Holy Trinity College

Puerto Princesa City

FORMS OF MEDICATION
I. ORAL MEDICATIONS

A. Liquid Preparations

1. Confection – a paste-like preparation made by boiling

vegetable drug or medicinal plant, with water and straining the
fluid.
2. Decoction – an aqueous preparation by boiling a vegetable
drug or a medicinal plant, with water and straining the fluid.
3. Elixir – a spirituous tincture (solution of a substance usually
non-volatile in alcohol) to which aromatic and sweet substance
have been added.
4. Emulsion – an aqueous preparation in which an oleaginous
(contains oil) or resinous material is suspended.
5. Fluid-extract- a concentrated liquid preparation of vegetable
drug, containing alcohol either as a solvent or as a
preservative. It is prepared by a process called parcolation in
such a way that in the final volume. 1 cc. of the preparation
contains 1 gm. of the crude drug. It is sometimes called a 10%
preparation.
6. Infusion – a liquid extract obtained from a vegetable drug by
the pouring of hot or cold water over the powdered crude drug,
allowing the mixture to stand and the filtering it. The solution
is usually 5% strong.
7. Magma – a suspension of inorganic substances in water. The
amount of precipated material is very large in comparison with
the volume of water and the resultant substance is thick and
whitish hence, the term milk of.
8. Mixture - a liquid preparation in which insoluble or partly
soluble substance are held in suspension by means of gum,
sugar, glycium or other viscid (thick and sticky) material.
9. Solution – an aqueous preparation containing one or more
non-volatile substance and wholly soluble in water.
10. Spirit – a solution of an essence or volatile substance in
alcohol.
11. Syrup – Simple syrup is a concentrated solution of sucrose in
distilled water. Medicated syrup contains medicinal
ingredient/s.
12. Tincture – a solution of a substance/s usually a non-volatile
plant principle in alcohol or in a mixture and Ether (ethereal

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 tincture). Preparation is similar to fluid extracts, but the final
volume is “10” preparation.
13. Water (Aromatic) - a solution of a particular chemical or
substance in water.
14. Mucilage- an aqueous solution or mucilaginous or sticky
principle extracted from vegetable substances.
15. Suspension – finely divided drug particles dispersed in liquid
medium. When suspension is left standing, particles settle to
bottom of container. Commonly this is given orally not
intravenously.

B. Solid Preparations

1. Extract- a solid concentrated preparation obtained by

evaporating the solvent used for extracting the active
principles of a vegetable for animal drug. Extracts are made in
two forms: plastic masses called pilular extracts and dry
powders known as powdered extract.
2. Pill – medication prepared in a small glandular form to be
taken whole. Acacia, flour, paste or glycerin holds the active
ingredients together. Very small pills are called “granules”
and larger size is called “polus”.
3. Lozenge or Troche – heard or oblong disks (lozenge) made
from active substance incorporated in sugar and mucilage.
They are dissolved in the mouth to furnish medications to the
throat.
4. Effervescent salt – a mixture of a soluble salt sodium
bicarbonate and citric or tartaric acid.
5. Powders – a preparation compressed in the form of lined
particles, either of a single drug or usually of several drugs in
combination. They are usually dispensed wrapped in a paper.
6. Tablet – a preparation compressed or molded usually into the
shape of a disk or a flat square. There are two kinds:
compressed tablets are those in which the powdered drug
has been compressed to make the particles cobere and
molded tablets or tablets triturate consisting of a mixture of
powdered substance with powdered lactose. Hypodermic
tablets are used chiefly for injections.
7. Capsule – a small glandular or cylindrical container made of
some digestible or soluble material such as gelatin for holding
a disagreeable medicine. It is used both for dry and liquid
preparations. The gelatin capsule may be hard or flexible.
8. Cachet- an elliptical wafer that can be folded or sealed for
holding a powdered substance to make it easy to take. A
cachet is also called a wafer capsule. It has a greater capacity
than a capsule and is more readily dissolved. Also, an edible
capsule formerly used for containing unpleasant-tasting
medicine.
9. Paper- a small paper packet containing a single dose of
powdered preparation.

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 10. Caplet –solid dosage form for oral use; shaped like a capsule
and coated for ease of swallowing.
11. Enteric-coated tablet – tablet for oral use coated with
materials that do not dissolve in stomach; coatings dissolve in
intestine, where medication is absorbed.

II. FOR EXTERNAL USE ONLY

1. Liniment - solutions of irritant drugs in an oily, soapy or
alcoholic base applied by seeing rubbed on the skin.
2. Lotion – an aqueous or alcoholic solution or a suspension of
insoluble substances.
3. Spray - a jet of fine medicated vapor applied by an atomizer
(vaporizer) to a diseased part usually to the nose or throat. It
may also be used as a disinfectant of the air in a room. The
solution is usually of an astringent, antiseptic or aromatic drop
in an aqueous or oily base.
4. Charta or medicated paper – a piece of paper impregnated
or coated with medicinal substances used for external
application.
5. Colloid – a viscous (sticky) solution of Pyroxylin in a mixture of
ether and alcohol to which a medicinal agent may be added.
Some other solvent as acetone is sometimes used.
6. Ointment – A semi-solid preparation readily spread at
ordinary temperature containing medical substances usually in
a safety base as laid petroleum wax fat.
7. Paste – a semi-solid preparation usually with non-fatty base. It
is absorbed through skin more slowly than ointment.
8. Plaster – a preparation of a consistency harder than that of
ointment to be spread on linen or the like.
9. Suppository – a solid medicated body with fatty base adapted
in shape and weight for the insertion into a cavity of the body
(vagina or anus) and letting it melt at body temperature.
10. Patch or Transdermal disk – medication contained within
semi-permeable membrane disk or patch, which allows
medications to be absorbed through skin slowly over long
period.

III. Others
1. Solution – may be used orally, parenteral, or externally and it
can also be instilled into body organ or cavity. It contains water
with one or more dissolved compounds. It must be sterile for
parenteral use.
2. Glycerite – a solution medication combined with glycerin for
external use. It contains 50% glycerin.
3. Intraocular disk – a small, flexible oval consisting of two soft,
outer layers and a middle layer containing medication. When it
is moistened by ocular fluid, it releases medication for 1 week.

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References:

1. The Fundamentals of Nursing, Sixth Edition by Perry and Potter

2. The Holy Trinity College Manual on Nursing Procedure (Copyright January
2004) by Maria Celina G. Casis, R.N., M.S.N. and Elizabeth T. Lontok, R.N.