Solid Dosage Forms Quiz

Solid Dosage Forms

• Powders (pulvis) are mixtures of finely divided drugs or chemicals in a dry form.
• They can be used internally or externally.
• "Powders" is a dosage form.
• "Powder" describes the physical state of a single chemical or drug.
• Powders may contain: small amounts of liquids dispersed over the solid components, or only solid materials.

Granules

• Granules are irregularly shaped agglomerates of smaller particles that behave like single larger particles.
• Granules can be prepared by various methods.
• The wet method involves: moistening the desired powder or powder mixture, passing the moistened mass through a mesh screen to produce granules of the desired size, drying the granules (by air or heat, considering drug sensitivity to heat), and occasionally moving them on drying trays to prevent sticking.

Effervescent Granules

• Special granules used to mask bitter or salty tastes in selected drugs.
• They create a numbing sensation on taste buds.
• Made of mixtures, often citric acid, tartaric acid combined with sodium bicarbonate.
• A good blend typically uses a 1:2 ratio of citric and tartaric acid.

Capsules

• Solid dosage forms enclosing one or more medicinal substances within a shell.
• Usually prepared from gelatin.
• Gelatin shells can be hard or soft.

Tablets

• Solid dosage forms of medicinal substances, often made with pharmaceutical additives.
• Vary in size, shape, weight, hardness, and thickness, depending on intended use and manufacturing methods.
• Most tablets are for oral administration.
• Other tablets (e.g., sublingual, buccal, vaginal) may not use the same additives or properties as oral tablets.

Parenteral Preparations (Sterile Dosage Forms)

• Sterile, pyrogen-free preparations administered "parenterally" (outside the intestine; other than oral).
• Injectable routes of administration.
• "Parenteral" comes from Greek words "para" and "enteron," meaning "outside the intestine."
• "Pyrogens" are fever-producing organic substances from microbial contamination.
• Common applications include emergency situations needing rapid drug action, when patients can't tolerate other routes, or when other routes are ineffective.
• Insulin injections are often self-administered by diabetic patients.

Ophthalmic Drug Delivery

• Drug delivery systems (solutions, suspensions, gels, ointments, inserts) applied topically to the eye.

• Normal tear volume is approximately 7-8 µL retained in the eye's cul-de-sac.

• A single ophthalmic drop (around 50 µL) is typically used, but much of the drop is lost.

• Excessive liquid delivery will drain rapidly.

• Recently developed micro-liter droppers allow for precise 5-10 µL dosing.

• Ophthalmic gel formulations may extend corneal contact time, reduce dosing frequency, and improve drug absorption. (due to the dynamic lacrimal system)

Inhalations

• Aerosol drug delivery is used to treat local respiratory conditions (such as asthma, pneumonia).

• This delivery method enhances the systemic absorption of drugs with relatively low bioavailability.

• Minimizes drug loss.

• Targeted delivery systems avoid toxic effects from systemic administration.