Can Jardiance be cut in half?

In this article:

• Standard Jardiance dosing
• Is it safe to cut Jardiance tablets in half?
• Safer ways to make Jardiance more affordable

In this article

• Standard Jardiance dosing
• Is it safe to cut Jardiance tablets in half?
• Safer ways to make Jardiance more affordable

Jardiance (empagliflozin) is a prescription sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor that’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to control blood sugar levels in people age 10 and older with Type 2 diabetes, lower the risk of heart-related death in adults with diabetes or heart failure, and slow chronic kidney disease. It’s available in once-daily oral tablets. Although it is safe to cut some pills in half to lower the dose, make them easier to swallow, or save money, some pills should be taken whole. Here’s what you should know about the standard Jardiance dosage and whether it’s safe to cut tablets in half. 

Standard Jardiance dosing

Jardiance pills come in two doses: 10 mg and 25 mg. The 10 mg dose is recommended for many people, but 25 mg may provide better blood sugar control in some people with Type 2 diabetes. 

Here’s what Jardiance tablets look like:

• The 10 mg tablet is pale yellow and round and measures 9 mm in diameter. It’s imprinted with S 10 on one side and the Boehringer Ingelheim logo on the other. 
• The 25 mg tablet is pale yellow and oval and measures 11 mm in length. It’s imprinted with S 25 on one side and the Boehringer Ingelheim logo on the other.

Some people wonder if the 25 mg tablet can be split in half to create two 12.5 mg doses.

“A 12.5 mg dose of Jardiance is not standard, but a doctor might recommend it if someone is highly sensitive to the side effects of the higher doses,” says J. Ryan Smolarz, a board-certified otolaryngologist at Virgin Islands Ear, Nose, and Throat. “This would be considered off-label and would only be done after discussing the risks and benefits with a healthcare provider.”

Is it safe to cut Jardiance tablets in half?

Boehringer Ingelheim, the manufacturer of Jardiance, provides no official guidance on whether it’s safe to cut Jardiance tablets in half. 

That said, Jardiance isn’t designed for pill splitting. The tablets aren’t scored down the middle to help divide them evenly, and they’re also film-coated. This means they’re covered in a thin layer of material to prevent them from interacting with moisture, air, and light, to block the pill’s unpleasant taste, and to control the absorption rate. Halving the tablet would leave the inside exposed and could negate these properties.

Pamela Tambini, MD, the Medical Director at Engage Wellness in Acton, Massachusetts, says removing the protective coating by crushing or splitting may increase the risk of irritation to the mouth, throat, or stomach. She also warns that “tablet splitting can cause uneven dosing, crumbling, or wastage if the pill breaks poorly,” which could result in poor blood sugar control or ineffective heart and kidney protection.

On the other hand, there’s some evidence that splitting a 25 mg tablet of Jardiance in half is safe and effective:

• A 2022 study found that 12.5 mg of Jardiance (half of a 25 mg tablet) taken once daily controlled blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 diabetes just as well as 10 mg and 25 mg doses. 
• A 2021 study found no significant difference in blood glucose control and weight loss when patients took half a 25 mg tablet of Jardiance versus a whole 25 mg tablet. 
• A 2017 patient pamphlet from Kaiser Permanente advises patients who need a 12.5 mg dose to use a pill cutter to split a 25 mg Jardiance tablet into two 12.5 mg halves.

The best thing to do is talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist before splitting Jardiance. They can weigh the benefits against the risks based on your experience with Jardiance and your unique medical history. 

Safer ways to make Jardiance more affordable

If you’re interested in splitting Jardiance pills to make your prescription more affordable, you may want to try these safer money-saving alternatives instead:

• Sign up for a free SingleCare prescription discount card.
• Consider the manufacturer’s copay assistance program or other financial assistance programs.
• Ask your healthcare provider about Jardiance alternatives.

“The best alternatives are other SGLT2 inhibitors like Farxiga (dapagliflozin), Invokana (canagliflozin), or Steglatro (ertugliflozin). If those aren’t affordable, other oral diabetes medications like metformin or sulfonylureas can help with blood sugar, but they don’t provide the same heart and kidney benefits,” Dr. Tambini says. 

If you find it difficult to swallow Jardiance tablets, Dr. Tambini recommends “taking the tablet with a full glass of water or mixed with a spoonful of soft food.” You can also buy pill glide sprays or gels from the pharmacy.

Bottom line

There are pros and cons to cutting Jardiance in half, and there’s no clear consensus among healthcare professionals. To be on the safe side, always talk to your healthcare provider before adjusting your medication or cutting tablets in half.