https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/conditions-and-treatments/medicines-information/types-medicines/
Most medicines come in a variety of types or formats. Be aware, though, that some medicines (particularly rare or unusual ones) only come in one type. Also, some may be more effective in one type than another.
Preparations
In the UK, medicines often come in some of the following preparations:
Liquid
The active part of the medicine is combined with a liquidto make it easier to take or better absorbed. A liquid may also be called a ‘mixture’, ‘solution’ or ‘syrup’. Many common liquids are now available without any added colouring or sugar.
Tablet
The active ingredient is combined with another substance and pressed into a round or oval solid shape. There are different types of tablet. Soluble or dispersible tablets can safely be dissolved in water.
Capsules
The active part of the medicine is contained inside a plastic shell that dissolves slowly in the stomach. You can take some capsules apart and mix the contents with your child’s favourite food. Others need to be swallowed whole, so the medicine isn’t absorbed until the stomach acid breaks down the capsule shell.
Other types of medicine:
Topical medicines
These are creams, lotions or ointments applied directly onto the skin. They come in tubs, bottles or tubes depending on the type of medicine. The active part of the medicine is mixed with another substance, making it easy to apply to the skin.
Suppositories
The active part of the medicine is combined with another substance and pressed into a ‘bullet shape’ so it can be inserted into the bottom.Suppositoriesmustn't be swallowed.
Drops
These are often used where the active part of the medicine works best if it reaches the affected area directly. They tend to be used for eye, ear or nose.
Inhalers
The active part of the medicine is released under pressure directly into the lungs. Young children may need to use a ‘spacer’ device to take the medicine properly. Inhalers can be difficult to use at first so your pharmacist will show you how to use them.
Injections
There are different types of injection, in how and where they're injected. Subcutaneous or SC injections are given just under the surface of the skin. Intramuscular or IM injections are given into a muscle. Intrathecal injections are given into the fluid around the spinal cord. Intravenousor IV injections are given into a vein. Some injections can be given at home but most are given at your doctor’s surgery or in hospital.
Implants or patches
These medicines are absorbed through the skin, such as nicotine patches for help in giving up smoking, or contraceptive implants.
Tablets you don't swallow (known as buccal or sublingual tablets or liquids)
These look like normal tablets or liquids, but you don’t swallow them. Buccal medicines are held in the cheek so the mouth lining absorbs the active ingredient. Sublingual medicines work in the same way but are put underneath the tongue. Buccal and sublingual medicines tend only to be given in very specific circ*mstances.
Further tips
When we’re prescribing medicine, remember to ask us about the different formats available. If you know from experience your child prefers tablets to liquids, please let us know. Wherever possible, we’ll prescribe the medicine in a format that makes it easier for your child to take it. You can also discuss this with your pharmacist when you hand in the prescription.
Compiled by:
the Pharmacy department in collaboration with the Child and Family Information Group
Last review date:
April 2019
Ref:
2019F0731
Please read this information sheet from GOSH alongside the patient information leaflet (PIL) provided by the manufacturer. If you do not have a copy of the manufacturer’s patient information leaflet please talk to your pharmacist. A few products do not have a marketing authorisation (licence) as a medicine and therefore there is no PIL.
For children in particular, there may be conflicts of information between the manufacturer’s patient information leaflet (PIL) and guidance provided by GOSH and other healthcare providers. For example, some manufacturers may recommend, in the patient information leaflet, that a medicine is not given to children aged under 12 years. In most cases, this is because the manufacturer will recruit adults to clinical trials in the first instance and therefore the initial marketing authorisation (licence) only covers adults and older children.
For new medicines, the manufacturer then has to recruit children and newborns into trials (unless the medicine is not going to be used in children and newborns) and subsequently amend the PIL with the approved information. Older medicines may have been used effectively for many years in children without problems but the manufacturer has not been required to collect data and amend the licence. This does not mean that it is unsafe for children and young people to be prescribed such a medicine ‘off-licence/off-label’. However, if you are concerned about any conflicts of information, please discuss with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
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More information
Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) switchboard: 020 7405 9200
Pharmacy dept: 020 7829 8680
Pharmacy Medicines Information: 020 7829 8608
