Capsules are a modern dosage form. They contain the active substance, which is released in the place of the gastrointestinal tract, where it is intended according to the properties of the shell.
Types of capsules and their shells
Capsules come with a hard or soft shell, consisting of gelatin, starch or polymer. Inside, medicine can be enclosed in various forms: paste, powder, liquid, granules.
Gelatin capsules are the most common type of capsules. Their predecessors were starch wafers. Gelatin capsules are easy to manufacture, dissolve well and safely in the body. But they have a number of disadvantages, such as fear of water, and they can also serve as a breeding ground for microorganisms. There are also polymer shells. They correspond to safety indicators, dissolve well in an acidic environment. They also find demand among vegetarians, unlike gelatin capsules derived from the connective tissue of vertebrates.
To improve the aesthetic appearance of the casings, approved dyes can be added. Large pharmaceutical companies use many different shades, because the psychological factor of the drugs used by a person is known. The smell of the capsule is also corrected, this is achieved by adding essential oils and essences.
In addition to internal use, there are capsules for local action: rectal and vaginal, there are also sublingual. At the place of dissolution of the shell, the capsules are for swallowing, there are decaying in the environment of the stomach or in the small intestine.
Using capsules
Capsules have a wide purpose. Modern technologies make it possible to encapsulate, in addition to medicines, various nutritional supplements, for example, for sports nutrition, there are drugs for veterinary medicine, slimming capsules. There are cosmetic capsules, coated creams, bath products, aromatic oils.
For example, athletes add special amino acids to their diet to increase muscle mass. For convenience, instead of constantly diluting the powder of these supplements, manufacturers encapsulate it. Thus, they achieved the accuracy of the dosages taken, the convenience of transportation, the elimination of the unpleasant taste and smell of the powder, which eliminated the need to add unnecessary flavors and chemicals to improve the dissolution of powders in water.
Benefits of encapsulated dosage forms
In terms of popularity, capsules are second in use after tabletsamong all dosage forms. What are their advantages and features?
- Modern equipment makes it possible to produce capsules with high precision and without loss of the medicinal substance, and also allows dyeing in various colors and marking.
- The capsule hides the unpleasant taste and smell of the medicine.
- The shell reliably protects the drug from external adverse effects and reduces the addition of various stabilizers.
- Capsules disintegrate quickly in the body, the soft or powder form of the medicinal substance is absorbed faster.
- There are drugs that have discovered new pharmacological properties when they are encapsulated, the instructions for use of some drugs, for example, make it clear that when they are encapsulated, they have received a new way of using them - as a sleeping pill.
- The ability to set certain properties of capsule shells allows you to create drugs with prolonged action or with protection from the effects of gastric juice, with dissolution in the small intestine.
Main differences from pills
The main difference, besides the appearance, is that in the production of tablets, the manufacturer is forced to add various chemical binders to form the tablet, because not all drug powders can be pressed.
Pills that do not have notches on the surface should not be divided before use. This is due to the fact that inside the medicinal substance can beunevenly distributed. Therefore, tablets are not recommended to be divided for use in childhood due to a possible overdose. Also, the part of the divided tablet, which often has special components for better absorption, may have less healing effect than the other part.
The capsule can only be opened and divided in very rare cases, especially sealed capsules.
Pills can not only be swallowed, some of them need to be chewed or sucked. But those tablets that are meant to be taken with water take longer to dissolve, as she still has to pass many barriers in the gastrointestinal tract. In the capsule, the medicinal substance is already crushed, when the shell is dissolved, it will immediately be absorbed and act faster.
How to take capsules
Today, there is a wide variety of dosage forms, you need to know the general concepts about their use and carefully read the instructions. It is not worth replacing yourself, for example, a tablet with a capsule or vice versa. Since they can act differently or not at all.
Capsules, enclosed in a special protective shell from the effects of gastric juice, should act in the small intestine and dissolve only in its alkaline environment. The instructions for the use of the capsules will indicate that it is impossible to open, otherwise the therapeutic effect will be neutralized by the acid of the stomach, or even harm its mucous membranes.
To make it easier to swallow the capsule, you canmoisten it a little with saliva in your mouth. And drink plenty of water.
Microcapsules
This type of capsule is an innovation in modern medicine. The shell of the microcapsule consists of a polymer. The drug contained within can be a liquid, a gas, or a solid. The sizes of the particles of microcapsules enclosed in the shell can be from 5 to 5000 microns, and their filling can be from 50 to 99%.
In addition to the general properties of capsules, microcapsules have a number of advantages that are important for pharmacy. Thanks to microencapsulation, it is possible to combine substances in one dosage form that would react with each other in a free form.
Regulation of the thickness and porosity of the shell allows you to get a drug with a slow release and longer duration of action. This allows you to increase efficiency and reduce the number of side effects of the drug. A good example is the new long-acting form of nitroglycerin, which is used to prevent angina attacks. Imprisoned in microcapsules, it began to be released more slowly, and its effect increased to several hours.
Unstable in the free state, some enzymes, vitamins, antibiotics become stable forms when microencapsulated.
Could there be harm
The question of the dangers of capsules may concern people who are interested in the composition of their shell. The gelatin shell is absolutely harmless to the body, it is non-toxic and easily absorbed even in case of malfunctions.gastrointestinal tract. Manufacturers are constantly looking to improve properties, availability and safety. The capsule shell is completely soluble in the body and cannot harm. The same cannot be said about opening capsules that are not intended for this.
Conclusion of the article
Pharmaceutical production is constantly improving. In the same way, the methods of delivering drugs to our body are becoming more targeted, perfect and safe. The capsule belongs to those dosage forms that are still going their way from a simple bag to a rather technologically complex drug. Which capsules are better, time will tell, but the fact that they are increasingly used and more and more introduced into medical practice is undeniable.
