Tadalafil is a medication primarily used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED), and it is also approved for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). It belongs to a class of drugs called phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors, which work by increasing blood flow to specific areas of the body. The drug is available in tablet strengths ranging from 2.5 milligrams (mg) to 20 mg, with the appropriate dose depending on the condition being treated and the dosing schedule. The question of whether tadalafil tablets can be split is a common inquiry, often driven by the desire to achieve dosage flexibility or reduce the cost of the prescription.
Dosing and Cost Rationale
Patients frequently look into splitting tadalafil tablets due to the significant financial incentive. Pharmacies often price higher dose tablets, such as 20 mg, similarly to lower doses like 5 mg or 10 mg. By obtaining a prescription for the higher strength and dividing it, a patient can effectively double or quadruple the number of doses for nearly the same cost, stretching a monthly supply.
Dose flexibility also motivates splitting, particularly when a person requires a dose not readily available or wants to adjust a dose under a doctor’s guidance. For example, a patient prescribed 10 mg might receive a 20 mg tablet and be instructed to cut it in half. This practice is common when converting an on-demand dose into a smaller, daily-use dose, such as converting a 20 mg tablet into four 5 mg daily doses.
Tablet Formulation and Scoring
The ability to safely split any medication depends heavily on its physical design and pharmaceutical properties. A “scored” tablet has a distinct line or indentation, indicating the manufacturer designed and tested it to break cleanly and ensure the active ingredient is distributed evenly across the halves.
Unscored tablets, which typically include brand-name Cialis and many generic tadalafil formulations, are not designed for splitting. Splitting an unscored tablet introduces a high risk of inaccurate dosing because the drug may not be uniformly mixed throughout the tablet matrix. This can result in one half containing significantly more or less of the active ingredient than intended.
Furthermore, specialized formulations, such as capsules or extended/time-release forms, must never be split, as cutting them destroys the controlled-release mechanism. The manufacturer of Cialis explicitly advises against splitting the tablets, emphasizing that the entire dose should be taken whole.
Safety Concerns and Handling
Even when a tablet is scored, splitting introduces a risk of dose variability, as achieving a perfect 50/50 division is difficult, even with a dedicated pill splitter. This small margin of error can be medically significant for drugs where the exact dose is important for efficacy and safety.
The primary concern after splitting a tablet is medication degradation, where the drug’s effectiveness is reduced. Tadalafil tablets are typically protected by a film coating that shields the medication from environmental factors like moisture, light, and air. Once the tablet is split, this protective coating is compromised, exposing the inner drug material and accelerating its breakdown.
To mitigate these risks, it is recommended to use a clean, dedicated pill splitter rather than a knife or razor for a cleaner break. It is also important to only split the tablet immediately before it is taken. The remaining half should be stored in a sealed, dry container away from light to maintain its stability until the next dose.