Most people prefer gelcaps over syrup because the syrup is nasty to gulp down. What really matters is that whatever you take has DXM and ONLY DXM as the active ingredient. It's safe to smoke buds on DXM; other than that, be very careful mixing ANYTHING with it. 150mg is a good starting first plateau dose. 300-500mg is a typical second plateau dose, which is where most casual DXM users end up for their recreational usage habits. 600+mg DXM will probably put you in the upper plateaus, which are very intense and not for everyone. I recommend reading up on DXM before trying it.