Medicines and their's formulations
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| Courtesy of pixabay |
Introduction
The majority of us drive our vehicles. How many of us are aware of the “way”
it functions? We only know the ABC of it. Pressing the Accelerator, Break and
the Clutch as and when needed. When the vehicle malfunctions, we are in
discomfort. It sure does not mean that all of us should be mechanics. But no
one stops us from knowing the maintenance of the batteries and lubricating the
engine. Using the jack and changing the wheel.
So is our Health. We take medicines. Should we not know at least a few
things about its activities in our body? Why medicines are different in look?
Why are they coloured sometimes? Why certain shapes? Why different pathways of
administration?
Nasal medicines, eye drops, sore throat lozenge’s, external medicines,
chemotherapeutic medicines, pain balms, injections, and so on have their own
stories to narrate. This article throws light on tablets/pills at present.
My friend always used to joke, when my vehicle stopped abruptly while
driving to the office.
Quote him.
“You should always keep your vehicle and wife in good condition” and for
that, “You should understand them.”
Unquote.
It is thus prudent to know some of the fundamental factors about the
medicines which are administered to us. We need not be doctors. At least know
the doctrines.
Key factors
Each medicine whether prescribed or not is available in different types
depending upon its intended use, active ingredients and the drug manufacturer.
Each medicine is formulated based on the anticipated release time and
speed of action.
Each medicine is designed and prepared so that it acts at the desired
site causing the ailment.
All medicines usually have active ingredient and inactive ingredients.
All medicines administered may or may not be to act on the site. A few
are supportive/supplementary in nature.
The interaction phase of medicine sometimes depends on the age,
physiology, foods consumed and the state of mind of the patient.
How medicines act?
However, with very few exceptions, internal medicines we take through
our mouth (oral medicines) reach the Stomach, Intestine- Liver, get disintegrated/dissolved. The active ingredient
enters the blood, and travels through the veins to the site, from where the problem has originated. The inactive
ingredients enter the bladder and pass out. At the designated site interaction
commences as preplanned.
The terms like Receptor’s, Acceptor’s, Inhibitor’s, Blocker’s, Cell’s,
and Membranes are better left in the pockets of learned technicians.
It suffices to say that the interaction between the medicine and the
infected site resembles like
A lock and key arrangement, if it fits, it clicks,
A dog in the manger policy, (At the designated chambers called mangers, the grass is spread for the cows to eat. The dogs just go and sleep on the grass as
if they are cushions. Neither they eat the grass, nor allow the cows to eat.)
Again the technical terms are agonists and antagonists …………………………………………
In simple terms
Keeping it in simple terms, the administered medicine may do any of
these things:
Cover the affected site making
it inactive,
Destroy the site,
Drive the agent causing the
ailment out of the body,
Block the new infection from occupying the site.
Then what are active and inactive ingredients?
The medicines invariably contain two parts.
Active ingredient: The
actual chemicals with
medicinal activity which reaches the preplanned site.
Inactive ingredient: This is
also called an additive ingredient. Many factors are associated with these
additives. They play a pivotal role in the administration of medicine. They make medicines more palatable
(easy to swallow), tasty, stable and dissolvable. Pharmacologists plan the formulation of a
medicine. They consider several key factors while adding an additive:
Additives
Solubility and miscibility of medicine when administered.
Most of the medicines are organic compounds that are generally
insoluble. They are converted into a salt form to make it soluble by adding the
required chemical substance.
Medicines that are in powder form require added binding additives to
transform them into a tablet. The main reason is that the medicine should reach
the intestine before disintegrating so that it acts to its full potential.
Otherwise, the tablet may break or dissolve on the tongue itself or even lungs
and only a small portion reaches the intestine, thus minimizing its potential.
A word of ⚠
I remember the days when tablets were powdered, mixed with honey and
administered to children by grandmas. It is done sometimes for such patients
who find swallowing difficult. However, this may not be a welcome step. Here, a
part of the medicine sticks to the tongue, a part sticks to the throat, a small
portion to the lungs and only a little gets into the liver or could produce local side
effects. The patient misses the quantum of the prescribed “dose.” The effect of the medicine thereby is drastically reduced.
The speed of release of the medicine from the intestine is an important
factor depending on the nature of the ailment as well as the condition of the
patient. This again is the prescribed “dose”. Additives also help in
determining the rate of disintegration/dissolution of the medicine.
Added to this are the latest advent of “All-in-One” tablets/capsules. A single tablet may contain one or more medicines and the need to bind them is
more pronounced.
The cover of the capsules in which medicines are kept is also
additives. They should dissolve only when they reach the intestine and vanish
through the bladder. They are a kind of inactive ingredients.
The added colour has its psychological advantage associated with a
particular ailment. This aspect is best decided by the drug manufacturing
expert team.
It should be easy to swallow a tablet. A smooth passage to reach the
intestine is expected. Hence, sometimes, lubricants are coated on tablets.
All the above factors are taken into account before the formulation. In
addition, the side effects of these additive ingredients is paramount. This
side effect aspect will be presented in other parts of the blog series.
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