Why are some tablets scored and others aren't?

Question

If a tablet is scored does it mean you get half the strength on one side of the score?

Answer 1

Tablets are formed many different ways. Some medications are mixed with fillers and binding agents and can be immediately available as soon as your body breaks it down.

Others are embedded in matrixes or layers, which are designed to dissolved after a specified interval in the digestive system

Other are encapsulated  in spheres of sugars or lipids (fats), again, to provide a slow discrete dose of medication over a specified interval.

Generally if a tab is scored, then it can be halved safely, and yes, you would receive only half the dose of the total medication. (example, half a standard aspirin tablet would be around 187.5 mg. because a whole tablet gives you 325 mg of aspirin).

If a tablet has a coating without a score, then it could be dangerous to half it, as depending on it's makeup, you may not get any of the active medication at all or get it all at once with possibly lethal consiquences.

Answer 2

because some pills are made to possibly be split and some cannot EX: enteric coated or time released tablets are not to be split or crushed....

Answer 3

The ones with the higher score are much, much better.

☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺ ☻ ☺

Answer 4

they get scored cause sometimes a prescription the doctor wrote is for like 1 gram when the pill it self is 2 so either the pharmsy or you can cut then easily in half.

Answer 5

some medicines have variable dosages.  The score is made to make it easier to break in half.   Others have a set dosage and are sometimes a timed dosage based on pill size coatings etc.  Always be sure to follow the directions on the bottle or your doctors directions if it is a prescribed medicine.

Answer 6

Well, if you break the tablet in half along the score line, then yes, you would be receiving half of the dose of the tablet.

Some tablets are scored for breaking, others are scored just as an identifying mark.

Always check with your doctor before you take half of a dose or break a tablet (if it's prescription).

Tablets that are not scored are most often not intended to be broken at all.  Some tablets are encased in a time release coating and breaking the tablet allows your body to take in the full dose at once.  Not a good idea for some prescriptions.