The tablet is the most common dosage form in the world. It is a solid dose of drug compressed into a disk, often with a score line for splitting. Tablets are convenient, stable, and cheap to manufacture. They can be coated to mask taste, protect from moisture, or control release. They can be immediate-release, extended-release, or delayed-release. The variety is enormous, but the basic idea is simple: compress powder into a shape that is easy to swallow and dissolves at the right place and time.

Making a tablet involves several steps. The active ingredient is mixed with excipients: fillers to add bulk, binders to hold it together, disintegrants to help it break apart, and lubricants to prevent sticking to the press. The mixture is granulated, dried, and compressed into tablets. Some tablets are coated in a pan or a fluid bed coater. Quality control tests check weight, hardness, friability, and dissolution. A tablet that is too hard may not dissolve; one that is too soft may crumble in the bottle.

Types of tablets:

• Immediate-release. Dissolves quickly after swallowing.
• Extended-release. Releases drug slowly over hours.
• Delayed-release. Coated to dissolve in the intestine, not the stomach.
• Chewable. Designed to be chewed before swallowing.
• Sublingual. Dissolves under the tongue for rapid absorption.

Tablets should be stored in a dry place. Moisture can cause them to crumble or degrade.