How Long Does a Capsule Take to Dissolve？

When it comes to medication, capsules are often highly preferable for their ability to mask the weird smell and unpleasant chemical taste. Unlike tablets, they’re smooth and easy to swallow while still delivering the desired therapeutic results. But even though we take them all the time, ‘how long does a capsule take to dissolve’ still remains a mystery to many.

If you find yourself wondering what happens once the capsule slides down your throat, you’re in the right place. In this blog, we’ll explain how capsules dissolve, the factors that affect their dissolution rate, and ways to speed up the process.

How Long Does a Capsule Take to Dissolve?  

For most regular gelatin capsules, the shell takes around 30 minutes to an hour to break down in the body. However, that’s just an average range, since the actual disintegration time depends primarily upon the type of capsule you’re taking. Some dissolve quickly, while others may carry contents that naturally slow down the process.

To make it simpler, these capsules are divided into three categories based on their dissolution time within the bloodstream:

Quick-release Pills

The first type is the quick-release capsule, which typically doesn’t have a hard coating to slow down its breakdown within the body. They’re designed to release the medicine in the stomach within 30-60 minutes of intake. Most capsules in pharmacies are quick-release pills, so it’s advised to take them at least twice a day to get sufficient ingredients in your system.

Medium-release Pills

As the name suggests, medium-release capsules deliver a rather ‘delayed’ response than an immediate one. These enteric-coated capsules usually work around 2 hours after you swallow them, usually in the intestine with higher pH levels.

The coat is made of acrylic resin, which controls the release time of the medicine. This, in turn, prevents side effects like nausea while the capsule passes through the stomach.

Slow-release Pills

The third group, i.e., the slow-release capsules, typically has the thickest coating layer and hence, dissolves the slowest. After you swallow one, it passes through multiple parts of your body, releasing small amounts of the dosage slowly. For this reason, these capsules are consumed only once a day, requiring between 6 and 12 hours to break down.

Factors that Affect a Capsule’s Dissolution Time

Arguably, the question ‘How long does a capsule take to dissolve’ has no one-size-fits-all answer. In fact, the time it takes for a capsule to break down in your bloodstream isn’t just random, but has various factors behind it. Let’s take a closer look at those factors and how they affect a capsule’s dissolution time:

Capsule Shell Composition

The most important factor that affects how long the capsule takes to dissolve in your system depends on what its coating is made of. Most commonly, this shell is made up of gelatin,  vegetarian-friendly HPMC, or an enteric coating (hard gel).

Made up of animal extract, gelatin-based capsules dissolve faster in the bloodstream, usually taking around 15 minutes. Conversely, HPMC-based coatings are derived from plant sources, which means they take longer to dissolve. Enteric-coated capsules are designed to dissolve later in your intestines; hence, they have the slowest dissolution time.

Drug Properties

What’s inside the capsule equally plays its role in how long does a capsule take to dissolve. As such, powder, granules, and liquid behave differently once inside the body. For example, powders and liquids tend to spread out quickly once the shell opens, whereas granules are usually designed for the gradual release of the medicine.

Similarly, drugs with higher solubility and smaller particle size will dissolve faster. It’s worth noting that different forms of a drug will have different dissolution rates, e.g., drugs in crystalline form will take longer to dissolve in the bloodstream.

Conditions Inside the Body

Your body’s internal conditions largely influence how fast the capsule dissolves within your system. For instance, your stomach is more acidic than the intestines, so some capsules will break down in the stomach while others will hold back till the conditions are more alkaline.

Similarly, the temperature inside your body will impact the rate of a capsule’s dissolution. Warmer temperatures will speed things up, while cooler conditions will slow things down. More so, capsules taken on an empty stomach usually dissolve faster than those taken with or after meals.

Capsule Design

As stated earlier, the design of the capsule directly affects its dissolution in the body. For instance, some capsules are made for immediate release of the medicine, while others have a special coating for delayed response. This also influences the frequency of your medicine intake.

How to Make Your Capsule Dissolve Fast

Once you know how long does a capsule take to dissolve, you might wonder whether you can control the capsule’s dissolution rate in your body. The answer is yes, and it’s not half as complicated as it sounds. To accelerate a capsule’s action in your body, you might consider the following options:

• Take an immediate-release capsule with soft coating.
• Take the medicine on an empty stomach to activate the enzymes to work faster.

FAQs

Can I open a capsule pill and take it for easier dissolution?

While some capsules can be opened, it isn’t a good idea to open all your capsules for easier dissolution. Instead, seek advice from your pharmacist to know whether it’s safe to open a particular capsule.

How long does a capsule take to dissolve on an empty stomach?

Generally, capsules absorb faster on an empty stomach than after meals, since food delays the process of medication absorption in your body. However, the real dissolution time will also depend on the type of capsule you’re taking.

Do capsules absorb faster than pharmaceutical tablets?

Yes, once in the body, capsules dissolve much faster than tablets, so they start working sooner. Plus, they also have higher bioavailability, i.e., they’re generally more effective than tablets as they enter the system.

Conclusion

Before you take your medication, it’s worth finding out how long does a capsule take to dissolve in your system and what you can do to accelerate its effect. With the knowledge provided in the blog, you can easily gauge a capsule’s reaction long before it enters the blood.

Recommend Readings:

5 Tips For Choosing The Right Empty Capsules For Your Product.

Different Types of Capsule Dosage Forms and How They Work.

What is Solid Dosage Formulation? Simple Guide for Everyone.