Suspension Flashcards
Suspension is good for drugs that are insoluble or poorly soluble
Eg. Prednisolone, gutt neomycin,gutt hydrocortisone.
Oral suspension
Must contain suitable flavouring agents.
Good for drugs with unpleasant taste. Eg. Para and chloramphenicol palmitate
Classification of sus.according to nature of dispersed phase and method of preparation.
- Diffusible solides
- Indiffusible solids
- Poor wettable solids
- Precipitate forming liquids
- Products of chemical reactions
Diffusible solids
Insoluble in water but easily wettable.
Usually, they remain suspended for long
Diffusible solids
Examples; magnesium trisilicate mixture , light kaolin.
Indiffusible solids
Sediment too rapidly
Eg. Sulphadimidine and chalk
Flocculated suspension
Usually non elegant.
Most used form of pharmaceutical product
Flocculating agents
- Neutral electrolyte like NaCl, KCl
- Surfactants
- Polymeric flocculating agents
- Sulphate, citrate, phosphate salts
Synthetic suspending agents
- Carboxypolymethylene
- Colloidal silicon dioxide
Aerosol
For thickening non-aqueous suspension
Suspending agents
- Impart viscosity
- Form film around particle and decrease inter- particle attraction
Formulation of suspension
- Size reduction of particles
- The addition of suspending agents to increase viscosity .
- Use of a wetting agent/surfactants
Conclusions of Stokes
- Rate of fall of larger particles > smaller particles
- The greater the difference in density between dispersed phase particles and the continuous phase, the greater the rate of sedimentation
Stokes conclusion
- Increasing the viscosity of dispersing medium will reduce sedimentation rate
Advantages of high viscosity
- High viscosity inhibits crystal growth
- High viscosity promotes stability
Disadvantages of High viscosity
- Affects re-dispersibility
- Regards absorption of drug
- Creates handling problems during manufacturing.
Wetting agents
Non- ionic surfactants are normally used as wetting agents in pharmaceutical suspension
Ionic surfactants
They are not generally used because they are not compatible with many adjuvants;hence, cause a change in pH.
Surfactants
They have foam forming tendencies and are bitter in taste
Polysorbate 80
Widely used surfactant
Advantages of polysorbate 80
- Non- toxic
- Non-ironic so no change in ph occurs
- Less foaming tendencies
Polysorbate 80
Should be used at a concentration less than 0.5%.
Solvents for suspension
Alcohol, polyethene glycol, polypropylene glycol
Co-solvents
Glycerol,propylene glycol, sorbitol
Formulation of suspension
- Add wetting agents before forming a paste
- If syrup or glycerol are in the formular, use them to form paste instead
Formulation of suspension
If soluble solids are being used, dissolve them in the vehicle before or after making the paste.
Formulation of suspension
Add volatile subs and flavouring agents last