# Suppository > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Suppository > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Suppository.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suppository > Source revision: 1300490210 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Dosage form used to deliver medications}} {{Context|date=November 2021}} A '''suppository''' is a [dosage form](/source/dosage_form) used to deliver [medications](/source/pharmaceutical_drug) by insertion into a [body orifice](/source/body_orifice) (any opening in the body), where it dissolves or melts to exert local or systemic effects. There are three types of suppositories, each to insert into a different sections: rectal suppositories into the [rectum](/source/rectal_administration), vaginal suppositories into the [vagina](/source/Intravaginal_administration), and urethral suppositories into the [urethra of a male](/source/Urethra). Suppositories are ideal for infants, elderly individuals and post-operative patients, who are unable to swallow oral medications, and for individuals experiencing severe nausea and/or vomiting.{{Cite journal|last1=Jannin|first1=Vincent|last2=Lemagnen|first2=Gilles|last3=Gueroult|first3=Pascale|last4=Larrouture|first4=Denis|last5=Tuleu|first5=Catherine|date=2014-06-30|title=Rectal route in the 21st Century to treat children|journal=Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews|series=Drug delivery and the paediatric population: where are we at?|language=en|volume=73|pages=34–49|doi=10.1016/j.addr.2014.05.012|pmid=24871671|issn=0169-409X|doi-access=free}}{{Cite web|title=Dulcolax 5 mg Suppositories - Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) - (emc)|url=https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/5505/smpc|access-date=2021-12-11|website=www.medicines.org.uk}}{{Cite magazine|last=Lowry|first=Michael|date=2016-02-22|title=Rectal drug administration in adults: how, when, why|url=https://www.nursingtimes.net/clinical-archive/neurology/rectal-drug-administration-in-adults-how-when-why-22-02-2016/|magazine=Nursing Times|language=en|access-date=2022-04-10|volume=112|number=8, 12–14}} Suppositories are administered through rectal route to reduce onset time of reaction. ==Composition== Several different ingredients can be used to form the base of a suppository: [cocoa butter](/source/cocoa_butter) or a similar substitute, [polyethylene glycol](/source/polyethylene_glycol), [hydrogels](/source/Gel), and glycerinated [gelatin](/source/gelatin). The type of material used depends on the type of suppository, the type of drug, and the conditions in which the suppository will be stored.{{cite book|last1=Troy|first1=David B.|last2=Beringer|first2=Paul|title=Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy|date=2006|publisher=Lippincott Williams & Wilkins|pages=884–885|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NFGSSSbaWjwC&q=Glycerinated+gelatin&pg=PA885|isbn=9780781746731}} ==Rectal suppositories== [[File:Glycerin suppositories.jpg|right|thumb|[Glycerin](/source/Glycerin) suppositories ([laxative](/source/laxative))]] In 1991, a study on suppository insertion in ''[The Lancet](/source/The_Lancet)'' found that the "torpedo" shape helps the device to travel internally, increasing its efficacy.{{cite journal | last = Abd-El-Maeboud | first = K. H. |author2=T. El-Naggar |author3=E. M. M. El-Hawi |author4=S. A. R. Mahmoud |author5=S. Abd-El-Hay | title = Rectal suppository: commonsense and mode of insertion | journal = The Lancet | volume = 338 | issue = 8770 | pages = 798–800 | date = 28 September 1991| doi = 10.1016/0140-6736(91)90676-G | pmid=1681170| s2cid = 23190075 }} The findings of this single study have been challenged as there is insufficient evidence on which to base clinical practice.{{cite journal | last = Bradshaw | first = Ann | author2 = Lynda Price | title = Rectal suppository insertion: the reliability of the evidence as a basis for nursing practice | url = https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/48198397/Rectal_suppository_insertion_the_reliabi20160820-21954-12vnm39.pdf?response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DRectal_suppository_insertion_the_reliabi.pdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A%2F20200229%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20200229T174503Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=bba7b820f124c0dd1a70b15dd093db59f4037667e652a3d2bf0500900d2cbb6f | journal = Journal of Clinical Nursing | volume = 16 | issue = 1 | pages = 98–103 | date = 20 December 2006 | doi=10.1111/j.1365-2702.2005.01519.x | pmid=17181671| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200229174541/https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/48198397/Rectal_suppository_insertion_the_reliabi20160820-21954-12vnm39.pdf?response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DRectal_suppository_insertion_the_reliabi.pdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A%2F20200229%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20200229T174503Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=bba7b820f124c0dd1a70b15dd093db59f4037667e652a3d2bf0500900d2cbb6f | archive-date = 2020-02-29 }} Rectal suppositories are intended for localized or systemic action to relieve pain, constipation, irritation, inflammation, nausea and vomiting, fever, migraines, allergies, and sedation.{{Cite journal|last=Hua|first=Susan|date=2019-10-16|title=Physiological and Pharmaceutical Considerations for Rectal Drug Formulations|journal=Frontiers in Pharmacology|volume=10|pages=1196|doi=10.3389/fphar.2019.01196|issn=1663-9812|pmc=6805701|pmid=31680970|doi-access=free}}{{Cite web|title=ANTIBIOTIC/ANESTHETIC/STEROID - RECTAL SUPPOSITORIES side effects, medical uses, and drug interactions.|url=https://www.medicinenet.com/antibioticanestheticsteroid-rectal/article.htm|access-date=2021-12-11|website=MedicineNet|language=en}} If they cause inflammation, chronic use of suppositories may cause [rectal stricture](/source/rectal_stricture),Ahmad, A; Krishnamurthy, P (June 2021). "[https://practicalgastro.com/2021/08/17/benign-rectal-strictures-a-review-article/ Benign Rectal Strictures: A Review Article]". ''Practical Gastroenterology.'' '''45''' (6): 16-33. but overall this is a safe method of drug delivery.{{cite journal |last1=Gupta |first1=PJ |title=Suppositories in anal disorders: a review. |journal=European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences |date=May 2007 |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=165–70 |pmid=17970232}} [[File:Panadol suppositories.jpg|right|thumb|Four 500 mg [paracetamol](/source/paracetamol) suppositories]] ==Urethral suppositories== [Alprostadil](/source/Alprostadil) pellets are urethral suppositories used for the treatment of severe [erectile dysfunction (impotence)](/source/erectile_dysfunction). They are marketed under the name ''Muse'' in the United States.{{cite web|title=Muse Suppository - Facts and Comparisons|url=https://www.drugs.com/cdi/muse-suppository.html|publisher=Drugs.com|access-date=4 January 2013}} Its use has diminished since the development of oral impotence medications. == See also == {{Commons and category|Suppository|Suppositories}} * [Artesunate suppositories](/source/Artesunate_suppositories) * [Enema](/source/Enema) * [Pessary](/source/Pessary) ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==References== * Doyle, D., [https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/sites/default/files/doyle_4.pdf "Per Rectum: A History of Enemata"], ''Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh'', Vol.35, No.4, (December 2005), pp. 367–370. * Payer, L., [https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.2326-1951.1990.tb02238.x "Borderline Cases: How Medical Practice Reflects National Culture"], ''The Sciences'', Vol.30, No.4, (July–August 1990), pp. 38–42. {{Dosage forms|state=expanded}}{{Authority control}} Category:Anus Category:Constipation Category:Dosage forms Category:Drug delivery devices Category:Drugs acting on the gastrointestinal system and metabolism Category:Laxatives Category:Rectum Category:Routes of administration --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Suppository](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suppository) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suppository?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.