You absorb more if you cut multivitamins in half?

[Xia]

I've read several places that if you cut a multivitamin in half and take half in the morning and half in the evening, you will absorb more of the vitamins. Anyone know if there is truth to this? It seems like it might make sense, since some vitamins will not be absorbed if there is too much taken at once but I'm not sure whether this would really make a big difference.

[DoguedeBordeaux]

Originally Posted by Xia

I've read several places that if you cut a multivitamin in half and take half in the morning and half in the evening, you will absorb more of the vitamins. Anyone know if there is truth to this? It seems like it might make sense, since some vitamins will not be absorbed if there is too much taken at once but I'm not sure whether this would really make a big difference.

I am speaking from my experience as a nurse, but please understand that it is against my Practice Act to advise people other than my own patients, and understand it as passing information only, that I am not giving instructions other than to decide with your own doctor what the best course of action is for your health.
Whew! With that out of the way, let's talk. Technically, in the world of pills, only 'scored' pills are meant to be broken. Scored pills are the ones with a well defined line delineating two or more sections of the pill. I do not often see these with vitamins. Secondly, vitamins usually have an enteric coating on them to improve absorption and ease discomfort. Many, many people experience nausea, even vomiting with innocent little vitamins. Even the coated ones!
Also, if you take medications, some meds can interfere with vitamin absorption and vice versa. A patient needs to be sure he or she is not disrupting medication efficacy by breaking a pill in half and releasing contents that interfere. For example, someone may be on a blood thinner, like coumadin [warfarin] for heart disease. Well, guess what the antidote is to coumadin? Vitamin K.
Another point is that many variations of multis are offered now. Some have caffeine in them. If you are sensitive to caffeine, you may not want a half dose in the evening.
So - technically - yes. Most multis can be broken in half. Whether or not it is a good idea is another question.