Caplets Vs. Capsules

Capsules were invented in Europe in the mid-1800s. They are two fused exterior parts usually made from gelatin, which encapsulate medicine or vitamins. It dissolves and releases the enclosed substance in the stomach. Caplets, however, did not appear until the mid-1980s. Smoothly coated tablets, shaped like a capsule, caplets are easy to swallow and dissolve faster than an uncoated tablet.

Price and Design

• The word "caplet" is a combination of capsule and tablet.

  Uncoated tablets can be produced faster than capsules. Therefore, capsules are more expensive. As a hybrid, caplets are somewhere in between but still less expensive. The design of the caplet was created to alleviate fears over tampering that occurred during a rash of homicides. These murders resulted from poisoned, over-the-counter acetaminophen capsules in the 1980s.

Tolerance and Absorption

• Some people have mental or physical anxiety about taking medicine in any solid form, whether uncoated tablets or gel caps -- a hybrid of capsules and liquid. The two halves of the capsule can be pulled apart so the powder or liquid medicine inside can be mixed with food or drink to help get it to the stomach. The human body's absorption rate for either design, however, is about the same with capsules being slightly faster.

Medicine and Supplements

• For pain medicine, the faster the absorption, the better. Most other prescription medicines or over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen can only be absorbed by the body at a certain rate. This applies to vitamins and other dietary supplements. In fact, vitamins that are absorbed too fast into the body basically are eliminated through the urine so any benefits are lost.

Safety

• Capsules can be tampered with because they are two pieces of an outer shell that can be separated. Therefore, the contents could be replaced or altered. Caplets are solid so this cannot happen. Even so, safety seals on any over-the-counter medicines and dietary supplements should prevent any alteration to either design.