Capsules

Question 1

what are the two most common dose forms for adults?

Answer 1

tablets

capsules

Question 2

what are some benefits to capsule/tablet form? (6pts)

Answer 2

1) conveniently carried
2) readily identified
3) easily taken
4) variety of dosage strengths
5) can be fabricated, packaged, and shipped efficiently
6) enhanced stability

Question 3

what kind of capsule shell do pharmacists usually use in extemporaneous compounding?

Answer 3

hard shelled gelatin capsules

Question 4

what are capsules?

Answer 4

solid dosage forms in which the medicinal and excipient materials are enclosed in a small shell of gelatin (can be hard or soft)

Question 5

when can it be inappropriate to open a capsule for ingestion? when is it appropriate?

Answer 5

inappropriate: for enteric-coated, sustained, or controlled release products
appropriate: when the contents are to be mixed with food or juice

Question 6

which shell is more common: hard shell or soft shell? why?

Answer 6

hard shell

soft shell requires specialized equipment only suited to an industrial setting

Question 7

what are the soft shells made of?

Answer 7

gelatin and water

Question 8

what is an approved excipient to make capsule shells opaque?

Answer 8

titanium dioxide

Question 9

about what percentage of moisture do capsules contain? what happens if you reduce this percentage? increase?

Answer 9

15%

reduce: they become brittle and can break when handled
increase: become sticky and may be subject to microbial growth

Question 10

what are the two parts of a capsule shell?

Answer 10

capsule body

shorter cap

Question 11

what is the range of available capsule sizes? which is the smallest and which is the largest?

Answer 11

000>00>0>1>2>3>4>5
000 = largest
5 = smallest

Question 12

what does the bulk density of a powder express?

Answer 12

the amount (wt or mass) of a powder in a specific volume

Question 13

what does particle packing depend on? (4pts)

Answer 13

shape
cohesiveness
short-range motion
external forces

Question 14

what 2 techniques increase the bulk density of a powder? how so?

Answer 14

tapping
vibration
causes particles to move relative to one another in a way that allows smaller particles to occupy the voids between larger particles

Question 15

what is tapped density determination? what are the two methods?

Answer 15

100g of material placed in a graduated cylinder is tapped in increments of 1250 times until no further decrease in volume is seen
method 1 - 14mm drop
method 2 - 3mm drop

Question 16

is tap density an inherent property of a material? why or why not?

Answer 16

no

because this measurement varies depending on the vigor and number of taps

Question 17

what is tap density useful for?

Answer 17

packaging, handling, and shipping bulk granular products

Question 18

what are the 3 main steps of preparing a capsule?

Answer 18

1) developing the formulation and selecting the capsule size
2) filling the shells
3) cleaning and polishing the finished capsules

Question 19

what may be used to provide the proper capsule fill volume?

Answer 19

diluent or filler

Question 20

what is the most common filler? what are some other fillers that may be used?

Answer 20

lactose

others: microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) or starch

Question 21

when would you use diluents/fillers other than lactose?

Answer 21

when there is an incompatibility between the drug and lactose

Question 22

when would you add a disintegrant to a capsule?

Answer 22

to aid in the breakup of the capsule

Question 23

what is an example of a disintegrant?

Answer 23

pregelatinized starch

Question 24

what is a requirement for homogeneity?

Answer 24

particle size should be similar

Question 25

why would you add a lubricant or glidant to automated equipment?

Answer 25

to aid in the flow of the powder

Question 26

give two examples of lubricants/glidants

Answer 26

magnesium stearate

silicon dioxide

Question 27

do you use lubricants/glidants with hard shell or soft shell capsules?

Answer 27

soft shell capsules

Question 28

what do you base selection of capsule size on?

Answer 28

amount of drug and its bulk density

Question 29

when filling capsules, do you fill the body or the cap?

Answer 29

body

Question 30

what are the two methods of filling capsules?

Answer 30

punch method

capsule filling machine

Question 31

what do you do with the punch method?

Answer 31

the fill is prepared (with extra material) and spread on a glass slab (approx 1/3 of the length of the shell)
remove the cap and the body is vertically punched into the fill repeatedly the body is full
replace cap and check wt

Question 32

when is it important to weigh every capsule?

Answer 32

when the medication is potent

Question 33

do you need to prepare excess for capsule filling machine?

Answer 33

nope

Question 34

what is an important hygiene tip when filling capsules?

Answer 34

wear gloves

Question 35

how do you clean capsules after filling?

Answer 35

wipe with clean cloth/gauze or a cleaning vacuum to remove any powder adhering to the outside

Question 36

how do you typically take capsules?

Answer 36

place dose on tongue and swallowing it with a glass of water/beverage

Question 37

why is it advised to take capsules with water?

Answer 37

so they don’t get lodged in the esophagus

Question 38

how does food affect taking capsules?

Answer 38

bioavailability and efficacy of some drugs may be seriously affected by food/beverages

Question 39

what are the 5 calculation steps for preparing capsules?

Answer 39

1) select shell size
2) fill a shell separately with each drug and diluent and record the net weights
3) calculate the diluent displacement weight for each drug
4) calculate the amount of diluent required for each capsule
5) calculate the total quantities of drugs and diluent required for the prescribed # of capsules