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How do time release capsules work?
The way the capsules work is amazingly simple. In effect, you
Are swallowing a group of small medicinal time bombs--close to
A thousand of them in some capsules--with "fuses" set for
Different times. Those fuses are created by the varying
Thickness' of a wax-like coating over the medication which
Determines how soon your digestive system can get at the
Medicine inside each pellet. The thin-skinned ones go to work
Almost right away, while the ones with the heavier coatings
Hang around, waiting for that coating to dissolve. All you
Have to do is swallow the capsule. Bombs away!


I may be dumb but my question is... if a med says it releases 10 mgs an hour for 10 hours, does the med contain 100 mgs of that med? If so then why is it if a person took 10 caps they would prob. Die. But if they crush the cap they do not die or rarely die. I know it is a dangerous thing to do..
I have been thinking and thinking about this and it just does not make sense. There has to be more to it.
I know people who crush tabs all the time ( I know this is bad) and I know they do not get as high as if they had taken all the tabs in the time frame? As I said before this can not be all there is to it.

First let me say I am sorry for taking so long to attempt to answer your question.

Now, your question raises many red flags to me. I am curious as to your reasons for this question, as well as exactly which meds you are asking about.

Extended release capsules cannot be crushed, tablets can, but capsules cannot. Your question while a good one is very vague since, again, you do not specify which med you are talking about. Many meds are NOT to be crushed, while it is okay to crush others. There are thousands and thousands of medications on the market and each works in it's own way.

If you can be more specific in which medications you are sking about, I can be more specific with my answer.

I am sorry about not naming a med , but I didn't have any one med in mind. I was just looking over some classes for C.E.U.s and medication was one of them. I won't take it because I work mostly with code drugs and more severe cases.
I also didn't know that any time released meds could be crushed. I guess I learn something new every day.
My friends at work responded about the same way you did. They hadn't thought about it ( as we never do it) and they really didn't know.
Thank you for taking the time to answer. I am going to ask a drug rep next time I can catch up with one. At work, time is always a factor.
BTW you are always a big help. I can see why you make good grades in school.

I have a question very similar, and I will explain why as well..
I have several issues , physical limitation, pain etc... my Dr has me on 10 mg Hydrocodone 3 to 4 times a day as needed... It is helpful except for the nerve pain.. but everything else it does help.. any way I am concerned of the amount of tylenol intake along with the hydrocodone... I have done a little research on different meds.. and found that they are looking to release a new medication in the next year, I can't recall the name right off.. but it is a time release hydrocodone taken every 12 hours I think.. to me it seems like it may be worth trying, as it will give ME the option to take tylenol when I feel I need it and not be forced to take it with a dose of the other med... but also time release seems to me that I wouldn't need to carry my meds around with me just in case I need...
I am curious how the time release works... I understand it releases meds every so often in your system, but the question is... If I had a time release pill that was lets say, 30 mg and you take it every 12 hours... does that mean that at each release, a full 30 mg would be released into your system ? Or is the 30 mg broke down into maybe 5 mg every 2 hours? I mean I don't know the exact milligrams or anything, I am just asking how the release amount works... trying to decide if this is something I would like to discuss with my Dr. and just looking for more information before doing so... Thank you