I am planning on getting a prescription for 50 or 100mg of Sumatriptan (generic for Imitrex) for migraines. Even the generic is expensive, almost $80 for 9 pills. I would like to split them in half to make my money go further and because I may not even need that much of the medication to knock out my headaches.
Can I split 50mg or 100mg of Sumatriptan in half?
Question posted by RARA77 on 15 Aug 2014
Last updated on 3 March 2022 by dodson620
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12 Answers
I have been splitting my 100 mg tablets of Sumatriptan for many years. Half works great. A half is plenty strong. I get severe migraines and have had great success. Take it with coffee if possible. It helps prevent the drowsiness you may experience plus helps dissolve it faster. You should have no problems with that and my doctor says splitting them is OK as well.
The reason you only receive 9 tablets a month is because you shouldn't be taking sumatriptan more than 9 times in a month. If you are getting more than 9 migraines that require sumatriptan in a month you should talk to your doctor about additional methods to control said migraines.
How did you resolve your cost factor situation? KEEP IN MIND, pill splitting is not really as reliable as you need it to be. It can also end up costing you more $$$ in the long run particularly when pills break up instead of splitting nice and neatly.
You can split sumatriptan tablets. Technically if the tablets are not "scored", they are not necessarily manufactured with an equal dose in each half of the tablet (e.g., if you split a 100 mg tablet, you may get 52 mg in one half and 48 mg in the other). But the difference is likely not significant since, as others have said, they cut theirs in half with no issues.
Try Good Rx they're cheap and the discount card is free and you can download it online at either play store or whatever that Apple equivalent. Use it at Walgreens, Walmart just about about any pharmacy ☺️
Myself, my husband and two friends have always bought the 100mg Sumatriptan (Imitrex) & cut it in half & it works great!! We have all used it this way since it first came out in pill form well over 20 years ago.
I am only prescribed 9 sumatriptan at 100 mg per month. To make this last longer
for an especially bad month, can this be cut in half?
It was my physician who prescribed the 100mg tablets and *recommended* that I split them after I told her that I was hesitant to use my Imitrex due to the fact that a) they were expensive, b) I could only get 9 tablets at a time, and c) I felt that a lower dose would work for a less severe migraine.
I always split a couple of tablets into 4 pieces and keep them in a small bottle that I keep with me at all times. I take a quarter tab at the first sign of migraine - unless, of course, it's one of those that's there when I wake. Then I usually take two quarter tabs.
most oral medications have rounded "corners" or are oval or round to begin either. The reason is so they DO NOT BREAK AT ANY CORNERS. If you are breaking a pill into 4 pieces; 1- do you think you're really getting 1/4 of the pill's total value? 2- putting the "little pieces" into a bottle I can understand - BUT - realize you increase the likelihood the pieces will become even smaller banging around in your bottle unless you have stuffed enough cotton to immobilize the contents.
3- be careful removing pills from an unlabeled vessel. People could make accusations. Also since the pieces are so small, you might take more than you need.
If you are going to all this extra effort talk to your MD, see what other preventive measures you could do, that don't necessarily require splitting individual pills.
My doctor specifically prescribes the 100 mg. for me to break in half. It has always worked for me and that way I have twice as many pills for the month since they are so hard to come by.
I always split the 100 mg. tablet in half at the first sign of a migraine. I also only get 9 pills a month (and I get many more migraines than 9 a month). The key is to take it at the first sign of a migraine.
Where are you getting them? They went way down in price about 2 years ago. It's no time released so you can split them,not recommended for any time released med.
Sorry to say no. Try googling it with the word discount. You should find some.
Related topics
imitrex, migraine, sumatriptan, generic, prescription, pill
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