atenolol

I read on Dr.Koop.com, "drug checker" and it said that atenolol should be taken whole, not broken or crushed.  My dosage calls for breaking it in 1/2.  Why do you think they say don't break it?  Also, it says to take it with a full glass of water, my prescription has no label stating so and I was never told to by my dr. or pharmacist.  Do you think it should be taken with a full glass of water? One more thing, it said about taken ibuprofen with it... From what I understood it said the ibuprofen wouldn't be as effective.  Is this true?

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

I would recommend following the advise of your doctor and pharmacist over information from an internet site.

[jean]

I just saw an article on the practice of pill splitting.  Seems like some formularies and insurance companies are REQUIRING this in order to save money.  The article stressed that some pills were not meant to be split, and some insurance providers were ignoring this.  If the pill has a line in it, it is usually ok to split, other pills need to ve verified by the pharmacist.  Once again, the insurance companies mandate medical/pharmaceutical practice...profit over all else.  Be sure to check on the REASON why they are splitting pills...is it because the correct dosage is not available, or simply more expensive.

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

Thanks for your comments.

[jan]

thanks, jean.