Plus
Imprint N+
Image courtesy of mary
And here is a link to the Nurofen Plus website for all our readers in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and possibly Canada.
I'm not a pharmacist or a medical doctor. This message is not medical advice nor is it an offer to provide medical advice. All drug identifications should be validated by a licensed MD or pharmacist.
of course we are not able to give medical advice however, w/ that being said as long as the pill is not a sustained/extended/controlled/delayed release then it should be fine to break in half.
if you still have concerns then please call your local pharmacists.
take care.
all thoughts and opinions expressed are those of my own and should not be mistaken for medical advice. i am not a doctor nor a pharmacist. all medical questions should be answered by a licensed pharmacist, doctor, or primary care manager.