Pharamacology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pharamacology - Assignment Example Non sedating antihistamines are antihistamine drugs that can not enter brain and cause drowsiness in the patient and are normally used in treating the symptoms of reactions to stings and bites as well as allergies. The drugs work by blocking the activity of histamine produced by the body as part of the natural immunity. Compared to the sedating antihistamines, non sedating antihistamine drugs are generally more designed to be more selective for the peripheral H1 receptors rather than the cholinergic and central nervous system H1 receptors. This selectivity particularly makes the drugs to avoid sedation and other adverse reactions that may result when it is ingested to be used against allergic reactions (Tillement, Timmerman, Frossard and Levander, 2001, p.228). This paper critically discusses the issues that should be considered in the design of a tablet formulation for a non sedating antihistamine drug with a half life of 16 hours and an adult dose of 2mg per day as well as for a ch ildren liquid formulation (2-12 years old). One of the main factors to consider when formulating the new non sedating antihistamine drug is its disintegration time. This is particularly attributed to the fact that the new drug is expected to have a short half –life of 16 hours. For example, in order to ensure the effectiveness of the drug within its relatively short half-life, the tablet should be formulated in a way that it takes a short time for the tablet to break up into particles or granules once it has been ingested. According to Nelson (2007, p.46), this may be achieved by adding sufficient disintegrants, not using too much binder and avoiding compressing the tablets too hard in order to modify the disintegration and enhance a rapid effect of the drug before it reaches its half life. In addition, another issue related to the tablet formulation of the new non sedating antihistamine that should be