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Elixirs

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31 views17 pages

Elixirs

Uploaded by

y33379793
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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ELIXIRS

PHARM.D
3rd Semester
Definition

• Elixirs are clear, sweetened hydroalcoholic solutions


intended for oral use and are usually flavored to enhance
their palatability
Types of Elixirs

1. Medicated Elixirs
Medicated elixirs are used for the therapeutic effect of the medicinal
substances they contain.
e.g. Phenobarbital Elixir USP, Digoxin Elixir USP
2. Non-Medicated Elixirs
Non-medicated elixirs are employed as vehicles, for preparation or dilution
of medicated elixirs.
e.g. Aromatic Elixir USP
Difference between Syrups
and Elixirs
Components of Elixirs

1. Water and alcohol


2. Adjunct solvents
3. Sweetening agents
4. Flavoring agents
5. Coloring agents
…

1. Water and alcohol


• The proportion of alcohol in elixirs varies widely because the
individual components of the elixirs have different water and
alcohol solubility characteristics.
• Each elixir requires a specific blend of alcohol and water to
maintain all of the components in solution.
• Naturally, for elixirs containing agents with poor water
solubility, the proportion of alcohol required is greater than for
elixirs prepared from components having good water solubility.
…

2. Adjunct Solvents
• In addition to alcohol and water, other solvents, such as glycerin
and propylene glycol, are frequently employed in elixirs as
adjunctive solvents.
• The presence of glycerin, syrup, sorbitol, and propylene glycol in
elixirs generally contributes to the solvent effect of the
hydroalcoholic vehicle, assists in the dissolution of the solute,
and enhances the stability of the preparation. However, the
presence of these materials adds to the viscosity of the elixir and
slows the rate of filtration
…

3. Sweetening Agents
Although many elixirs are sweetened with sucrose or with a
sucrose syrup, some use sorbitol, glycerin, and/or artificial
sweeteners.
Elixirs having a high alcoholic content usually use an artificial
sweetener, such as saccharin, which is required only in small
amounts, rather than sucrose, which is only slightly soluble in
alcohol and requires greater quantities for equivalent sweetness
…

4. Flavoring and coloring agents


• All elixirs contain flavorings to increase their palatability, and
most elixirs have coloring agents to enhance their appearance

• Elixirs containing more than 10% to 12% of alcohol are usually


self-preserving and do not require the addition of an
antimicrobial agent.
Preparation of Elixirs

• Elixirs are usually prepared by simple solution with agitation and/or by


admixture of two or more liquid ingredients
• An elixir may contain both water and alcohol soluble ingredients. If such is
the case, the following procedure is followed
1. Dissolve the water soluble ingredients in part of the water.
2. Prepare an alcoholic solution containing the other ingredients
3. Then the aqueous solution is added to the alcoholic solution, to maintain
the highest possible alcoholic strength so that minimal separation of the
alcohol-soluble components occurs.
4. When the two solutions are completely mixed, the mixture is made to the
volume with the specified solvent or vehicle
…

• Frequently, the final mixture will be cloudy, principally because of


separation of some of the flavoring oils by the reduced alcoholic
concentration.
• If this occurs, the elixir is usually permitted to stand for a prescribed
number of hours to ensure saturation of the hydroalcoholic solvent and to
permit the oil globules to coalesce so that they may be more easily
removed by filtration.
• Talc, a frequent filter aid in the preparation of elixirs, absorbs the
excessive amounts of oils and therefore assists in their removal from the
solution
Non-Medicated Elixirs

• Non-medicated elixirs may be useful to the pharmacist in the


extemporaneous filling of prescriptions involving
(a) the addition of a therapeutic agent to a pleasant-tasting vehicle
and
(b) dilution of an existing medicated elixir
• In selecting a liquid vehicle for a drug substance, the pharmacist
should be concerned with the solubility and stability of the drug
in water and alcohol.
…

• If a hydro-alcoholic vehicle is selected, the proportion of alcohol


should be only slightly above the amount needed to effect and
maintain the drug’s solution.
• When a pharmacist is called on to dilute an existing medicated
elixir, the non-medicated elixir selected as the diluent should have
approximately the same alcoholic concentration as the elixir being
diluted. Also, the flavor and color characteristics of the diluent
should not be in conflict with those of the medicated elixir, and all
components should be chemically and physically compatible
Medicated Elixirs

• Medicated elixirs are employed for the therapeutic benefit of the


medicinal agent.
• Most official and commercial elixirs contain a single therapeutic
agent. The main advantage of having only a single therapeutic agent
is that the dosage of that single drug may be increased or decreased
by simply taking more or less of the elixir, whereas when two or
more therapeutic agents are present in the same preparation, it is
impossible to increase or decrease the dose of one without an
automatic and corresponding adjustment in the dose of the other,
which may not be desired.
…

• Thus, for patients required to take more than a single medication,


many physicians prefer them to take separate preparations of
each drug so that if an adjustment in the dosage of one is desired,
it may be accomplished without the concomitant adjustment of
the other
Incompatabilities

• Because elixirs contain alcohol, incompatibilities of this solvent


are an important consideration during formulation.
• Alcohol precipitates tragacanth, acacia, and agar from aqueous
solutions.
• Similarly, it will precipitate many inorganic salts from similar
solutions.
• The implication is that such substances should be absent from the
aqueous phase or present in such concentrations that there is no
danger of precipitation on standing.
Storage

• Because of their usual content of volatile oils and alcohol,


elixirs should be stored in tight, light-resistant containers and
protected from excessive heat.

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