Can You Cut Or Split Fluconazole In Half?

Answer

Yes, fluconazole can be safely cut or split in half without any reduced effectiveness of the medication. However, you should not change the directions your doctor has given you for your prescription. Splitting the 200 mg fluconazole tablet, to take 100 mg in the morning and evening, is perfectly acceptable if that is how your doctor has prescribed it.

As mentioned, cutting/splitting fluconazole (and other strengths) wail not negatively affect the medication. Cutting medication is often necessary for patients who have difficulty swallowing large tablets or need to take 'half' doses.

Some Fluconazole Tablets Have An Odd Shape

Cutting fluconazole can sometimes be difficult however based on the tablet shape. Most manufacturers make the tablet in a trapezoid-type shape (example below).

This type of shape can make it difficult to perfectly split the medication into two equal halves. Due to this, careful use of a pill cutter is recommended versus using a knife. Be sure to situate the tablet appropriately in the pill cutter so it will cut the tablet into two equal halves.

Lastly, it is important that you take both halves of the medication as soon as possible and not store cut tablets for extended periods of time. Although fluconazole can be cut as mentioned above, split tablets no longer have the protective outer coating that most intact tablets have. This could make them more susceptible to moisture. Be sure to use split tablets as soon as you can and store the unused half in a moisture-resistant container.

Fluconazole tablets, regardless of their shape, can be cut/split from all manufacturers including:

• Aurobindo
• Barr
• Dr. Reddy
• Citron
• Glenmark
• Greenstone
• Mylan 
• Northstar
• Sandoz
• Teva
• Ranbaxy

If you are having difficulty cutting the medication, fluconazole is also available in liquid formulations but those may not be as cost-effective.

Final Words

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