# Do you know what this handy, occasionally helpful object is (people in the medical field might)?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-this-handy-occasionally-helpful-object-is-people-in-the-medical-field-might/732796
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 28, 2015, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-this-handy-occasionally-helpful-object-is-people-in-the-medical-field-might/732796 "2015-09-28T04:22:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2015, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-this-handy-occasionally-helpful-object-is-people-in-the-medical-field-might/732796/21 "2015-09-28T21:40:27Z")
Yep. We use them at home and at work for the animals. Lots of animals- particularly ones who have been in situations where they hadn’t had any veterinary care and had needed it- make for lots of medications. Some are scored and easy to break and others are not. We have one particular medication that we have to break into eighths for the kittens and that’s impossible to do by hand.
---
### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2015, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-this-handy-occasionally-helpful-object-is-people-in-the-medical-field-might/732796/22 "2015-09-28T22:44:00Z")
Yep. That model is kind of nice, because it has that little rectangular well in front of the cutter to tip the halves into for collections. Many others you just sort of jiggle the halves around and hope they don’t fall out on the floor.
This one is nice because it has my favorite style of [pill crusher built in](http://www.amazon.com/HealthSmart-Pill-Cutter-Crusher-White/dp/B008DVRKMO/ref=pd_sim_194_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1CM4GGR80HEY5BD4Y5W2&dpID=31R9wQsbZxL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR114%2C160_). It’s a screw down style, and it will really pulverize a pill, even if you don’t have much strength in your hands.
This one is trying just a little too hard. [It’s got a splitter, a crusher, a storage compartment AND a cup for water.](http://www.amazon.com/Ezy-Dose-Ultra-Fine-Crush/dp/B00EEFQFWY/ref=pd_sim_194_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1CM4GGR80HEY5BD4Y5W2&dpID=41%2BK4TDvU4L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_) Fantastic if you’re young and single and sober. Confusing if you’re elderly or chasing after toddlers in the mall.
This is my favorite, though. Not only does it have a safety cover over the blade, so you cannot accidentally cut yourself on it when it’s open, but it has a[pill-centerer-and-holder](http://www.amazon.com/Ezy-cut-Tablet-Cutter-Generation-Splitting/dp/B004KSVI40/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1443480073&sr=1-1&keywords=ez+pill+splitter), which greatly increases the accuracy of the cut. If this had the collection well, I’d marry it. (It has a well, but the pill-center-and-holder blocks it, so it really doesn’t work to collect the halves.)
Why, yes, I have opinions on pill cutters. I’m a riot at parties.
---
### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2015, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-this-handy-occasionally-helpful-object-is-people-in-the-medical-field-might/732796/23 "2015-09-28T22:46:19Z")
> [@SurrenderDorothy](#):
>
> We have one particular medication that we have to break into eighths for the kittens and that’s impossible to do by hand.
Gracious, I’ve never met a pill splitter that could do _that_. At that point, I’d be crushing and getting out the digital scale to measure doses. 😛
---
### Author:  [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2015, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-this-handy-occasionally-helpful-object-is-people-in-the-medical-field-might/732796/24 "2015-09-29T02:01:28Z")
> [@WhyNot](#):
>
> This one is nice because it has my favorite style of [pill crusher built in](http://www.amazon.com/HealthSmart-Pill-Cutter-Crusher-White/dp/B008DVRKMO/ref=pd_sim_194_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1CM4GGR80HEY5BD4Y5W2&dpID=31R9wQsbZxL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR114%2C160_). It’s a screw down style, and it will really pulverize a pill, even if you don’t have much strength in your hands.
I use an old-fashioned mortar and pestle to crush and mix meds for one of my cats.
> [@](#):
>
> This one is trying just a little too hard. [It’s got a splitter, a crusher, a storage compartment AND a cup for water.](http://www.amazon.com/Ezy-Dose-Ultra-Fine-Crush/dp/B00EEFQFWY/ref=pd_sim_194_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1CM4GGR80HEY5BD4Y5W2&dpID=41%2BK4TDvU4L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_) Fantastic if you’re young and single and sober. Confusing if you’re elderly or chasing after toddlers in the mall.
The built-in [Amazon Dash](http://www.amazon.com/b/?node=10667898011&lo=digital-text) button was a bit over the top.
> [@](#):
>
> Why, yes, I have opinions on pill cutters. I’m a riot at parties.
I’ve heard that about you.
---
### Author:  [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-this-handy-occasionally-helpful-object-is-people-in-the-medical-field-might/732796/25 "2015-09-29T02:48:50Z")
Thrifty, too, because pills at half the dosage are not usually half the cost.
