Suspension - what is it? You will learn the answer to the question posed from the materials of this article. We will also tell you about how suspensions are prepared for the treatment of young children.
General information
Suspension is a dry substance that does not completely or partially dissolve in a liquid. It is distributed in the form of tiny particles. In medicine, such a diluted powder is a drug that is used to treat a particular disease.
Features
Suspension is a coarse-dispersed system having a solid dispersed phase and a liquid dispersion medium. Usually, its particles are so large (greater than 10 microns) that they can rather easily settle under gravity (i.e., sediment). Those mixtures in which such a process proceeds extremely slowly (due to the small difference in the density of the dispersion medium and the dispersed phases) are called suspensions.
It should be especially noted that in concentrated suspensions, dispersed structures appear quite easily and quickly. Here is an example of typical suspensions that are not used in medicine:
- rig flushingliquid;
- enamel paints;
- cement mortars;
- pulp, etc.
In addition, such solutions are often used in the production of ceramics.
Suspensions: preparation technology
Currently, there are 2 ways to obtain suspensions: condensation and dispersion. The latter is based on the grinding of the medicinal substance using mechanical equipment, ultrasound, etc. It should also be noted that when obtaining a suspension by this method, specialists take into account the degree of hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity of the main raw material that is introduced into the suspension.
As for the condensation method, it provides for the replacement of the solvent. So, to a dispersion medium in which the drug does not dissolve, a substance is added in a solvent pre-mixed with this medium.
Obtaining medical suspensions in production conditions can be carried out in completely different ways, namely:
- intensive and constant mechanical mixing, which is carried out using high-speed mixers, as well as rotary pulsation apparatus;
- ultrasonic dispersion using electrostrictive and magnetostrictive emitters;
- grinding solid raw materials in a liquid medium using colloid mills;
- condensation method (most often used in pharmacy production).
Antibiotics in suspension for children
Due to the fact that not every child can take the whole pill, a large number of medicines for children are produced in the form of a suspension.
Ready-to-use suspension is a liquid drug mixture that is used externally, internally and parenterally. During storage, such antibiotic preparations are extremely unstable. That is why, before using them directly, the bottles with the contents must be shaken for 1 or 2 minutes.
Benefits of Suspensions
Why are antibiotics most often prescribed in suspension for children and what are the advantages of such a dosage form over others? You will find the answer to the question asked below:
- Compared to others, this dosage form is most convenient for a child, as well as for those patients who, for some objective reason, cannot swallow capsules or tablets whole.
- Suspensions have a less intense and rich taste than conventional medicinal solutions. Moreover, this form of release makes it easy to adjust the aroma and taste of the drug by adding various syrups and harmless flavors to it. This is the great advantage of the suspension for children. After all, not always a sick child can be forced to drink a bitter and tasteless medicine.
- Drugs produced in the form of suspensions are more stable than in solution. This fact is especially important during the manufacture of antibiotics.
Disadvantages of suspensions
According to experts, the disadvantages of medicinal suspensions are as follows:
- Physical instability of the drug, namely: precipitation (or the so-called sedimentation), increase and combination of particle sizes (that is, their aggregation), connection of the liquid and solid phases (that is, condensation). Such physical phenomena contribute to the ascent or, conversely, to the settling of the solid phase. In this case, the principle of suspension homogeneity is noticeably violated.
- Before direct use, the suspension must be mixed or shaken. This is necessary in order to restore the homogeneous state of the mixture.
- Another drawback of the medicinal suspension is that it has a relatively short shelf life (about three days).
How to breed?
If you or your child has been prescribed a medicinal suspension for the treatment of a particular disease, then before applying the powder, it must be properly diluted. For this, water or some other solution prescribed by a doctor is used. Thus, the required amount of liquid should be drawn into the dosing syringe, and then added to the vial with the dry medicinal substance. In conclusion, the container must be shaken vigorously. After that, the suspension can be safely used for its intended purpose.
It should be especially noted that this or that ratio of medicinal powder and water should be determined only by the attending doctor. After all, each individual drug has its own specialconcentration.
