How to give medicines: capsules

This leaflet gives tips about how to give capsules to children. Leaflets on individual medicines are available on the Medicines for Children website, www.medicinesforchildren.org.uk

Capsules (general)

Capsule

  • Capsules should be swallowed whole with a glass of water, milk or juice.

Some capsules should be taken with food or milk. Other capsules work best on an empty stomach. There are a few capsules that should not be taken with certain foods, juices or milk. This should be shown on the medicine label. If you are not sure which food and drink your child should have with the medicine, speak with your doctor or pharmacist. Detailed information about what to do is given in the leaflet for each medicine on the Medicines for Children website, www.medicinesforchildren.org.uk

  • Your child should not chew the capsule.

Mixing with food

The contents of some capsules can be mixed with a small amount of food. If you are not sure if your child’s capsules can be mixed with food, speak with your child’s doctor or pharmacist.

  • Open the capsule and mix the contents with a teaspoon of soft food (e.g. yogurt, honey or jam) or a small amount (10 mL, which is about 2 teaspoons) of fruit juice or squash.
  • Make sure your child swallows it straight away, without chewing. (The capsule contents may have a bitter taste, so you will need to use something strong-tasting to mask it, such as undiluted fruit squash.)

Dissolving in water

The contents of some capsules can be dissolved in water or juice. Your doctor will have told you how much liquid to use, and how much of it to give your child.

  • Open the capsule and dissolve the contents in the right amount of water or fruit juice.
  • Give the mixture to your child straight away, using an oral syringe or medicine spoon. You can get these from your pharmacist.

Dispersing capsules to give a part dose

Occasionally, you will need to give your child part of a capsule. Your doctor, pharmacist or nurse will tell you to disperse the contents of the capsule in a small amount of water and give part of the dispersed medicine.

For example, to give 30 mg of a medicine that is available in a 50 mg capsule, disperse the tablet in 5 mL of water and give 3 mL of the mixture using an oral syringe. You can get an oral syringe from your pharmacist.

  • You will need to draw up 5 mL of water into an oral syringe (for young babies you will need to use water that has been freshly boiled and then cooled) and squirt this into a glass. Put the tip of the oral syringe in water and pull the plunger back so that the top of the ring is at 5 mL. The syringe will fill with water. Aim the syringe into a glass and push the plunger in slowly so that the water goes into the glass.
  • Pull apart the two ends of the capsule and throw away the outer shell.
  • Empty the contents of the capsule in the water.
  • Mix it vigorously – it may make a cloudy mixture.
  • Draw up the right volume into an oral syringe. Your doctor, pharmacist or nurse will tell you how much of the mixture to give to your child.
  • Pour any mixture left over down the sink. Do not keep it for another time.

The content of some capsules can be dispersed in a small amount of juice or squash. Check the medicine label to find out if your child’s capsule can only be taken with water.

Sprinkle capsules

‘Sprinkle capsules’ can be sprinkled in food. This information will be shown on the medicine label.

  • Open the capsule and sprinkle the granules into a teaspoonful of soft food (e.g. yogurt, honey or jam).
  • Make sure your child swallows it all straight away, without chewing.
  • These capsules can also be swallowed whole with a glass of water, juice or milk.


Publication Date

9/9/2011

Copyright Disclaimer

Version 1, December 2011. © NPPG, RCPCH and WellChild 2011, all rights reserved. Reviewed by: December 2013. 

For details on any sources used for this leaflet, please contact us through our website, www.medicinesforchildren.org.uk

We take great care to make sure that the information in this leaflet is correct and up-to-date. It is important that you ask the advice of your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure about something. This leaflet is about the use of medicines in the UK, and may not apply to other countries. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), the Neonatal and Paediatric Pharmacists Group (NPPG), WellChild and the contributors and editors cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of information, omissions of information, or any actions that may be taken as a consequence of reading this leaflet.