Small tablet before senility gives release (8)
I believe the answer is:
spillage
'release' is the definition.
('spillage' can be a synonym of 'release')
'small tablet before senility' is the wordplay.
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'tablet' becomes 'pill' ('pill' can be a synonym of 'tablet').
'before' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'senility' becomes 'age' (I've seen this in other clues).
's'+'pill'+'age'='SPILLAGE'
'gives' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for spillage that I've seen before include "Something accidentally lost" , "waste material" , "loss of valuable resource?" , "Liquor lost" , "result of accident" .)