Thursday, June 10, 2021

Difference between syrup and tablet

The major difference between syrup and tablets is that the syrup is a liquid dosage form (preparation), while tablets are a solid dosage form (preparation).

Dosage forms are pharmaceutical formulations that a mixture of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) with excipients in a particular configuration to allow easy and accurate administration and delivery of active medicinal substances. It refers to the physical form of a drug or the dosage of a chemical compound for administration or consumption as a drug.

There are different types of dosage forms, based on the physical form and depending on the method/route of delivery of the drug. Based on the physical form they are solid, liquid, semi-solid, and gaseous dosage forms. Based on the route they are oral, topical, parenteral (injection), inhalation, and sublingual routes of drug administration are available, and some are instilled in body cavities.

Tablets, caplets, capsules, powders, granules, sachets, lozenges, cachet, gel, paste, cream, ointment, liniment, drops, syrup, suspension, emulsion, lotion, elixir, solution, inhaler, and aerosol, etc. are some of the examples of dosage forms.

Syrup:

The syrup is a liquid oral dosage form in which sugar and drugs are completely soluble. This solute completely dissolves in the solvent, and the resulting mixture is known as a solution. The syrup is a thick, viscous, monophasic liquid system containing a homogeneous mixed active ingredient with or without flavoring ingredients.

The syrup is a convenient way to take unpleasant-tasting medicine in liquid form. Antitussive (cough suppressant) and antihistamine agents are the most commonly used medications in medicated syrups.

Tablets:

Pharmaceutical tablets are solid dosage forms that usually contain a mixture of active ingredients and excipients, usually in powder form, which is compressed or molded from a powder into a solid dosage form.

They are usually flat, round in shape, and have coated or uncoated to mask the unpleasant taste and odor of the drug or to control the rate of absorption in the body. Based on their intended application and manufacturing method, they can vary in shape, size, weight, hardness, thickness, dissolution, and disintegration properties.

The pharmaceutical manufacturers formulate different types of tablets based on the route of administration and function such as compressed tablets, film-coated tablets, enteric-coated tablets, sugarcoated tablets, modified-release tablets, chewable tablets, effervescent tablets, dispersible, buccal and sublingual tablets.

Difference between syrup and tablet:

  • The syrup is a liquid preparation that is easy to swallow, whereas tablets are solid preparation that is stiff and hard may be more difficult to swallow, especially for the elderly and child patients.
  • The syrup required more ingredients to formulate than tablets, whereas tablets required fewer ingredients to formulate than syrup.
  • Limited drugs are suitable with syrup due to their liquid properties, whereas a wide range of drugs is compatible with tablets due to their solid properties.
  • The syrup is less likely to have an unpleasant taste or smell, whereas tablets are likely to have an unpleasant taste or odor.
  • The syrup has to be measured at each dose, which may change the dosage of the medicine, whereas tablets do not need to be measured and can be taken whole (intact).
  • Syrup allows for dosage flexibility (variation), whereas tablets do not.
  • Syrup may faster onset of action, whereas tablets may prolong, extended, sustained, and controlled release.
  • Syrups have a shorter shelf life, whereas tablets have a longer shelf life.
  • Syrups have limited forms, whereas tablets come in different forms.
  • The syrup is less stable than tablets, whereas tablets are more stable than syrup.
  • Syrups are generally more expensive than tablets, and tablets are usually less expensive than syrup.
  • The syrup is difficult to handle, transport and storage, whereas tablets are rather easy and safe to use.
  • The syrup is absorbed more completely and quickly, whereas tablets are absorbed more slowly than syrup.
Syrup vs Tablet
Difference between syrup and tablet

Similarities between tablet and syrup:

Syrups and tablets both are the pharmaceutical preparations that are the most commonly prescribed medication by doctors both are used for the same purposes and have the same power.

Is syrup better than tablets for cough?

Tablets and syrups have their advantages; however, the syrup is more preferable compared to tablets for cough since the medicine is already a liquid that works mechanically


No comments:

Post a Comment