• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Empty gelatin capsules.

maryb

iherb code TAK122
Messages
3,602
Location
UK
Just looking at the sizes on iherb, even the smallest '''3''' sound large, I don't know of many other places in the US who will ship at the price iherb do. Can anyone tell me if this size is really small?
I do need to start trying some of these supplement in tinier doses.
 

xchocoholic

Senior Member
Messages
2,947
Location
Florida
Hi @maryb

I've done this before too. Those big ones were too big to swallow. Luckily my local health food store carried these in different sizes.

Once when they were out of stock I just dumped out the contents of an old supplement I wasn't taking anymore. Is that an option ? Or maybe just buy a cheap supplement locally and dump the contents.
 

xchocoholic

Senior Member
Messages
2,947
Location
Florida
@maryb - A #3 capsule is quite tiny. I usually do a #0 or #00 which are quite a bit bigger, and they work fine for me.

Good to know. I'd forgotten how the size info worked.

I was still thinking it might be cheaper just to buy something and throw away the contents instead of paying for shipping.
 

CFS_for_19_years

Hoarder of biscuits
Messages
2,396
Location
USA
Size 3 is definitely small. I've used size 4 before and that is at the limit of what my fingers can separate and handle. Here's a chart if it's any help: http://capsuleconnection.com/capsule-sizing-info

One tip I'll give you when working with tiny capsules that slip out of your fingers, is to moisten your fingertips ever so slightly (I use my saliva) so that the capsule will stick to your skin. Don't overdo it on the moisture, or you'll start to dissolve the capsule!

I've purchased a lot of empty capsules on eBay and Amazon. Since you're in the UK you might want to look at eBay.co.uk and Amazon.co.uk to see if the shipping charges will be more reasonable than having something shipped from the US.
 
Messages
15,786
I think most of my commercial supplements are size #0, which is a pretty medium size. #00 is a bit big, but still looks pretty normal. I think #000 are the only ones which some people would have trouble with, and are quite big.

For filling my own capsules, I find #00 is the easiest to work with, but #0 isn't bad either. I wouldn't want to go smaller than that, since it's tricky to hold onto them and get the powder in.
 

maryb

iherb code TAK122
Messages
3,602
Location
UK
Thanks folks, so a couple of options, maybe look to see if anything can be dumped, or otherwise the #3 size is small enough for what I want. Appreciate your replies.
 

perchance dreamer

Senior Member
Messages
1,691
These days I'm not taking supplement doses smaller than a capsule, but when I was doing that for a few things, I got to where I didn't use the capsules anymore.

I'd open a capsule and put the powder in a 1-oz glass jar with a label. Then I'd use a measuring spoon set for tiny amounts and combine the dose with a little water. The taste was always bad, but went away quickly with a couple of sips of water.

The challenge is to find a really small container to drink from so that all the powder doesn't end up on the sides. I found a shot glass too big, so I started using an egg cup.