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Related Experiment Videos

Accuracy of tablet splitting

J T McDevitt1, A H Gurst, Y Chen

  • 1MEDEX Clinical Trial Services, Inc., Ardmore, Pennsylvania 19003, USA.

Pharmacotherapy
|February 20, 1998
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Manually splitting hydrochlorothiazide tablets is inaccurate, with over 41% deviating significantly from the ideal weight. Most participants preferred commercially available lower-dose tablets due to concerns about accuracy.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology and Pharmaceutics
  • Drug Compounding and Dispensing

Background:

  • Accurate medication dosing is critical for therapeutic efficacy and patient safety.
  • Manual tablet splitting is a common practice for dose adjustment, particularly with hydrochlorothiazide.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the accuracy of manually splitting 25-mg hydrochlorothiazide tablets.
  • To identify factors influencing tablet splitting variability.
  • To gauge patient preference for commercially available lower-dose formulations.

Main Methods:

  • Ninety-four healthy volunteers manually split ten 25-mg hydrochlorothiazide tablets each.
  • Split tablet portions were weighed using an analytical balance to determine accuracy.
  • Demographic data, physical strength, and tablet-splitting experience were recorded.

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Main Results:

  • Significant variability in split tablet weights was observed: 41.3% deviated by >10% and 12.4% by >20%.
  • Factors like gender, age, education, and prior experience did not predict splitting accuracy.
  • A strong preference (96.8%) for commercially produced lower-dose tablets was reported, with 77.2% willing to pay a premium.

Conclusions:

  • Manual splitting of hydrochlorothiazide tablets leads to substantial inaccuracies.
  • These weight deviations can have clinical relevance, especially for medications with narrow therapeutic windows.
  • Patient preference strongly favors commercially available lower-dose options, suggesting a need for such formulations.