About four years ago, my doctor put me on a new maintenance medication and some Vitamin D3 to help with its absorption. Over the next few months, we tweaked the dose a bit, but I’ve been on this combo ever since. I’ve compared my results to others on the same medication but without the D3, and my results have been much better than theirs
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago: after some 3½ years without changes, I noticed that the meds didn’t seem to be working as well. I wondered if it might be time to up my dose, but then something occurred to me: the last time I picked up my prescriptions, the Vitamin D I usually take was out of stock, so they substituted a different kind. Could that be the culprit?
I called my pharmacy and asked if there was any significant difference between what I currently have and what I usually get. They transferred me to the actual pharmacist, who looked it up and responded in the negative: they’re the same dose; they’re from the same manufacturer; they probably even have the same inactive ingredients. The only difference is that I normally get capsules and this month, I got tablets. I thanked her and finished the call, but decided to consult Dr. Google as well.
I learned that while tablets definitely have their place, there is a lot of evidence that capsules are more efficient. As I thought about it, that totally makes sense: tablets have the medicine spaced throughout, so usually only a portion gets into the bloodstream and the rest comes out the other end. With capsules—especially soft-gel capsules, like I was taking—your stomach acid just needs to poke one little hole in the side. The entire contents come rushing out, and your body gets every last drop. It’s just basic math: if capsules deliver 100% of the medicine and tablets deliver anything less than 100%, the capsules are going to give you more medicine.
I immediately stopped taking the tablets and grabbed some over-the-counter Vitamin D3. It’s only been a day, but my symptoms have already disappeared and I’m feeling more like myself again. My prescription is still cheaper than the OTC version, so I’ll go back to that when I’m ready for a refill; but if they don’t have the capsules in stock, I’m gonna have to pass.
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