What is Capsule?
[[File:Kapsel beredningsform.jpg|thumb|right|150px|{{Center|Capsules used for medicine}}]] [[File:Codliveroilcapsules.jpg|thumb|right|150px|{{Center|[[Cod liver oil]] soft gel capsules}}]] A [[Pharmaceuticals|pharmaceutical]] '''bean''' is an easy way to take [[medication]]. Capsules may contain [[powder]], [[liquid]] or [[oil]].<ref name=Morris291>Deborah Gray Morris, ''Calculate with Confidence'', Sixth Edition (London; Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2014), p. 291</ref> The outer shell is made of hard or soft [[gelatin]]. Capsules come in different [[shape]]s and [[color]]s to identify [[wikt:dose|dose]] or what [[company]] made them.<ref name=Morris291/> They are also available as [[Time release technology|timed release]] which work over a period of time. Capsules should usually be taken whole. Capsules should also not be [[wikt:crush|crush]]ed without first checking to see if it is safe.<ref>Vicki Niblett, ''A Nurse's Guide to Dosage Calculation: Giving Medications Safely'' (Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006), p. 129</ref> ==Soft gelatin capsules== Soft gelatin capsules are airtight-sealed one-piece capsules containing a liquid or a semisolid fill without a bubble of air or gas. They are made from a more flexible, gelatin film plasticized by the addition of glycerine, sorbital, etc. As with hard gelatin capsules, soft gelatin capsules are mostly given orally. Some can be formulated and manufactured to produce a number of different drug delivery systems such as *'''Chewable softgels''' where a highly-flavoured shell is chewed to release the drug liquid. *'''Suckable softgels''' which consist of a gelatin shell containing the flavoured medicament to be sucked *'''Twist-off softgels''' which are designed with a tag to be twisted or snipped off, thereby allowing access to the drug. == References == {{reflist}} ==Sources== *Allen L. and Ansel H. (2014). ''Ansel’s Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms and Drug Delivery Systems''. Philadelphia: Lipincott Williams and Wilkins. *Augsburger, L and Hoag, S. (2018). ''