The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7396 p439
15 April 2006

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Letters to the Editor

Antibiotics

Suspensions should be dispensed in powder form for patient dilution

From Dr M. L. Truong, MRPharmS

We, as pharmacists, dispense antibiotics in the form of reconstituted suspensions, but should we really be making these up for patients?

Most patients should be able to mix a suspension themselves. It is not hard to mix so many millilitres of water with a set amount of antibiotic powder.

There are reasons why I think we should dispense the antibiotic in powder form:

· At present, if we dispense a suspension, we have to ask the patient to come back to purchase the remainder of the course if the treatment period exceeds the stability period. It is more practical to dispense the whole treatment (as a powder) in one go

· Some people collect their suspension during the day (in a pharmacy close to their workplace) but are then unable to keep it in a refrigerator before returning home

· Dispensing errors with suspensions lead to wastage, as there is no going back to the powder once water has been added

· If the antibiotic is dispensed in powder form, patients have peace of mind knowing that it has not been tampered with or contaminated

Minh-Loc Truong
Coventry, West Midlands

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