AboutEric Brandt Expertise I am a practicing pharmacist.On my drug information website, I have answered hundreds of questions to date. The articles posted on my site include Parkinson`s disease. depression, menopause, diabetes, sleep and aging, congestive heart failure, calcium channel blockers, thyroid hormone replacement therapy, ADHD, multiple sclerosis an more.
Experience I have experience in retail as well as hospital pharmacy pracice. Currently working in a hospital pharmacy. I am experienced in drug information. Over the last 6 years I have developed a successful web site for drug information.
The addressfor my drug information website is http://www.druginformation.bc.caThere you can read articles on varios areas of health interest. You can also leave me questions which I will personally answer. I also have a free health information newsletter called The Caplet. To subscribe send e-mail to
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Question Most pharmacists will say that you cannot cut a pill that is designed to be a time-release medication (Wellbutrin XL in this case) since the time-release effect is controlled by the outer coating. If the time release mechanism was
controlled by an outer coating, wouldn't this only impact WHEN the pill begins to work, not how slowly the medication beneath the coating is absorbed? It must be built into the medication proper and pharm companies prefer people believe
its the coating to keep them from obtaining pills at twice the dosage to be cut in half and doubling the number of pills for the same copay or price roughly. So, is the time release in the coating or within the pill?
Answer Hi David,
There are different technologies that manufacturers use to axxomplish sustained release or long acting preparations. Coating the tablet with a special coating is one of them. The coating dissolves at various rates depending on the acidity of its surrounding. Another is the use of a matrix out of which the drug leaches out slowly. In the case of Wellbutrin XL, the drug is embedded is a polymer and the drug is dispersed out of it slowly. The release is dependant on the integrity of the coating but rather on the integrity of the matrix where the drug is contained. Interfering with that matrix causes a loss of control of the rate the drug is released.
Personally I would not take that risk.
Thank you for using Allexperts
Sincerely,
Eric Brandt, B.Sc. Pharm
