Need term/synonym

chill pill

Thank you Atom for that one; it’s not everyday...

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/chill%20pill

However I’m looking for a term that inclucdes any kind of sitcapil

Why not just precede it with the word "one"? It's more apt to be understood than something you have to use the internet to locate.

Thanks Rog but I’m looking for a term that means a single sitcapil of any sort. For instance the term “tab” doesn't quite fit here:

“...but I find a couple tabs each of 5-HTP, kava kava, and St John’s wort...”

....while my term “sitcapil” is not yet generally accepted

caplet

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?as_ylo=2011&q=term+for+a+single+tablet+or+capsule+or+pill&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

Peri- menopause [0027] The term “subject” is used herein comprises of any and all organisms
and includes the term patients. ... 4. The dosing formulation of claim 1. Where a single dos- age
formulation is selected from a group consisting of a pill, tablet, caplet, capsule ...

Thanks Able but “caplet" doesn’t work either since it’s usu oval-shaped

http://onelook.com/?w=caplet&ls=a

My No. 2 Son nominates “pill.” However a pill is usu a round pellet

The latin is:

capsula {f}

or

from Latin capsula, diminutive of capsa, box.

or

http://browse.dict.cc/english-latin/tablet.html
» Tabular list of translations | always
NOUN a tablet | tablets
SYNO lozenge | pill | tab | tablet | pad ...
tablet
tabuletta {f}

Therefore: capsula or tabuletta or perhaps lozenge.

My wife was the manager of a pharmacy manufacturing unit and she says that terms such as these are names of "dose (or dosage) forms": ampoule, pill, caplet, lozenge, tablet, capsule, suppository, pessary etc. To denote one of any dose form she says you generally use its form name: one tablet, two capsules. There is no one word that covers all, although she says that 'item' might be OK.

The dose is the amount of drug taken at any one time. This can be expressed as the weight of drug (e.g. 250 mg), volume of drug solution (e.g. 10 mL, 2 drops), the number of dosage forms (e.g. 1 capsule, 1 suppository) or some other quantity (e.g. 2 puffs).

Thank you, Able

Possibly. However it’s not quite accepted as an English word except in terms of anatomical structure

http://onelook.com/?w=tabuletta&ls=a

Good try Able, but it’s of pretty specific shapes

http://onelook.com/?w=lozenge&ls=a

Yea, my thanks and nice try Con; but doesn’t specify atall

Is there a term for a single tablet or capsule or pill? Yes... but...???

Bolus

Noun: A type of large pill.

In pharmaceutical technical language there is no one word that covers all - there is a phrase "dosage form", but I think you are going to be looking forever for a specific single word that means 'one of any type of medicine dosage form'.

I agree, and continue to believe that if such a word were to be found, it would cause confusion as not many would be familiar with it.

Isn't that precisely the situation for any new word, Roger?

Yea Con exactly

Yea JTT precisely

I nominate “sitcapil”

Nah just kidding

Medical professionals tend to be precise in their language - there are so many opportunities for dangerous error and misunderstanding if communication among professionals and between professionals and service users is vague. If they want to say three capsules they say three capsules, not three pills or three thingummies. Adoption is even less likely in such a specialised and regulated field, than elsewhere, of a new word invented by some guy who thinks there ought to be one.

I agree that Dale's word has a slightly less than a snowball's chance in hell, C, but many words have been invented by nonspecialists where there is a perceived gap in the language.

Depends how widely shared the perception of a "gap" is.