Table of contents:
- What are film-coated tablets?
- Advantages of film-coated drugs
- Disadvantages of using film-coated tablets
Compared to several other types of oral drugs such as tablet drugs, capsules, powder medicine, and syrup drugs, of course, film-coated drugs are a type of drug whose name you rarely hear. In fact, this form of medicine you must encounter quite often. Different forms of medicine have different virtues and functions. Then what is the function of the drug or film-coated tablet?
What are film-coated tablets?
Medicines are available in various forms, from syrup, powder, to capsules. Generally, these different forms of medicine are adapted to their content and function. Well, one type that is often prescribed by doctors is film coated tablets.
Film-coated tablet is one type of oral medicine that has a solid form. On the inside, there is a drug solution that is shaped like a liquid, which is then coated on the outside by a membrane.
When introducing active chemicals into the membrane tablet, these chemicals will adhere to the membrane particles and replace the liquid that is in them. Therefore, they are called film coated tablets. The membrane that is on the outer layer of this medicine is not that thick but it is difficult to dissolve in water.
Actually, there are various kinds of coated tablets, namely sugar coated tablets, enteric coated tablets, and film coated tablets.
Advantages of film-coated drugs
Tablets coated with a membrane generally aim to hide the unpleasant odor of the active chemicals in the drug, or to protect the chemical from getting to the intestines and not being destroyed when passing through the stomach acid.
Because, if the drug is destroyed through stomach acid, the drug cannot be absorbed in the intestine. This indicates that the performance of the drug is not working and you cannot feel the benefit of using this drug.
The film coated drug has several advantages, among which it will slowly release the active chemical in the body at an adjusted stable dose.
That is, the dose of the active ingredient is released gradually in the body and is absorbed slowly by the intestine continuously. The number of doses released in the body can also be adjusted, according to the type of membrane and the concentration of the drug itself.
Therefore, this form of film-coated medication is very suitable for all types of drugs that are easily soluble in water. That way, this form of the drug can maximize the mechanism of action of the drug in the body, compared to if the drug is not coated by a membrane.
Disadvantages of using film-coated tablets
However, the film-coated tablet also has drawbacks when compared to other types of oral tablets. For example, film-coated tablets have a higher price compared to the same drug but in different forms.
In addition, the film-coated tablet also has the potential to cause poisoning to the body due to the disposal dose (dose dumping) .
The discharge dose occurs when the drug metabolism is affected by environmental factors causing the release of the drug to occur earlier or the tablet releases an excessive dose of the drug into the body.
This can cause the drug concentration in the body to increase, so that the risk of side effects also increases. If left untreated, there is a chance that you will experience drug poisoning.
Therefore, drug use standards must always be followed. Follow the doctor or pharmacist's rules. One of them is to use the drug according to the dosage determined by the doctor.
Take medication regularly and do not double your dose as there is a risk of overdose. Avoid using certain drugs in conjunction with other drugs because the interactions that occur may increase the risk of side effects from the drug.
