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Best method for filling < 50mg pills?

linuxghost

New member
Hey all,

Fairly simple question: say I have a drug or supplement I wish to put inside gelatin capsules, preferrably size 3 or 4 or so.

What would be the easiest way of filling the pills with a small amount of a supplement, like 50 mg or less? Most capsule filling machines are sort of intended for large (500+ mg) amounts, so I'm not sure that'd work well.

Anyone have any tips?
 
How accurate a scale do you have?
 
Hey guys,

Thanks for the replies. I actually don't have a scale on hand. I assume an analytical scale would be my best option, but clearly those are a bit pricey....

Anyone know of one that can measure out my needed amounts ( 10 mg - 60 mg or so) for, say, $100-ish? It doesn't need to be pinpoint accurate or anything mindblowing.

However, if there is a solution that doesn't require a scale, (maybe some sort of measuring scoop instead?) that would be prime.
 
Hey Necroticism,

Thanks a bunch, I actually stumbled across some similar scales to the one you linked that look like they can do the trick.

So after measuring out an amount using the scale, say, 20mg per day for a month, or 600 mg total, would my best bet be to mix it with another powder, like some sort of vitamin, so I could fill larger pills? I know that fillers, as I said, are intended for larger than 20 mg of powder... In fact, I think even size 4 gelatine capsules hold a MINIMUM of like 60 mg.
 
Basically, what I like to do is scoop 1 cap full of the powder you wish to cap. Weigh the cap to figure out the exact amount of powder it contains, then divide that number to give an amount I wish to have using fillers.

Ex.

I have a powder that is roughly 280mg in a 1' cap. I want the cap to contain about 50mg of my powdered.

280/5 would yeild roughly 50mg or so of my powdered.

I take my bulk powder, and combine it with 5X the amount with a filler of similiar weight(this is often ball parked).

So if I have 5gr of powdered I would add 25 grams of filler making a total of 30grams to be mixed.

Once capped I have a product containing roughly 45-50mg per cap.
 
Yes, that is the method. Some people also recommend stirring with a spoon after shaking it for good measure.

-Evan
 
You could also make a liquid solution, if that will work for you.
 
Seems fairly straightforward, thanks a lot, guys!

Anyone have any product recommendations as far as fillers or capsules go? Like I said, I'd opt for much smaller capsules, size 4 or so would be great.
 
prld2gr8ns said:
Basically, what I like to do is scoop 1 cap full of the powder you wish to cap. Weigh the cap to figure out the exact amount of powder it contains, then divide that number to give an amount I wish to have using fillers.

Ex.

I have a powder that is roughly 280mg in a 1' cap. I want the cap to contain about 50mg of my powdered.

280/5 would yeild roughly 50mg or so of my powdered.

I take my bulk powder, and combine it with 5X the amount with a filler of similiar weight(this is often ball parked).

So if I have 5gr of powdered I would add 25 grams of filler making a total of 30grams to be mixed.

Once capped I have a product containing roughly 45-50mg per cap.
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I would think this would give you an inconsistent mix. It's quite possible you would end up with several caps with just filler and/or several caps that are overdosed. This can be dangerous depending on the material. I'd personally weigh each one out on the scale and then add filler.
 
scott72 said:
I would think this would give you an inconsistent mix. It's quite possible you would end up with several caps with just filler and/or several caps that are overdosed. This can be dangerous depending on the material. I'd personally weigh each one out on the scale and then add filler.
Click to expand...

in this case, what propose does the filler serve? sure the cap would be 96% empty and look odd but but the filler seems pointless.

this way would also take all day, not saying its a bad idea just time consuming.
 
i like the liquid solution best. probably the most accurate doses by far and would only take about 3 minutes to make.

for example: say you want to dose 10mg for 30 days. weigh out 300mg on the scale, drop it in an old liquid research chem bottle or some small, little sealing jar and put in 30cc's of water and shake. every time you want to take a dose just shake it really well and take 1cc of the solution. use an oral syringe (get OTC at a pharmacy) or if you have an injectable type syringe, pull the needle out with some pliers and now you have an oral syringe that you can use to measure very accurately. thats just the way i would go for such minuscule dosages.
 
heebs, the problem with creating a solution can be that, as you said, the mix can be inconsistent and the powder might not be soluble, for one.

Also, a lot of powders, such as Isotretinoin, can lose a lot of potency if they're not prepared properly in a certain solution. And unfortunately, it's pretty difficult to obtain information on what powders like Iso are best suspended in.
 
Also scott, I have the same question: if you're measuring out each pill individually, why add filler at all?

My understanding is that the whole point of filler is to make it so that you can use a filling machine/device and fill a bunch of pills equally at the same time
 
linuxghost said:
heebs, the problem with creating a solution can be that, as you said, the mix can be inconsistent and the powder might not be soluble, for one.

Also, a lot of powders, such as Isotretinoin, can lose a lot of potency if they're not prepared properly in a certain solution. And unfortunately, it's pretty difficult to obtain information on what powders like Iso are best suspended in.
Click to expand...

yeah i know but depending on the compound you are using. if it is soluble i think it would be rather consistent as along as its shaken very well. but your right, probably not the best method for all compounds.
 
True, heebs.

(For the record, Isotretinoin is NOT soluble in water. It is, however, moderately soluble in a number of vegetable oils and/or soybean oil.)
 
linuxghost said:
Also scott, I have the same question: if you're measuring out each pill individually, why add filler at all?

My understanding is that the whole point of filler is to make it so that you can use a filling machine/device and fill a bunch of pills equally at the same time
Click to expand...

I wouldn't see the point is using filler either. I've never messed with doses that small so I don't know what to tell ya. Like I said if I was doing it, I'd weigh each one out individually depending on the material or just buy them already capped if possible.
 
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