Sometimes, people split their pills to make a prescription last longer and help them save money. But is it safe to cut cholesterol-lowering medications like Crestor or Lipitor in half?
First, it’s important to remember thathigh cholesterolcan increase your risk of having a heart attack orstroke. Taking cholesterol-lowering medications can reduce these health risks.
This article will go over which cholesterol-lowering medications are safe to cut in half and which cholesterol drugs cannot be split. You will also learn the best way to split cholesterol pills.
Andrew Soundarajan / Getty Images
The Different Medications for High Cholesterol
Cholesterol Pills You Can Cut in Half
Cutting your cholesterol pills can help you cut medication costs. Your provider might even be able to prescribe the pills in higher doses. That way, you can cut them in half and get more pills that are in the dose you need.
However, you cannot split every kind of cholesterol pill. Some medications will not work if they’ve been cut in half, and might even be dangerous to take.
Scored PillsSome pills have a line or groove on them. The line is called a “score.” Pills that are scored are easier to split because the line helps you get two equal halves. A general rule of thumb is thatscored pillsare safe to cut.Some pills that are not scored are also safe to split, but you should always check with your provider or pharmacist before cutting a pill.
Scored Pills
Some pills have a line or groove on them. The line is called a “score.” Pills that are scored are easier to split because the line helps you get two equal halves. A general rule of thumb is thatscored pillsare safe to cut.Some pills that are not scored are also safe to split, but you should always check with your provider or pharmacist before cutting a pill.
Most cholesterol-lowering medications are not scored. The exception is gemfibrozil (Lopid) tablets.
Even though they aren’t scored, your provider may say that it’s OK to cut these cholesterol-lowering pills in half:
How to Split Cholesterol Pills
Even if your cholesterol medication is safe to split in half, it can be hard to cut them into equal parts if they don’t have that helpful groove. Having poor vision or arthritis can make it especially difficult.
Pill splitters are inexpensive tools that you can get at the pharmacy, grocery store, or online. You can also ask your pharmacist to cut the tablets in half for you.
Can I Cut Pills Without a Pill Splitter?A pill cutter or splitter is thesafest and most accurate wayto halve your pills. If you use a knife or scissors, not only are you more likely to hurt yourself, but you won’t be able to equally split the pills. If your pills are different sizes, you may end up taking the wrong dose.If you don’t have a pill cutter at home or do not feel comfortable using one, ask your pharmacist to split the pills for you before you pick up your prescription.
Can I Cut Pills Without a Pill Splitter?
A pill cutter or splitter is thesafest and most accurate wayto halve your pills. If you use a knife or scissors, not only are you more likely to hurt yourself, but you won’t be able to equally split the pills. If your pills are different sizes, you may end up taking the wrong dose.If you don’t have a pill cutter at home or do not feel comfortable using one, ask your pharmacist to split the pills for you before you pick up your prescription.
A pill cutter or splitter is thesafest and most accurate wayto halve your pills. If you use a knife or scissors, not only are you more likely to hurt yourself, but you won’t be able to equally split the pills. If your pills are different sizes, you may end up taking the wrong dose.
If you don’t have a pill cutter at home or do not feel comfortable using one, ask your pharmacist to split the pills for you before you pick up your prescription.
The Right Way to Cut or Crush Pills
Cholesterol Pills You Cannot Cut in Half
Extended-releaseorsustained-releaseformulations of pills cannot be split.The pills are made to release medication slowly into the body over a longer time. Pills of this kind may have SR, ER, or XL after the drug name on the label.
If you cut these pills, they can lose their ability to release the medication over time. Instead, you may get a large dose of medication at once when you take it, which could be dangerous.
Extended-release cholesterol medications that cannot be cut in half include:
Capsulesare another form of the drug that cannot be cut in half. With this type of pill, the drug is inside an oval-shaped covering that can be soft or a bit hard (for example, it might be made withgelatin).
If you cut these pills in half, it can cause too much of the medication to be released from the capsule and too fast. That means you may end up getting too low of a dose.
Cholesterol-lowering capsules that cannot be split include:
There are also other types of medications that cannot be crushed or cut. Usually, the manufacturer will include a warning on the bottle.
Other cholesterol drugs that cannot be split include:
Can You Take Crestor or Atorvastatin Every Other Day?If you don’t want to split your pills, you might wonder if you can take your cholesterol medication every other day or night instead.Always take your cholesterol medication exactly as your provider prescribes it for you. You can ask them if it’s OK for you to take your cholesterol medication every other night, as some studies have shown that this schedule is safe and effective for some patients.
Can You Take Crestor or Atorvastatin Every Other Day?
If you don’t want to split your pills, you might wonder if you can take your cholesterol medication every other day or night instead.Always take your cholesterol medication exactly as your provider prescribes it for you. You can ask them if it’s OK for you to take your cholesterol medication every other night, as some studies have shown that this schedule is safe and effective for some patients.
