From my understanding, an antidepressant being in a capsule changes it to an extended release. How? Wouldn’t the stomach acid degrade the capsule at the same time, leading to the medication inside being absorbed at the same time?
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There’s a few different mechanisms for achieving a “slow-release” medicine, here’s an easy to understand one:
Some capsules will contain a casing inside that has a small aperture at the end. Inside of this aperture, you’ll find medicine with a spongy substance behind it. The capsule keeps this aperture safe and clear until it hits your stomach, upon which it dissolves and allows the aperture to release its cargo. As the spongy material in the casing becomes hydrated, it slowly expands, thereby pushing the medicine out of the aperture at a steady rate rather than all at once. The casing then eventually dissolves as the medicine runs out. Slow-release Ritalin often uses this sort of approach.
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