Reading medicine names and labels
Tablet, capsule, syrup, suspension: dosage forms explained
The dosage form is the physical shape a medicine comes in. This guide describes the common forms you will see in the DGDA registry and on packs, so you can recognise what a label is describing.
What a dosage form is
The same active ingredient can be made into a solid, a liquid, a semi-solid or a spray. That physical form is called the dosage form. In the DGDA registry snapshot used on this site there are 130 different dosage-form labels, from "Tablet" to "Nebuliser Solution". Each brand is registered in a specific form, and a different form of the same generic is a different registered product.
Solid forms
- Tablet: a solid piece made by pressing powder into shape. Variants in the registry include chewable, dispersible and orodispersible (ODT) tablets, which differ in how the tablet is made.
- Capsule: a shell, usually of gelatin, that holds the medicine inside as powder, granules or pellets. A "soft gelatin capsule" has a soft, sealed shell, often holding a liquid.
- Sachet, powder or granules: medicine supplied loose in a packet or bottle rather than pressed into a tablet.
- Suppository: a small solid shaped for insertion into the rectum, designed to soften or melt at body temperature.
Liquid forms
- Syrup: a sweetened liquid in which the medicine is dissolved.
- Oral solution: a liquid with the medicine fully dissolved, not necessarily sweetened.
- Suspension: a liquid in which fine solid particles are spread through the liquid but not dissolved.
- Powder for suspension: dry powder in a bottle that is made into a suspension before use. A pharmacist can explain how it is prepared.
- Drops: small-volume liquids with a dropper, labelled by where they are used, such as eye drops, ear drops, nasal drops or paediatric (oral) drops.
Forms for the skin
- Cream: a soft, smooth mixture of oil and water that spreads easily.
- Ointment: a greasier, oil-based semi-solid.
- Gel: a clear or translucent jelly-like base.
- Lotion: a thin liquid for spreading on the skin or scalp.
Injections, inhalers and sprays
- Injection: a sterile liquid, or a sterile powder to be made into a liquid, in a vial, ampoule or prefilled syringe. Labels often add the route, such as IV or IM.
- IV infusion: a larger volume of sterile liquid, usually in a bag or bottle, for slow delivery into a vein.
- Inhaler: a device that delivers medicine as a measured spray (aerosol) or as a dry powder to be breathed in.
- Nebuliser solution: a liquid used in a nebuliser machine, which turns it into a fine mist.
- Nasal spray: a liquid sprayed into the nose from a pump bottle.
Letters before the form
Labels such as "XR Tablet", "SR Capsule" or "MUPS Tablet" describe how the tablet or capsule is designed to release the medicine. These are separate forms in the registry.
Browse every dosage form in the registry snapshot
What XR, SR, ER, DR and MUPS mean
IV, IM, SC and "IV infusion" labels explained
Which form is suitable for a person, and how to use it, is a medical question. Ask a registered doctor or pharmacist.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a tablet and a capsule?
What is the difference between a syrup and a suspension?
Is a cream the same as an ointment?
How many dosage forms are in the registry?
This guide is general information only and is not medical advice. It does not tell you what any medicine is for or how to take it. For questions about your health or your medicines, ask a registered doctor or pharmacist.