Why do some medication have to be taken in solid form? Why can’t they all just be liquid for those who have trouble swallowing?
In: Biology
Hey, a question I can help with. I am a pharmacist.
In the US, most adults prefer pill dosage forms (tablets, capsules, caplets, etc) over taking a liquid formulation. Since most medications are generally for adults, there isn’t as much of an incentive to develop of liquid form (solution, suspension, or emulsion).
A lot of drugs taste TERRIBLE, and you are not able to make the drug in liquid form palatable. Clindamycin liquid is a great example of this, they made the liquid version to make using in children easier. I try to dissuade providers and parents from using the liquid because the kid won’t be able to stomach it. It tastes absolutely disgusting. I’ve had multiple parents ignore my advice, then come back the following morning asking if we can get them switched to clindamycin capsules.
The other discussions about extended release formulations are only part of the story, there are ways to make the medication slowly release over time in a liquid, but they are way more expensive currently. Quillivent XR and Dynavel XR are the two that come to my mind.
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