Molecules: You'd better learn to live with them.
Compounding - that is, mixing up pharmaceuticals in the appropriate form for dosing - used to be something that happened at the pharmacy. You can still find "compounding pharmacies" willing to do this - they'll mix up your stuff into a kid-friendly elixir, or prepare ointments, and the like. However, increasingly complex and fragile molecules in drugs (not to mention an increased level of caution) mean that the vast, vast majority of compounding is done at the pharmaceutical company level. This often means single-dose vials and the like, and we're probably safer for this, with the trade-off of increased prices.
Part of the problem with compounding drugs - elixirs in particular - is that drugs often aren't that soluble. Many drugs are administered as the HCl salt, and your stomach contains prodigious amounts of HCl as well. Both these help solubility. Plain water, however, often won't dissolve them so well. Administering drugs in a solution of concentrated isn't an option, and most organic solvents are toxic. Glycerine is often used to good effect here - it's nontoxic, and will help with solubility. Glycerine or propylene glycol are often found in such elixirs for this reason.
Diethylene glycol, however, is rather toxic. There's buzz in the news now that some unscrupulous, misinformed, or otherwise careless compounders may be using it in elixirs. Sadly, this isn't new.
In 1937, over 100 people died as a result of taking antibiotic elixirs prepared with diethylene glycol. This hastened the rise of an FDA with previously-unheard of regulatory powers. Incredibly, authorities recovered 97.6% of tainted drug after finding out things were going awry.
Comments
You know what's the exact mechanism of toxicity for DEG?
Posted by: Wavefunction | May 7, 2007 8:48 PM
For better or worse?
Better!
Once the FDA required drug manufacturers to actually provide proof for their claims pharmaceutical science was born!
Unquestionably better.
Posted by: MarkH | May 7, 2007 10:02 PM
Thanks...interesting post. I love a little history in my chemistry.
Posted by: Brando | May 7, 2007 10:25 PM
i presume the same as ethylene glycol, alcohol -> aldehyde -> many imines -> all hell breaks loose.
Posted by: kiwi | May 8, 2007 7:18 AM
MarkH-
Actually, I meant to either rework that with examples of some of the ups and downs of our breed of food and drug organization or take it out, thanks for pointing it out.
Sorry your comment won't make as much sense now.
Posted by: Molecule of the Day | May 8, 2007 1:21 PM
I don�t think so Kiwi in DEG we have the ether group that we don�t have in ethylene glycol.
Here is a study from PubMed:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1687012&dopt=Abstract
Posted by: Oskar | May 8, 2007 3:47 PM
how can i make soluble castor oil in di ethylene glycol.give me suggetion or advise.
Thanks
Posted by: arti | June 20, 2007 11:56 AM