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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Sebastian on August 14, 2003, at 19:16:10
Can you cut Wellbutrin SR in half? Is there any reason not to?
Sebastian
Posted by jlo820 on August 14, 2003, at 23:15:16
In reply to Cutting Wellbutrin SR?, posted by Sebastian on August 14, 2003, at 19:16:10
You can if you want, but it is specially coated to give it the sustained release ("SR") property. I would presume that if you broke that coating, it would not have the same sustained release action, or lose it to some degree.
I would check with your Doc and read the presribing information just to make sure it is OK.
Posted by Viridis on August 15, 2003, at 0:26:39
In reply to Re: Cutting Wellbutrin SR?, posted by jlo820 on August 14, 2003, at 23:15:16
When I was taking Wellbutrin SR, I called the company's technical info group and asked about dividing the pills, since I couldn't tolerate the full dose. The person I spoke with was one of the people who actually developed the SR version.
He told me that the slow release has nothing whatsoever to do with the coating, which dissolves almost immediately in the stomach. The key is that the WB is distributed through a special wax matrix that breaks down gradually. The reason they tell you not to divide pills is that (1) It's hard to do so accurately; and (2) Once the coating is broken, the inner material tends to absorb water from the atmosphere, which slowly degrades the WB.
His advice was to use a pill cutter and only divide a couple of days' worth at a time. I was assured that there was no risk, and he even faxed me graphs of absorption rates etc. of divided vs. intact pills, which showed almost identical profiles. I ran this by my pdoc and he said yes, this all makes sense, go ahead and divide the pills.
The result was about half the side effects, which were still intolerable, so I stopped it after 2 months of use. But I did have clear instructions from the drug co. that this is OK; they just don't encourage it for the reasons described above, especially the fact that if you break it unevenly, you may get more or less than expected, which opens them up to potential liability.
I have no idea whether this applies to slow-release versions of other meds -- this info is WB-specific.
Posted by Sebastian on August 15, 2003, at 11:49:20
In reply to Cutting Wellbutrin SR is fine » jlo820, posted by Viridis on August 15, 2003, at 0:26:39
I asked the pharmacist and he said that the cut in half pill would be absorbed too quickly?
Sebastian
Posted by jlo820 on August 15, 2003, at 11:49:35
In reply to Cutting Wellbutrin SR is fine » jlo820, posted by Viridis on August 15, 2003, at 0:26:39
That's interesting. I was told it was the coating, but your account makes more sense.
Let's stick with your version!
Posted by theo on August 15, 2003, at 16:30:21
In reply to Cutting Wellbutrin SR?, posted by Sebastian on August 14, 2003, at 19:16:10
I'm taking Prozac Weekly plus 100mg Wellbutrin SR. Started Wellbutrin yesterday and felt agitated. My doctor told me to cut a few in half and take those half doses for six days then move up to the 100mg per day. They cut very easily and evenly and it's working fine for me.
This is the end of the thread.
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