Stretch your prescription budget - The basics of pill splitting.
Many patients are discovering that pill splitting is a viable strategy for reducing prescription drug costs. The principle of doing so is simple, as some medications are priced the same regardless of dose strength. By obtaining a higher-strength tablet and dividing it (with medical approval), you can double your supply at the same cost. But successful pill splitting, with information listed below, requires care, consultation, and the right circumstances.
Before making any changes, always talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Some community health clinics and of course hospitals may also counsel patients about whether this option makes sense in your situation.
A real-world example of big savings by splitting pills
Consider this scenario (based on many similar anecdotes): A patient was paying roughly $45 per month for Zocor (simvastatin). That’s about $540 a year. She discovered, with guidance, that her doctor could prescribe Zocor at double strength and that certain pharmacies included it on discount lists (for example, Walmart’s list of low-cost generics). She then used a pill splitter to divide the tablets, effectively stretching the supply. Once implemented, her annual cost dropped from ~$540 to about $270. The approach can also be combined with pharmacy prescription discount cards or patient assistance programs.
Here is another example on Lexapro (escitalopram). Suppose the full retail cost for 30 × 20 mg tablets is $1,031.88 (without insurance). If your doctor prescribes 40 mg tablets (and you split them), you might pay only $635.88 saving about $396 per year (assuming you split each one).
When an insurer explicitly offers a half-tablet program (like UnitedHealthcare’s FEHB plan below), the savings are generally 50% of the copay for the drug. This is since you're receiving effectively double the strength tablet but splitting it. While results will vary, the same approach combined with discount pharmacy programs or insurance “half-tablet” plans can multiply savings.
Is pill splitting safe?
Yes it is, but only under the right condition and the right medications. The safety of dividing pills has been studied and generally supported by medical professionals, health insurance companies, pharmacists and many studies. Reviews of tablet splitting suggest that for many drugs (except sustained-release, coated, or narrow-therapeutic-index medications), splitting is safe when done correctly and with with proper medical oversight.
However, splitting is not risk-free. A 2023 case report described dosing errors tied to visual or manual limitations in splitting. The FDA explicitly states that a tablet is only reliably splittable when the labeling (in the “HOW SUPPLIED” section) indicates so with the website here https://www.fda.gov/drugs/buying-using-medicine-safely/tablet-splitting. Key cautions and potential downside include the following.
- Never split extended-release (ER), sustained-release (SR), controlled-release (CR), or enteric-coated tablets as they’re engineered to release drug slowly over time. Splitting them may deliver too much too fast.
- Pills no longer in a scored (pre-grooved) form or very small, brittle, or irregularly shaped tablets are poor candidates.
- Some drugs have a narrow therapeutic window (small margin between effective vs. harmful dose) and should not be split.
- Patients with vision problems, tremors, arthritis, or cognitive decline may struggle with accurate division.
- Splitting should occur just before use; exposing halves to air, moisture, or heat for extended storage can degrade the drug.
The bottom line is that with proper selection, oversight, and technique, pill splitting is remarkably safe. But it check with your medical professionals as it must never be done “blindly.” Another resource on the topic is Drug.com website: https://www.drugs.com/article/pill-splitting.html.
There are many other resources to explore too. Look here for more details, including from WebMD on splitting pills and check with you medical professional.
Health insurance companies generally support pill splitting
Over the years, some insurers have embraced “half-tablet programs” or “pill-splitting incentives.” Note the lists are always changing as well as types of medications - always check with your insurer too as well as the pharmacy.
Several health insurance plans and pharmacy benefit managers still run formal tablet-splitting programs that cut a member’s copay when a prescriber issues a higher-strength tablet that the patient splits at home.
2025 UnitedHealthcare Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) Plan states that with certain medications, a member may join a “Half Tablet Program” per the documentation. In this program, the member obtains a higher-strength pill, receives half the quantity, and splits it themselves and pays half the copayment accordingly. The prescription must be written in the higher strength with the instruction “take a half tablet.” A tablet splitter is provided free of charge.
For example, Premera Blue Cross describes a voluntary Tablet Splitting Program that can lower a member’s copay by up to 50% for selected drugs, and explains how a prescriber writes a higher-strength, half-quantity prescription to be split with a pill-cutter. You can read Premera’s program page.
The State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance program’s 2025 Uniform Pharmacy Benefits booklet spells out a voluntary “Tablet Splitting” benefit administered by its PBM (Navitus). The document states that members using the program “get half the usual quantity for a 30-day supply” (for example, 15 tablets of a higher strength to split), and they “pay half the normal copayment amount.
Yet, despite these programs, pill splitting is not uniformly supported. But true tablet-splitting programs exist and can meaningfully reduce copays when the drug and formulation are appropriate, but participation varies by insurer and PBM. Always ask your health insurance plan’s pharmacy benefits team or PBM whether a tablet-splitting or half-tablet program is active for your medication, and verify that your specific tablet is safe to split with your prescriber and pharmacist.
Which drugs are commonly split?
Only certain drugs qualify. Confirm each one with your doctor or pharmacist. Common examples include the following. Ask your pharmacist questions like “If I switch to a higher strength and split, will it lower my cost, and is it safe for this medication?”
- Cholesterol-lowering statins: simvastatin (Zocor), atorvastatin (Lipitor), pravastatin (Pravachol)
- Antidepressants: escitalopram (Lexapro), sertraline (Zoloft)
- Blood-pressure drugs: certain ACE inhibitors or ARBs, depending on formulation
Because manufacturer coatings and formulations change, always reconfirm before you begin. The FDA, and your pharmacist, will also have information on how to split pills correctly. The official FDA consumer guidance on the process is here. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/buying-using-medicine-safely/tablet-splitting.
Final thoughts
Pill splitting can still be one of the simplest ways to save money on your prescription when done properly. It’s supported by research, insurers, and even federal programs, but it must always start with your doctor’s approval and the right kind of tablet.
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