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Abstract:  Extemporaneously prepared liquid dosage forms are needed to administer required medications in infants and young children. The goal of this study was to evaluate the stability of levothyroxine, doxycycline, hydrocortisone, and pravastatin in extemporaneously prepared suspensions stored in plastic prescription bottles under refrigeration and room temperature. Levothyroxine (25 mcg/mL), doxycycline (5 mg/mL), hydrocortisone (2 mg/mL), and pravastatin (10 mg/mL) were each prepared in two groups of suspensions. All of these suspensions were stored in plastic prescription bottles under refrigeration and at room temperature. Levothyroxine was stable for two weeks at 4°C but only one week at 25°C in both suspensions. Doxycycline was stable for two weeks in both suspensions at 4°C and 25°C. Hydrocortisone was stable for the entire two-week study period in both suspensions at both 4°C and 25°C. Pravastatin was stable for the one-week study period in both suspensions at both 4°C and 25°C. These results can be used to offer age-appropriate extemporaneously prepared medications to infants and young children when no suitable commercially available liquid formulations are available.

Related Keywords: Milap C. Nahata, PharmD, MS, levothyroxine, doxycycline, hydrocortisone, pravastatin, stability, storage temperature, oral suspension

Related Categories: PEER-REVIEWED, STABILITIES, COMPATIBILITIES, DOSAGE FORMS/DRUG CARRIERS, ENDOCRINOLOGY/HORMONES/ MENOPAUSE/ANDROPAUSE, STORAGE

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