New Delhi. Split your pills to reduce cost but only after doctor’s advice, cautions Dr KK Aggarwal, President Heart Care Foundation of India.

In pill splitting, patients cut the larger–dose tablets in half to double the amount of smaller–dose pills they receive in a single prescription –– for example, dividing 40–milligram tablets to create twice as many 20–milligram doses for the same price. Drug companies don’t usually double the price of medications as the dose doubles, that can mean lower overall per–pill drug costs. The practice can also save money for insurance companies and employers.

A 6–month study from the University of Michigan involved more than 100 university health plan members who take cholesterol–reducing drugs such as statins. The study found statins to be good candidates for splitting, because they linger in the body for a long time, and any impact that splitting might have on their action did not greatly alter their effects splitting also did not adversely affect adherence to drug therapy.

But not all pills can be safely split. For example, those that pass through the body rather quickly, or have special time–release coatings, are not good candidates for splitting. The study is published in the issue of American Journal of Managed Care’s.