PHARMACEUTICAL USES OF ALCOHOL

NAME : NURFATIHA AMIRA BINTI SUZELI

MATRIX NUMBER : 201504517
I/C NUMBER : 970724-01-5062
COURSE : DIPLOMA IN PHARMACY
LECTURE NAME : MISS NUR AMIERA BRAHIM
DATE : 7 / 1 / 2016

Pharmaceutical Uses of Isopropyl Alcohol

Overview
Isopropyl alcohol, more commonly known as rubbing alcohol, has a number of applications
in the health industry and is a familiar staple in most home medicine cabinets. According to
Medical Dictionary, the name "rubbing alcohol" stems from its use in the past as a medicinal
rubdown, although this is not as common of an application now.
Surface Disinfectant
Isopropyl alcohol is one of the active ingredients in many of the products used to disinfect
hospital surfaces. It is on the Environmental Protection Agency's "List of Antimicrobial
Products Effective Against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Human HIV-1 and Hepatitis B
Virus." Generally the isopropyl alcohol in these products is combined with another chemical
that helps it to stay on the surface longer and not evaporate as quickly. It is a helpful addition
to any surface cleaner at home, and can kill bacteria, spores and viruses on those surfaces as
well.
Antiseptic
Isopropyl alcohol is often employed as an antiseptic, and you have likely had a doctor use it
to swab your skin before injections to kill surface bacteria. It is used to clean minor cuts and
abrasions, and to kill any bacteria that might be in the area in order to prevent bacterial
growth. It is also approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, as a
surgical scrub and clinical hand sanitizer.
Astringent
Astringents are substances that can shrink or tighten your body tissues, like the pores in your
skin, when they are applied topically. Isopropyl alcohol acts as an astringent and is often used
in skin toners and tightening formulas along with other astringents like witch hazel. It helps
to give your skin a smoother look and make pores less visible. Astringents also help to stop
bleeding in minor cuts and scrapes by tightening up the capillaries that are losing blood.
Liniment for Muscle Aches
A liniment is a liquid that can be rubbed over the surface of aching muscles or painful joints
to help reduce pain and swelling. According to the Columbia Online Encyclopedia, alcohol is
an effective liniment because it acts as a minor irritant to the skin increasing circulation and
blood flow to the area. This increased circulation helps to ease pain and inflammation.
Pharmaceutical uses of aspirin
Aspirin is a drug compound derived from salicylic acid that is commonly used to control pain
and fever. Also known as acetylsalicylic acid and 2-(acetyloxy)-benzoic acid, it is prepared
by the acetylation of salicylic acid with acetic anhydride. Aspirin has a molecular formula of
C9H8O4.
Salicylic acid has been a natural remedy since ancient times, when preparations made from
the bark of the willow tree, via its active principle salicin, were known to provide a measure
of pain relief. The perennial herb meadowsweet (mead wort) also contains this compound.
When consumed, salicin is metabolized to salicylic acid. In the 1800s, various techniques to
extract salicin and prepare salicylic acid were developed. Through the efforts of the German
research chemist Felix Hoffmann, aspirin was synthesized and marketed by the Bayer
pharmaceutical company in 1899.

Aspirin is effective as an analgesic (pain reliever), antipyretic (fever reducer), and antiinflammatory drug. It prevents the aggregation of platelets, and some evidence suggests that
it can prevent stroke. Aspirin is the preferred drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis,
and it has been used in the treatment of osteoarthritis.
Individuals exhibit differences with regard to the absorption, tolerance, and therapeutic
usefulness of aspirin. Intolerance to aspirin may result from a specific condition that alters the
receptors for the molecule on the bodys cells. The clinical symptoms of aspirin sensitivity
are similar to those encountered in clinical allergy and anaphylaxis. Consequently, reactions
caused by aspirin have been thought to represent an aspirin allergy. In addition, aspirin has
been linked to the development of Reyes syndrome (a rare but acute condition leading to
swelling in the liver and brain) that occurs in children who are recovering from a viral
disease. Because of this association, children under 19 years of age who are recovering from
episodes of chickenpox or flu-like symptoms are cautioned not to take aspirin