My good friend Cynthia presented me with a supply of Lipitor that is going to last me a long long time, sixteen months to be exact. She even gave me a tablet cutter to split the 40mg tablets into quarters since I am only taking 10mg daily.
![Lipitor 40mg Lipitor 40mg and tablet cutter from Cynthia](http://petertan.com/images3/lipitor-20120312_193901.jpg)
Lipitor 40mg and a tablet cutter from Cynthia. Thanks!
Photo taken with the Samsung Galaxy S II.
Lipitor comes in dosages of 10mg, 20mg, 40mg and 80mg. The price difference between each succeeding dosage is minimal. This medicine has to be taken long-term. Buying a higher dosage and splitting it into the smaller recommended dosage makes economic sense.
Some medicine, like the Detrusitol capsules that I am taking cannot be split. Likewise other tablets that have a coating that releases the medicine slowly. However, Cynthia the pharmacist assured me that Lipitor tablets can be safely split without it losing its efficacy.
![Lipitor 40mg and 20mg The difference in shape and size between Lipitor 40mg and 20mg manufactured in different regions](http://petertan.com/images3/lipitor-20-40-20120312_224533.jpg)
The difference in shape and size between Lipitor 40mg and 20mg.
Photo taken with the Samsung Galaxy S II.
There is a difference between the 40mg tablets that Cynthia gave me and the 20mg tablets that I recently bought from the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) Community Pharmacy. The former are round which makes splitting them into quarters easier. The latter are elongated and I had to get only the 20mg tablets to be able to split them evenly. Both tablets are manufactured for different regions.
Thank you Cynthia! My cardiovascular system thank you too!