I take a pill daily that I cut in quarters, using a gizmo very like the one in the OP.
---
### Author:  [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2015, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-this-handy-occasionally-helpful-object-is-people-in-the-medical-field-might/732796/26 "2015-09-29T04:40:47Z")
> [@beowulff](#):
>
> I’m surprised you found one big enough to split a dog.
Well, he (she?) said it was a small dog. 🙂
---
### Author:  [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2015, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-this-handy-occasionally-helpful-object-is-people-in-the-medical-field-might/732796/27 "2015-09-29T06:55:11Z")
> [@beowulff](#):
>
> I’m surprised you found one big enough to split a dog.
> [@Gary\_T](#):
>
> Well, he (she?) said it was a small dog. 🙂
She, and it was a small dog and I thought about using [one of these but I didn’t need so many pieces.](http://www.amazon.com/THE-DOG-DICER/dp/B00A8P08UO)
---
### Author:  [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2015, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-this-handy-occasionally-helpful-object-is-people-in-the-medical-field-might/732796/28 "2015-09-29T09:55:08Z")
Meh, I don’t like pill cutters. I much prefer my ceramic paring knife. For some reason, it does a great job on anything I need to cut in half (uh, everything lately; I need another esophageal dilation, damned eosinophilic esophagitis!) Every pill cutter I’ve tried, I’ve smashed the pill. YMMV, of course.
---
### Author:  [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2015, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-this-handy-occasionally-helpful-object-is-people-in-the-medical-field-might/732796/29 "2015-09-29T13:02:47Z")
I thought I stood a fighting chance because I’m an EMT, but I couldn’t tell what that was a picture of. In my defense, I’m an EMT-B, so I don’t administer any medications in pill form.
---
### Author:  [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2015, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-this-handy-occasionally-helpful-object-is-people-in-the-medical-field-might/732796/30 "2015-09-29T13:26:51Z")
> [@Trinopus](#):
>
> Thrifty, too, because pills at half the dosage are not usually half the cost.
>
> I take a pill daily that I cut in quarters, using a gizmo very like the one in the OP.
I do this, too. I ask the doc to prescribe pills that are double the dosage I take. Then I cut them in half and the prescription lasts twice as long.
---
### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2015, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-this-handy-occasionally-helpful-object-is-people-in-the-medical-field-might/732796/31 "2015-09-29T20:26:46Z")
Used one last night.
A year or two ago a pharmacist tried to give one to **Mrs. FtG**. We already had at least one so she declined it. The pharmacist got really, really pushy. It’s free! You _have_ to take free stuff!
Egad.
---
### Author:  [@mistymage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mistymage)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2015, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-this-handy-occasionally-helpful-object-is-people-in-the-medical-field-might/732796/32 "2015-09-30T00:14:10Z")
I use mine for my Metformin. I started out at 1000mg 2X a day so I have a huge bottle of “horse pills”. Then I was cut down to 1500 a day so I cut one pill in half. Then dropped down to 1000. Now I’m down to 500 a day but when I tried cutting a half pill into a 1/4. … half of it powdered.
So for the next 2 weeks I’ll just take half a pill once a day and then go get a refill for smaller pills. I’m hoping to be off it by the New Year. I’ve lost weight which has helped but the main thing is my dr. put me on a daily dose of an ABX that is keeping my infection stone (kidney) in check so I’m not battling that anymore.
Fingers crossed that from time of being dx’d Diabetic Type 2 to “you are fine” = 1 year.
---
### Author:  [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2015, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-this-handy-occasionally-helpful-object-is-people-in-the-medical-field-might/732796/33 "2015-09-30T06:16:35Z")
The description alone was enough to make me guess it would be a pill splitter. But if I hadn’t confirmed my guess by looking at the spoilers, I would’ve assumed that it was something different when I actually saw the picture. I don’t know what I thought a pill splitter would look like – probably some huge apparatus with a plunger that you push down or something.
---
### Author:  [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2015, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-this-handy-occasionally-helpful-object-is-people-in-the-medical-field-might/732796/34 "2015-10-01T15:33:00Z")
It looks quite different from the pill splitter I have and use regularly. So I thought it might be one, but I was not sure. I used to use it for coumadin whose dose varied regularly from 500 to 750 mg. daily. I also use it for “rennet” pills (it’s actually a “vegetable rennet” that a quarter pill is used to curdle 4 litres of milk to make mozzarella cheese.
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-this-handy-occasionally-helpful-object-is-people-in-the-medical-field-might/732796.md?page=1)