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Is Splitting The Lithium Carbonate ER Tablet To Consume Dangerous?
My psychiatrist is out of town or I d ask him this question. I was recently put on 300 mg of lithium carbonate ER for bipolar disorder. Doc said I could take 2 if I needed to control depression. I decided to take 1-1/2 tonight but as soon as I swallowed it I realized I probably wasn t supposed to split the pill. Am I in any danger?
Fri, 5 Sep 2014
Hello and welcome to Healthcare Magic. Thanks for your query.
I understand that you are very worried after you took a split Lithium carbonate ER tablet. Don't worry, this is not dangerous but it can affect the effectiveness of the medication.
ER stands for Extended Release. This is a special preparation where the medication gets releases slowly into the bloodstream. Usually the tablet is coated with a special coating which enables slow dissolution of the tablet and slow release. If you split the tablet, then this coating may get broken and the medication may get released just like a plain tablet (and not with an extended-release action). Though this is not dangerous, it may result in uneven medication levels in the blood and may thereby affect the effectiveness of the medication.
So, in the future, be careful not to split an ER preparation tablet.
Wish you all the best.
Regards,
Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar MBBS., DPM., MRCPsych.(U.K.)
Consultant Psychiatrist
I understand that you are very worried after you took a split Lithium carbonate ER tablet. Don't worry, this is not dangerous but it can affect the effectiveness of the medication.
ER stands for Extended Release. This is a special preparation where the medication gets releases slowly into the bloodstream. Usually the tablet is coated with a special coating which enables slow dissolution of the tablet and slow release. If you split the tablet, then this coating may get broken and the medication may get released just like a plain tablet (and not with an extended-release action). Though this is not dangerous, it may result in uneven medication levels in the blood and may thereby affect the effectiveness of the medication.
So, in the future, be careful not to split an ER preparation tablet.
Wish you all the best.
Regards,
Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar MBBS., DPM., MRCPsych.(U.K.)
Consultant Psychiatrist
I find this answer helpful
You should not worry.
You are right that you are not supposed to split the ER pill. It can cause more lithium to be released quickly. However, you have taken half a tablet less than the doctor asked you to. So there is not much extra lithium released there.
Drink an extra glass or two of water.
You are not in any danger.
I hope this answers your question.
You are right that you are not supposed to split the ER pill. It can cause more lithium to be released quickly. However, you have taken half a tablet less than the doctor asked you to. So there is not much extra lithium released there.
Drink an extra glass or two of water.
You are not in any danger.
I hope this answers your question.
I find this answer helpful
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