If you don’t want to split your pills, you might wonder if you can take your cholesterol medication every other day or night instead.
Always take your cholesterol medication exactly as your provider prescribes it for you. You can ask them if it’s OK for you to take your cholesterol medication every other night, as some studies have shown that this schedule is safe and effective for some patients.
Summary
If you take medication to manage your cholesterol, you might wonder if it’s OK to cut your pills in half to save money on prescriptions. Some cholesterol medications like Lipitor and Crestor are safe to split. Others, like those that are extended-release or come in capsules, cannot be split.
You should always ask your provider or pharmacist before cutting your pills in half. You can also ask your pharmacist to cut the pills for you. If you want to split your cholesterol pills at home, the safest and most accurate way is using a pill-cutter.
How to Safely Take Your Oral Medications
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Giral P, Neumann A, Weill A, Coste J.Cardiovascular effect of discontinuing statins for primary prevention at the age of 75 years: a nationwide population-based cohort study in France.Eur Heart J. 2019;40(43):3516-3525. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehz458Food and Drug Administration.Tablet Splitting.Grissinger M.Tablet Splitting—Only If You “Half” To.P T. 2010;35(2):69-70.Pramanik S, Das AK, Chakrabarty M, Bandyopadhyay SK, Ghosh M, Dalai CK.Efficacy of alternate-day versus everyday dosing of atorvastatin.Indian J Pharmacol. 2012;44(3):362-365. doi:10.4103/0253-7613.96326Shek AB, Kurbanov RD, Alieva RB, et al.Personalized rosuvastatin therapy in problem patients with partial statin intolerance.Arch Med Sci Atheroscler Dis. 2018;3:e83-e89. Published 2018 Jun 28. doi:10.5114/amsad.2018.76826
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Giral P, Neumann A, Weill A, Coste J.Cardiovascular effect of discontinuing statins for primary prevention at the age of 75 years: a nationwide population-based cohort study in France.Eur Heart J. 2019;40(43):3516-3525. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehz458Food and Drug Administration.Tablet Splitting.Grissinger M.Tablet Splitting—Only If You “Half” To.P T. 2010;35(2):69-70.Pramanik S, Das AK, Chakrabarty M, Bandyopadhyay SK, Ghosh M, Dalai CK.Efficacy of alternate-day versus everyday dosing of atorvastatin.Indian J Pharmacol. 2012;44(3):362-365. doi:10.4103/0253-7613.96326Shek AB, Kurbanov RD, Alieva RB, et al.Personalized rosuvastatin therapy in problem patients with partial statin intolerance.Arch Med Sci Atheroscler Dis. 2018;3:e83-e89. Published 2018 Jun 28. doi:10.5114/amsad.2018.76826
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Giral P, Neumann A, Weill A, Coste J.Cardiovascular effect of discontinuing statins for primary prevention at the age of 75 years: a nationwide population-based cohort study in France.Eur Heart J. 2019;40(43):3516-3525. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehz458Food and Drug Administration.Tablet Splitting.Grissinger M.Tablet Splitting—Only If You “Half” To.P T. 2010;35(2):69-70.Pramanik S, Das AK, Chakrabarty M, Bandyopadhyay SK, Ghosh M, Dalai CK.Efficacy of alternate-day versus everyday dosing of atorvastatin.Indian J Pharmacol. 2012;44(3):362-365. doi:10.4103/0253-7613.96326Shek AB, Kurbanov RD, Alieva RB, et al.Personalized rosuvastatin therapy in problem patients with partial statin intolerance.Arch Med Sci Atheroscler Dis. 2018;3:e83-e89. Published 2018 Jun 28. doi:10.5114/amsad.2018.76826
Giral P, Neumann A, Weill A, Coste J.Cardiovascular effect of discontinuing statins for primary prevention at the age of 75 years: a nationwide population-based cohort study in France.Eur Heart J. 2019;40(43):3516-3525. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehz458
Food and Drug Administration.Tablet Splitting.
Grissinger M.Tablet Splitting—Only If You “Half” To.P T. 2010;35(2):69-70.
Pramanik S, Das AK, Chakrabarty M, Bandyopadhyay SK, Ghosh M, Dalai CK.Efficacy of alternate-day versus everyday dosing of atorvastatin.Indian J Pharmacol. 2012;44(3):362-365. doi:10.4103/0253-7613.96326
Shek AB, Kurbanov RD, Alieva RB, et al.Personalized rosuvastatin therapy in problem patients with partial statin intolerance.Arch Med Sci Atheroscler Dis. 2018;3:e83-e89. Published 2018 Jun 28. doi:10.5114/amsad.2018.76826
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
