Can You Cut Jardiance In Half? (+2 Alternative Things To Do)

I totally understand why you are considering cutting Jardiance in half. The drug is very expensive and even with insurance, some people still end up with a high copay amount. You are probably of the belief that cutting the pills will make it last longer, thereby reducing your monthly supply spending. 

If the cost is not your reason for wanting to split Jardiance in half, then it’s possible you have trouble swallowing the tablet whole. Whatever the case may be, I’m here to help answer all your questions. 

In this article, the pharmacist will explain whether it is safe to cut Jardiance in half or not. He will also show you a method that can help you swallow pills easily, as well as how to cut down the price of Jardiance.

Can You Cut Jardiance In Half?

No, you should not cut, divide, crush, or chew Jardiance tablets. The official recommendation is to swallow the tablet whole with liquid, preferably water.

Most tablets that are designed by the manufacturers to be cut or split usually have a score line drawn on their body. A score line is a line that physically divides the body of a tablet into two equal parts. 

It is usually drawn by drug manufacturers during the production of the tablet. A score line stands to indicate that the tablet can be safely split to get half of the total dose in each half of the tablet. 

So if a tablet with a score line comes as 500 mg. If you divide it into two equal parts, you will have 250 mg in each half. Manufacturers usually put modalities in place to ensure that when a scored tablet is split, equal doses are present in each half.

Jardiance tablet does not have a score line drawn on it. This shows that the manufacturers have not designed it with splitting in half in mind. They have also stated in the “Administration” section of the drug’s information leaflet that the tablet should not be divided [1].

“JARDIANCE tablets should be taken whole and should not be cut or divided.”

Jardiance Information Monograph

Why Can’t You Cut Jardiance In Half?

There are several reasons why you shouldn’t cut Jardiance in Half. A list of these reasons are 

1. Jardiance tablets are film-coated.
2. The doses you get from splitting the tablets have not been studied to be effective and safe in treating the intended conditions.
3. The tablet was not designed to be split from the get-go.

1. Jardiance Tablets Are Film-Coated

All Jardiance tablets (both 10 mg and 25 mg tablets) are film-coated. Film coating is often done to 

• Mask the unpleasant taste and odor of a drug
• Smoothen the surface of the tablet to make it easier to swallow
• Improve the appearance of the tablet, making it more acceptable.
• Shield the ingredients in tablets from adverse environmental conditions. Hence, improving its Shelf-life.

Splitting a film-coated tablet can disrupt the integrity of the tablet. If the drug has an unpleasant taste, it may become difficult for you to swallow. The rough edges on the divided tablet may injure your throat or also make it difficult for you to swallow it.

When you split a tablet some parts get exposed. If this exposed part comes in contact with water, air, or direct sunlight. There could be reactions that could end up degrading the active ingredient in the pill. Hence, rendering it ineffective or even toxic.

2. Split Doses Have Not Been Studied For Safety And Efficacy

Jardiance exists in only 2 strengths – a 10 mg tablet and a 25 mg tablet. Its use in the management of patients with type 2 diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) begins with 10 mg in the morning. This gets stepped up to 25 mg if the patient tolerates this high dose. 

If you split a 10 mg and 25 mg tablet of Jardiance, you expect to get 5 mg and 12.5 mg respectively. This expectation may not be the reality. Split doses of Jardiance have only been used in two cases:

1. In research
2. In combination with another antidiabetic agent.

Split doses of Jardiance were used in a study conducted to see if there is any difference in the safety and efficacy of empagliflozin when taken half twice daily versus when taken whole once daily [2]. 

The result of the study showed that the safety and efficacy were equivalent. Thereby suggesting the possibility of a twice daily dosing of Jardiance. The study here used split doses taken twice a day and not a split dose taken once a day. The official recommendation still stands in this case.

There are also combination products using half the recommended doses of Jardiance. This is okay because the remaining doses are made up for by the combined drug. Examples of such products include:

• Jardiance Duo: containing empagliflozin (12.5 mg) and metformin (850 mg)
• Synjardy: containing empagliflozin (5 mg) and metformin (1000 mg)

Using a split daily dose of the 25 mg tablet (i. 12.5 mg) may not cause any significant clinical difference when compared to the 10 mg dose, as shown by this study. 

However, splitting a 10 mg tablet to get 5 mg may constitute an underdose, which could lead to treatment failure. It is crucial that you take Jardiance as recommended by your prescriber in order to get the best out of it.

3. Jardiance Wasn’t Designed To Be Cut

As explained earlier, the absence of a score line on the Jardiance tablet shows that the manufacturers didn’t produce it with that intention in mind. 

As such, there is no guarantee that when you split a Jardiance tablet, you will get equal doses of the active drug in each half of the tablet.

If it happens that you have unequal doses in each half, you may end up taking an underdose which could have a negative impact on your health. Your sugar level can increase to unhealthy levels, putting you at risk of complications.

The Best Thing To Do

If your reason for wanting to cut Jardiance in half is because of difficulty in swallowing it whole. You can use any of this proven method called the pop-bottle method to swallow it easily. 

Here, you place the Jardiance tablet on your tongue and then wrap your lips tightly around a water bottle. Then, you suck water out of the bottle, swallowing the tablet in the process. If you do it correctly, you should feel the bottle squeeze in as you suck on it.

If your reason for wanting to split the tablet is because it is expensive. Then you just need to read this article on why Jardiance is expensive, also how to cut down costs while on the drug.

Final Thoughts

The manufacturers of Jardiance do not recommend that you cut, divide, crush or even chew the tablet. They advise that you swallow it whole, ideally with water. If you are having trouble swallowing it whole, then try out our recommended method of swallowing pills. If it’s too expensive for you, there are ways you can cut down the cost.

References

1. Jardiance Product Monograph Including Patient Medication Information.
2. Ross S, Thamer C, Cescutti J, Meinicke T, Woerle HJ, Broedl UC. Efficacy and safety of empagliflozin twice daily versus once daily in patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on metformin: a 16-week, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2015 Jul;17(7):699-702. doi: 10.1111/dom.12469. Epub 2015 May 13. PMID: 25827441.