Splitting Doxazosin Tablets
Yes, you can split a 1mg doxazosin tablet as it is functionally scored and designed to be split if needed. 1
Evidence for Splitting Doxazosin
The FDA-approved drug label for doxazosin clearly states that the tablets are "functionally scored" and specifically describes the 1mg tablets as "white to off white, round, biconvex uncoated tablets, debossed with 'C3' on one side and breakline on other side." 1 This breakline (score) is specifically designed to facilitate splitting the tablet when needed.
Best Practices for Splitting Tablets
When splitting doxazosin tablets, consider the following recommendations:
Use a tablet splitting device: Research shows that using a proper tablet splitting device results in significantly lower deviation from the theoretical weight and less weight loss compared to using scissors, knives, or manual breaking 2
Split only one tablet at a time: Splitting multiple tablets at once can lead to confusion and dosing errors
Check the split tablet: Ensure the pieces appear roughly equal in size to maintain consistent dosing
Considerations and Limitations
While doxazosin can be safely split due to its scored design, be aware of these potential issues:
Physical limitations: Some patients, particularly older adults, may have difficulty splitting tablets due to physical limitations such as arthritis or poor vision 3
Dose precision: There may be slight variations in the dose between the two halves of a split tablet, though this is minimized with scored tablets and proper splitting techniques 3
Medication stability: Once split, the tablet has more surface area exposed to air and moisture, which could potentially affect stability over time, though this is not a major concern for immediate-release formulations like doxazosin 4
Conclusion
Doxazosin 1mg tablets are designed with a functional score line specifically to allow for splitting. Using a proper tablet splitting device will help ensure the most accurate dosing when splitting is required. The practice is supported by the tablet's design as indicated in the FDA labeling information.