Medicine Tablet Types

• Chewable tablet

Antacids and most vitamin tablets are designed as chewable types. These forms are agreeable tasting that no water is necessary for a follow up. While chewable tablets are applicable for antacids for fast relief, these types are also beneficial for people and younger individuals who are incapable in swallowing a regular tablet type.

• Sublingual tablet

This form is placed under the tongue for immediate effect. An example is Isordil sublingual 5mg. This drug is normally administered for minor heart palpitation attacks.

Image by the author

• Buccal tablet

Same as sublingual, the use of a buccal tablet is to make a drug work faster. However, instead of placing the tablet under the tongue, a buccal tablet is placed at the side of the cheek or between the lip gums. Like the sublingual type, a buccal tablet also contains active ingredients that should be absorbed through the oral mucosa to avoid being destroyed by the GIT.

Fentanyl (Fentora) tablet for cancer pain is a buccal tablet type.

• Implantation tablet

Implantation tablets are also known as pellets. These types are without excipients or additives (disintegrants, colorants, lubricants etc.) Implantations tablets must be sterile because they are inserted into the body tissues by surgical procedures. An example is testosterone hormone and stilbestrol. Implantation is designed to be more compact thus, has slow solubility into the body tissues. However, these tablets have been replaced by other dosage form such as diffusion controlled silicone tubes filled with drug or biodegradable polymers that contain entrapped drug in assortment of forms.

Read more here

Buclizine, Pizotifen, Lysine and Dibencozide Facts

• Dibencozide

Dibencozide also known as cobalamin enzyme or adenosylcobalamin is the most active type of vitamin B12. Not only that it is important for producing new blood cells, dibencozide is also an effective appetite enhancer.

Dibencozide is usually indicated for premature babies and infants with low birth weight; for children and adults with poor appetite; and for those people who are recovering from critical cases such as strokes and depression. It increases protein, carbohydrate and fat metabolism, which indirectly stimulates appetite. More to this, dibencozide can also improve mental concentration, muscle mass and strength.

Image source

Heraclene, Aktibol, Bidicozan, Biotrefon- L, Calomide, Cobaxid and Cobazim are popular brand names of dibencozide.

Dibencozide precautions: Pregnancy and breast-feeding; gastrointestinal conditions such as ileal disease for this can reduce that amount of Vitamin B12, including dibencozide, which is absorbed from the intestine.

Dibencozide side effects: No reported side effects.

Dibencozide drug interactions: Chloramphenicol. Taking chloramphenicol for a long time might decrease the effects of dibencozide on new blood cells.

Read more about 'Appetite Stimulant Facts' here

Herbs Alert : Drug Interaction Possibilities

If you are taking maintenance drugs like antihypertensive or oral hypoglycemic types for your high blood pressure or diabetes respectively, it is important that you check the herb or the supplement you intend to use. Ginkgo biloba for instance, is said to be beneficial for the elderly for it can help treat age-associated memory impairment including Alzheimer’s. However, if an individual is taking a diuretic or other blood pressure control medicine, gingko biloba may hinder the effect of these drugs.

Image source

Ginkgo biloba won’t also work with aspirin and other blood thinners like clopidogrel, ticlopidine, warfarin, heparin etc. This herb contains some constituents that affect blood clotting therefore, can potentiate the effect of the anti-coagulant drugs causing uncontrolled bleeding or haemorrhage.

Read more here

Tramadol - Addicting Drug?

Grünenthal has promoted tramadol as an opioid with a lower risk of dependence than that of traditional opioids. Grünenthal offered a theory that, since the M1 metabolite is the principal agonist at μ-opioid receptors, the delayed agonist activity reduces abuse liability. The norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor effects may also play a role in reducing dependence.

 Image source

More to this, the term ‘opioid’ has been devised to refer to synthetic morphine like compounds. Many of these substances offer the same narcotic and pain relieving properties of morphine but they are not addicting.

Unfortunately, tramadol is not one of those synthetic morphine like compounds. There are cases of tramadol dependence. The use of this medication can be addicting and the best way to avoid this is not to take tramadol frequently. There are other drug alternatives, just ask your doctor or pharmacist about them.

Read more here

Glutathione as a Skin Whitening Supplement

 Image source

Melanin is one of the two pigments responsible for the hair and skin color. While melanin comprises of the brown color, the other pigment – carotene is responsible for the yellow shade. Generally, the darker the color means the more melanin in the skin. With this, glutathione works its wonders in four ways:

1. It binds with the color forming tyrosine (a precursor amino acid to melanin) to form a less colored pigment.
2. It modifies black/brown/yellow melanin pigmentation (Eumelanin) to reddish white pigmentation (Phaeomelanin).
3. It deactivates the free radicals caused by sun exposure.
4. Its antioxidant activity lowers the rate of melanogenesis or the production of melanin.

Read more here