Ever Wondered why capsule tablets?

After returning home from the doctor's clinic, when you check your paper bag of tablets that were prescribed, at least one of the tablets would have been a capsule tablet. I'm sure you would have thought if it's safe to consume capsules because you assumed the outer shell was probably of plastic. Adding to the capsule observations, there are the little balls too inside the capsule. But have you ever wondered why capsule tablets when there are regular tablets too? What's the difference between the two?

Well to start with, both tablets and capsules have the same function which is to deliver the drug to the body. They are both just alternative ways of delivering dosage. The tablet is a compressed form of the drug and in capsules, the drug is contained inside. Ultimately the difference is in the API (Active pharmaceutical ingredient) and the choice of the person consuming it. API is the biologically active component of the drug.

Although they both have the same function, both have their advantages and disadvantages. A tablets biggest value proposition is that it can accommodate more dosage and at the same time maintain a smaller form factor. Tablets can also be custom shaped and sized while being more cost-effective to produce. Capsules might not be capable of withholding larger doses but are very effective and efficient. Capsules break down quickly and are more fast-acting. Accompanying that, the disintegration of the formulation or the drug is also more even. Whereas tablets breakdown is inconsistent thus lowering the medication effectiveness and overall absorption. So capsules tend to give faster relief. Some tablets have controlled-release agents added to them so that the dissolution can be controlled for quick, delayed, or extended-release to cope with the disadvantage. 

Another drawback of tablets is the form factor which was an advantage earlier. To have that small compressed form factor of a tablet, the formulation is tightly compressed. For this additives are to be added to bind it from powder form, and to remove moisture. Apart from this, some tablets have added colour to them too. If formulation has a strong smell then an external layer is coated to mask the smell. Capsules overcome these problems by simply having the formulation in its native form inside the capsule. The capsule itself is made from aqueous solutions of gelling agents, such as animal protein (mainly gelatin) or plant polysaccharides or their derivatives. 

Tablets unlike capsules tend to irritate the gastrointestinal tract because of some chemicals that are released from them or even cause ulcers in some cases. 

 

Although these tablets and capsules of the allopathy world might give quick relief from illnesses and pain, allopathy medication has been known to have side effects which may last for a short or long period of time. Due to these factors, many people have started looking for alternate safer options such as ayurvedic and homoeopathy in recent times.