Section 6: Capsule Flashcards
What is the most common dose form for adults and why?
- Oral solids, tablets, or capsule
- Convenient to take and carry; readily identified and attractive appearance; efficient to fabricate, package, and ship; solids tend to be more stable
What are capsules?
Solid dose forms where the medicinal and excipient materials are enclosed in a gelatin shell
True or false: capsules can be hard or soft
True
What do pharmacists often use for extemporaneous compounding of oral solids?
Empty hard gelatin shells
Capsules are generally meant to be taken _____
Intact
When would opening of a capsule be inappropriate?
When enteric coated and sustained or controlled release products
What do soft capsule shells require?
Very specialized equipment
When are hard capsules shells well-suited for?
Extemporaneous compounding
What are capsule shells composed of?
Gelatin and water
What do soft capsule shells contain that hard shells don’t?
A plasticizer that may be sugar, glycerol, or more water
True or false: soft capsule shells may be coloured with dye and/or made opaque with excipients
False, hard capsule shells may do this
What percent of moisture do capsule shells contain?
15%
Are capsule shells susceptible to microbial growth?
Yes, so storage away from excessive moisture or dryness is important
What are the 2 parts of a capsule shell?
Body and cap
What are the range of sizes for capsule shells?
Small #5 to large #000
What is the weight of the material filling the shell dependent on?
Bulk density, which is a function of particle size
What is the bulk density of a powder?
The weight of a powder in a specified volume
What are powders composed of?
Particles and voids, so the volume occupied by a given number of particles depends on how closely they are packed
What does packing of particles depend on?
Their shape, cohesiveness, short-range motion, and external forces
When will bulk density of a powder increase?
With tapping or vibration which causes particles to move and allow smaller particles to occupy the voids between larger particles
What is a common diluent used in preparation of capsules?
Lactose
What does capsule size depend on?
Bulk density and quantity of powder
What part of the capsule shell is filled?
Body, not cap
What is the punch method of filling capsules?
- Fill is prepared using trituration and geometric dilution
- Fill spread out in layer and capsule body is punched into fill repeatedly using vertical motion until fill
- Cap loosely replaced and net weight checked, adjusted if necessary, and cap locked on
For the preparation of capsules, when should excess be prepared and when is excess not necessary?
- Necessary when using punch method
- Not necessary when using filling machine
Why should excess powder be removed from outside of capsules?
- Pharmaceutically elegant
- Powder is often bitter, so there is potential for undesirable topical exposure
How are solid dose forms for oral use taken?
Place the dose on the tongue and swallow with a glass of beverage
Why is it recommended to take solid oral dose forms with a beverage?
If taken without a beverage can lodge in esophagus
What should the patient be counselled on if taking controlled or sustained release products?
Should be cautioned against breaking, chewing, or crushing the capsule
What are the 5 steps for calculations for capsule filling?
1) Select shell size
2) Fill separate shells with each drug and excipient and determine and record net weight
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 drug and diluent required for the number of prescribed capsules
