Suppositories in extinction

• April 25, 2024

Let the hand raise who has not received a suppository in life. It is highly probable that everyone, especially babies, have been cured thanks to the effects of a medicine conical and rounded.

Nowadays, however, according to the Spanish Association of Pediatrics of Primary Care (AEPAP), the use of suppositories has decreased a lot compared to past decades, since this way it is not always possible to guarantee the quantity of medication that will finally reach organism in addition to being uncomfortable administration and I could cause discomfort.

All these drawbacks have led to fewer and fewer medicines on the market under this presentation. An example is antibiotics which, due to the drawback of variable absorption, have ceased to be manufactured in the form of suppositories in many European countries.

What they are and when they should be used

Suppositories are another form of presentation of medicines, but specifically designed for rectal administration, that is, introducing them into the body through the anus.

This type of capsule, between 3 and 4 centimeters long, with a weight not exceeding 3 grams, conical and rounded at one end, is composed mainly of a solid vegetable fat containing one or more drugs. The suppository, once introduced into the rectum, dissolves little by little, releasing the medicine and allowing its absorption and passage into the blood.

According to Spanish pediatricians Manuel Merino and Juan Bravo Acuña, suppositories can be used both to produce an effect directly in the rectum (for example as a laxative), and to achieve a route of administration of the drug when the oral is not possible either for vomiting, swallowing problems or lack of collaboration of the sick person, among other reasons.

Currently, the most common case of use in children is that of parents who intend to give an antipyretic to the child with vomiting or refusing to take certain medicine.

How suppositories are placed

According to AEPAP specialists, the application technique is little known. How many times, after applying a suppository to a baby, does it leave the rectum and do you have to repeat the maneuver several times or even have to discard it and use a new one?

Doctors suggest that the best way to administer suppositories is not what common sense usually dictates; that is to say, to introduce them in the anus by its pointed end, but on the contrary, the correct thing is to begin by the flat end. This facilitates that the suppository is lodged in the rectum, because thus, when the anus contracts, what is achieved is to push the suppository inward and not the other way around.

Suppositories, says AEPAP, should be kept in a cool place protected from light, but it is not necessary and not even convenient in many cases, keep them in the refrigerator.

It is very important to follow the manufacturer's instructions and verify the expiration date before application. And, although it never hurts to remember, it is highly recommended to wash your hands before and after your application.