Elixirs

ELIXIRS
ASRA ABID
DPH 3rd
October , 2024
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Outlin
■e
Introduction
■ Preparation
■ Nonmedicated
Elixirs
■ Medicated Elixirs
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Introducti
■ on
Elixirs are clear, sweetened hydroalcoholic solutions intended for oral
use and are usually flavored to enhance their palatability.
■ Nonmedicated elixirs are employed as vehicles
■ Medicated elixirs are used for the therapeutic effect
■ Compared with syrups, elixirs are usually less sweet and less
viscous because of lower proportion of sugar.
■ Consequently, are less effective than syrups in masking the taste

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Introducti
■on
Elixirs are better able than aqueous syrups to maintain both
water soluble and alcohol-soluble components in solution.
■ Easily prepared as compared to syrups (simple solution).
■ Proportion of the alcohol and water depends upon the solubility

of drug in water or alcohol.
■ In addition to alcohol and water,other solvents, such

as glycerin and
propylene glycol, are frequently employed in elixirs as adjunctive
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Introducti
■ on
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
■ Elixirs containing more than 10% to 12%

of alcohol are usually self- preserving and do not
require the addition of an antimicrobial agent
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Preparati
■ Elixirs are usually prepared by simple solution with agitation and/or
on
by admixture
of two or more liquid ingredients.
■ Alcohol-soluble and water-soluble components are generally
dissolved separately
in alcohol and in purified water, respectively.
■ Then the aqueous solution is added to the alcoholic solution,
■ 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; oil globules coalesce so that they may
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Preparati
■ on
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.
■ 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

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Nonmedicated
■ Elixirs
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.
■ When a pharmacist is called on to dilute an existing medicated
elixir, the nonmedicated elixir he or she selects 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.
■ In the past the three most commonly used nonmedicated
elixirs were
aromatic elixir, compound benzaldehyde elixir, and isoalcoholic
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Medicated
Elixirs
■ 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.
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Elixirs

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ELIXIRS

■ Nonmedicated elixirs are employed as vehicles

■ Medicated elixirs are used for the therapeutic effect

■ Consequently, are less effective than syrups in masking the taste

■ Easily prepared as compared to syrups (simple solution).

■ Proportion of the alcohol and water depends upon the solubility

■ In addition to alcohol and water,other solvents, such

■ Elixirs having a high alcoholic

■ Elixirs containing more than 10% to 12%

■ The presence of glycerin, syrup, sorbitol, and propylene glycol in

elixirs generally contributes to the solvent effect of the

■ However, the presence of these materials adds to the viscosity of the

■ The main advantage of having only a single therapeutic agent is

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