| Patients have become increasingly aware
that they are able to save money by halving higher dosage
medications. Unfortunately, splitting a pill accurately, especially
with elderly patients or patients with hand tremors or poor
vision, is virtually impossible. Under- or over-dosing a medication
can be extremely dangerous to one's health. FLAVORx, Inc the
industry leader in flavoring medications works with pharmacies
nationwide to convert high-dose pills to suspension to ensure
dosing accuracy, efficacy and safety.
Bethesda, MD (PRWEB) June 21, 2006 - Nearly
1-in-3 seniors have skipped medication doses or have not filled
prescriptions due to the soaring costs of prescription medications,
according to studies done at assisted living centers across
the country. Many senior citizens spend over $250 per month
on prescription medicines. Sadly, expenses such as these make
it extremely difficult for seniors to afford medications crucial
to their well-being.
The high cost of prescriptions can have a significant impact
on patient compliance with a medication regimen. Studies show
that over 43 percent of seniors reported drug costs had caused
them to avoid filling a prescription or to skip doses of their
medications to make them last longer.
Many people have realized that the same drug at any strength
costs about the same price; thus it is more economical to
get a higher strength medication and split the tablet to approximate
the correct dosage at half the cost. The bulk of a pills’
cost comes from packaging, advertising, and research and development,
not the actual chemical content. Therefore, most prescription
drugs actually cost the same amount (or very close) regardless
of the dosage, meaning that a 20mg pill of a certain medication
could cost the exact same amount as a 40mg pill. This has
caused a great many seniors to practice pill splitting in
an effort to relieve the strain of prescription drug costs.
However, the incorrect practice of splitting or cutting medicine
can pose a serious risk to patient health. What many patients
fail to realize is that very few pills are actually engineered
to be split successfully. Beyond the actual difficulty of
splitting where shattering or crumbling may occur, accuracy
of the split is the more dangerous culprit. Elderly patients
with impaired vision or joint stiffness have a particularly
difficult time achieving a perfect ‘half’ pill.
Improper splitting, of course leads to improper dosing; especially
in cases where the active ingredient is not evenly distributed
between the two halves of the tablet. This is particularly
dangerous in medications such as blood thinners or medications
used for heart disease where even the slightest miscalculation
can lead to an adverse or a potentially fatal reaction. The
Journal of the American Pharmacist’s Association’s
2002 study showed that less than 35% of tested tablets that
were split in half met the United States Pharmacopeia (USP)
standards of tablet weight variation and intact dosage unit.
Tablet splitting can be particularly difficult in cases of
medications in capsule form, tablets with an unusual shape
or tablets that are not scored, and tablets that have a special
coating or work on a time-release activity. Many people do
not realize time-release medications should not be split.
Splitting a time release capsule breaks the coating which
negates the delayed release action of the tablet, causing
a patient's body to get too much medication at one time.
Not surprisingly, many seniors without drug coverage skipped
doses or resorted to pill spliting without the approval of
their doctor.
Fortunately, there is a way to safely use a higher strength
medication to reduce cost and maintain proper dosage. In instances
where a commercially prepared liquid is not available, FLAVORx
pharmacies can take a higher strength tablet, use half the
quantity and convert it into a great tasting suspension that
can be measured out with a syringe to give the exact dosage.
Accuracy is ensured because the entire pill is added to the
suspension and diluted to achieve the proper dosage level.
This is particularly convenient for elderly patients. FLAVORx’s
42-flavor repertoire of taste-tested formulations and over
10 years of experience in the industry guarantees approval
from taste buds all over the country. Formulas can also be
easily adjusted to meet each patient's taste preferences.
Always consult with your doctor, pharmacist or healthcare
professional to make sure this method is safe and compatible
with the medication being taken.
For more information, please visit www.flavorx.com
or contact Teresa Chen at 800.884.5771 extension
234.
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