Capsules Flashcards
what are the two most common dose forms for adults?
tablets
capsules
what are some benefits to capsule/tablet form? (6pts)
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
what kind of capsule shell do pharmacists usually use in extemporaneous compounding?
hard shelled gelatin capsules
what are capsules?
solid dosage forms in which the medicinal and excipient materials are enclosed in a small shell of gelatin (can be hard or soft)
when can it be inappropriate to open a capsule for ingestion? when is it appropriate?
inappropriate: for enteric-coated, sustained, or controlled release products
appropriate: when the contents are to be mixed with food or juice
which shell is more common: hard shell or soft shell? why?
hard shell
soft shell requires specialized equipment only suited to an industrial setting
what are the soft shells made of?
gelatin and water
what is an approved excipient to make capsule shells opaque?
titanium dioxide
about what percentage of moisture do capsules contain? what happens if you reduce this percentage? increase?
15%
reduce: they become brittle and can break when handled
increase: become sticky and may be subject to microbial growth
what are the two parts of a capsule shell?
capsule body
shorter cap
what is the range of available capsule sizes? which is the smallest and which is the largest?
000>00>0>1>2>3>4>5
000 = largest
5 = smallest
what does the bulk density of a powder express?
the amount (wt or mass) of a powder in a specific volume
what does particle packing depend on? (4pts)
shape
cohesiveness
short-range motion
external forces
what 2 techniques increase the bulk density of a powder? how so?
tapping
vibration
causes particles to move relative to one another in a way that allows smaller particles to occupy the voids between larger particles
what is tapped density determination? what are the two methods?
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
is tap density an inherent property of a material? why or why not?
no
because this measurement varies depending on the vigor and number of taps
what is tap density useful for?
packaging, handling, and shipping bulk granular products
what are the 3 main steps of preparing a capsule?
1) developing the formulation and selecting the capsule size
2) filling the shells
3) cleaning and polishing the finished capsules
what may be used to provide the proper capsule fill volume?
diluent or filler
what is the most common filler? what are some other fillers that may be used?
lactose
others: microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) or starch
when would you use diluents/fillers other than lactose?
when there is an incompatibility between the drug and lactose
when would you add a disintegrant to a capsule?
to aid in the breakup of the capsule
what is an example of a disintegrant?
pregelatinized starch
what is a requirement for homogeneity?
particle size should be similar
why would you add a lubricant or glidant to automated equipment?
to aid in the flow of the powder
give two examples of lubricants/glidants
magnesium stearate
silicon dioxide
do you use lubricants/glidants with hard shell or soft shell capsules?
soft shell capsules
what do you base selection of capsule size on?
amount of drug and its bulk density
when filling capsules, do you fill the body or the cap?
body
what are the two methods of filling capsules?
punch method
capsule filling machine
what do you do with the punch method?
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
when is it important to weigh every capsule?
when the medication is potent
do you need to prepare excess for capsule filling machine?
nope
what is an important hygiene tip when filling capsules?
wear gloves
how do you clean capsules after filling?
wipe with clean cloth/gauze or a cleaning vacuum to remove any powder adhering to the outside
how do you typically take capsules?
place dose on tongue and swallowing it with a glass of water/beverage
why is it advised to take capsules with water?
so they don’t get lodged in the esophagus
how does food affect taking capsules?
bioavailability and efficacy of some drugs may be seriously affected by food/beverages
what are the 5 calculation steps for preparing capsules?
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
