How do capsules dissolve

Often the volume of a tablet or a capsule alone cannot stimulate enough muscular activity in the esophagus to completely carry the dosage form to the stomach. Studies in humans have proven that drinking water with medications will provide enough volume to activate these muscles.

Because cats cannot be made to drink when medications are administered, they are much more likely to suffer injury from capsule entrapment. Studies also support the theory that capsules are more likely to get stuck in the esophagus than tablets.

This is because gelatin, the substance capsules are made of becomes tacky when it comes in contact with the moisture of mucous membranes like the esophagus, causing the capsule to adhere.

Lubricating the outside of these capsules with oils or other slippery substances has been shown to prevent capsule entrapment in humans.

Virtually all human-labeled drugs must be reformulated for appropriate doses in smaller animals. As many drugs are not stable in a liquid dosage form, capsules are often the only dosage form option for cats. This is why they are usually presented in packaging material such as aluminum strip packing, or foil.

The foil protects the hard-shelled capsule from moisture. Soft gelatin capsules have soft, globular, gelatin shells somewhat thicker than that of hard gelatin capsules. The gelation is plasticized by the addition of glycerin and other elements to create the softshell.

It also may contain a preservative to prevent any fungal growth. Potato starch is the main ingredient of the transparent, smooth, flexible film, which can be shaped, filled, and packaged just like gelatin.

It is safe to swallow capsule covers. They may need to be swallowed whole because:. According to The Orlando Clinical Research center, it takes approximately 30 minutes for a capsule to dissolve in the body. In general, it typically takes approximately 30 minutes for most medications to dissolve.

When a medication is coated in a special coating — which may help protect the drug from stomach acids — it may take longer to reach the bloodstream. For example, aspirin may dissolve in a matter of minutes, while gelcaps may take much longer, due to their gel coating. When medications move through the human body, they encounter and are processed by different organs before finally being released into the bloodstream.

While this process may sound straightforward, different drugs dissolve at different rates, different formulas, and dosages breakdown differently — and each persons body metabolizes medication in their own unique speed and way. We hope this article has been helpful to you. View Iframe URL. Pills get into your bloodstream by dissolving in your stomach. But the point of your stomach is to quickly dissolve things, so drug companies have a problem if they want to give you something that releases over the course of the day instead of in a single burst.

One solution? These ingredients can be easily filled in the two-piece hardcaps. A standard gelatin hard capsule dissolves in the stomach, under normal conditions, within twenty to thirty minutes after swallowing.

Depending on the application, different gelatin types or additional process steps can influence the dissolution process. Some gelatin types dissolve faster than others when they are in contact with acidic fluids and higher temperatures stomach conditions.

For other applications, as for example pain relievers it is necessary to have an even faster dissolving shell. For applications where the drug is targeting the intestines a slower dissolving shell is required.

Like their softgel counterparts, gelatin hard capsules offer value to consumers and producers alike. These advantages are due largely due to their main component, gelatin. Gelatin means "stiff" and is a colorless dry powder that has been used for centuries in a host of food and pharmaceutical uses.

For consumers, gelatin dissolves in the human body at normal body temperature, making it the ideal ingredient in hardcaps. While protecting the precious actives inside the capsule against oxygen, light, moisture and dust, the gelatin of the hardcaps affords consumers easy swallowing.