This is the one that is my favorite.

I have another one that I do not like as much, but neither one is great for splitting oval shaped pills.

Why do they even make oval shaped pills when they expect us to cut them in half?

I have the same one that Lars mentioned and I have the same problem he does. The only pill that I ever need to split is a large (800mg) Motrin. Even when new the blade was only adequate - leaving rough edges and little crumbs of pill in the bottom. I wouldn't be comfortable using it if the dosage needed to be more exact - or an expensive pill.

FWIW, I've noticed many pills are scored and can be snapped in half without using a splitter. I had similar experiences cutting my mom's pills with the same kind of splitter, until I discovered that they broke more cleanly by snapping.

The trick is to press just hard enough to crack the pill instead of trying to cut it in half. My experience was nibbing pills up for the cats. Some pharmacies will do it for you-or used to.

My all time favorite is one I purchased at Target, I probably wont be able to attach a picture but it is 3.99, called Safety Shield Tablet cutter (is green and yellow) and by far the best one I’ve ever used

I've never had to spit a pill before. Why can't someone get a prescription with 1/2 the dosage instead of splitting a tablet?

It depends on your pharmacy and the manufacturer, LoneJack. Some pills don't always come in the exact dosages prescribed by Dr.s.

I have one that splits pills and one that crushes them. Originally got them for our dog but he’s been gone awhile so they’re only for us now.

"Why do they even make oval shaped pills when they expect us to cut them in half?"

Because they *don't* expect people to cut them in half. A doctor is supposed to prescribe, and the patient is supposed to take, the dosage that the patient needs.

"Why can't someone get a prescription with 1/2 the dosage instead of splitting a tablet?"

Because if you only want to take half the dosage, it's less expensive to get the higher dosage pill and then cut it in half. You get twice as many doses that way.

Pill splitter

This is the one I have and do like it.

I asked my doctor about some of my pills I have to split (3) she said they don't come in a smaller dose. And one of these is really small!

dammit jim, I'm a doctor, not a pill cutter!

Thanks Carol and Lindsey.

I take 20 mg. Arava for my RA and it comes in a rectangular tablet which would be nearly impossible to split evenly. It comes in a 10 mg. dose as well so there would be no need.

if scored, snap apart by hand.

I saw on Amazon there a little cutter that looks like a cat toenail clipper that seemed like a good idea. You could actually use a cat nail cutter if sterilized first :P Anyway, people seemed to like it. It would be OK for the long pills but useless for tiny pills.

Thanks, all! Our current cylindrical splitter is an EZ Dose; a replacement is almost $10. I'd selected the EZ Dose Lars linked as another option, but it seems a bit 'fiddly' (small). I'm intrigued by one that cuts both up and down through a pill (two blades). I'd think that would result in a more precise cut.

Jack -- I've been splitting DH's pills for ages, and his new prescription is a candidate for the same cost-saving reason. When 30 days of a prescribed dose of 2MG costs the same as 30 days of 4MG, wouldn't you buy the 4MG and halve it? The cost goes from $22/dose to $11/dose.

Judy -- Ah, you must have hands young enough to snap a pill in half! I'm happy for you. Really, though, these pills are not intended to be halved. They are not scored -- and they are so tiny, I don't know who could grip them to try to split them by hand.

How do you split little pills by hand? even scored? With arthritis or carpal tunnel or neuropathy?

Our cat had an Rx for the smallest dose made, and it had to be split into quarters. Using a guillotine splitter, doing the first split on the score wasn’t too bad, but splitting those to make the quarters was a bit uneven. We did the best we could, though.

chisue, for the cab and for Mom, I just used the V-shaped guillotine from the drugstore, and I think her senior care used the same, maybe. I know they used the same pill-crusher, and each resident had their own so that there was no crossover of meds from one person to another. The pharmacist said they can’t do it for us.

Chisue - yes I definitely would do that but have never had the need to split them. Will the prescribing doctor authorize a script for twice the dosage pills than the patient is supposed to take? That seems strange to me.

My 20 mg. Arava is about $1/pill if I haven't met my deductible yet so not a big hit on my wallet. If it was 10x that per day I would ask my Rheumatologist to prescribe the 40 mg tablets if they even make them.

Why can't someone get a prescription with 1/2 the dosage instead of splitting a tablet?

Would be great if that were an option. We have to cut the cat's 16 mg Cerenia tablet in fourths. It's impossible to do that accurately.

I have the pill cutter that Lars linked.

I use a splitter made in the U.S.A. by Carex Health Brands.

I mostly split dry muti-vitamins that I cannot swallow whole.

It was inexpensive; I probably got it at Target.

It’s like this, but mine does not seem to be self-retracting.

I have an Ezy Dose pill cutter that a bought at Dollar General between fifteen and twenty years ago. It's been used a lot and still works fine.

https://www.amazon.com/Dose-Original-Pill-Cutter-Splitter/dp/B0000532OV?th=1

I realize snapping scored pills is not an option for people with hand and eye issues. I will say that I was splitting thyroid pills for my mom when the scrip was from one Dr., and when she changed Dr.s, the new prescription was exact, so no more splitting required. I have no idea why the first Dr. didn't do that! FWIW, in the first instance, she was taking 75 mg and pills were 50 mg, so she needed 1 1/2.

I think it pays to ask about it when the physician is writing the scrip.

And the directions should indicate the dosage and if you need 1/2 tablet, etc.. Keep in mind dosages are often calculated for body weight.

Before the manufacturer started making the size pill I needed, my pharmacy would split the pills for me. Each time I picked up the prescription, they would give me a bottle of tiny little half pills. You probably just need to ask them.

I like this one, The base where the pill sits is some sort of silicone-ish material which holds the pill steady so the cut is even. Maybe they all have this, but my old one didn’t. I have to quarter an already small pill for the dog, and that surface helps.

Thanks, all! I'm ashamed to say I'm still using our old splitter, but this gives me ideas for the day it's no longer effective.

I’m cleaning out the linen closet and came across this one.

Must have been from my parents, and I don’t recall how effective it is. Designed for pills of various sizes and shapes. That round part flips over for more shapes and sizes..

Oval pills splitter but not just ovals

Ingenious, bpath! Funny to see your post now as i finally ordered a splitter just like the one we own from Amazon not an hour ago. I *know* we're good at using that shape.

Is there a closing in your near future?

I am very grateful to require no pills, split or otherwise. Even when my parents were very old and had multiple medicines, none of them required splitting.

floral -- I wonder if there's less need to play the splitting game in the UK. In the US, the 2MG pill prescribed often costs the same as the 4MG pill for the same medication. We try to beat our nation's unregulated pharmaceutical industry however we can.

At 81, I take only a multi-vitamin plus a D3 booster in winter. I have required an inhaler for asthma for nearly 40 years. Next week, though, I'm to start a daily capsule for Revlimid to help stall my Multiple Myeloma (a blood cancer). I only wish there was a way to 'split' that cost. I've paid just $2335 for one month's supply. (Waiting to see if Big Pharma will grant me a grant! Heaven forbid they would just price the stuff closer to its small cost to manufacture and distribute.)