Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: stana on 27/11/2007 20:57:53

Title: How long does it take for tablets to work their magic?
Post by: stana on 27/11/2007 20:57:53

How long does it take, after injestion, for a tablet to work? does it all depen upon the tablet itself?

Title: How long does it take for tablets to work their magic?
Post by: techmind on 27/11/2007 23:28:44

Quote from: stana on 27/11/2007 20:57:53

How long does it take, after injestion, for a tablet to work? does it all depen upon the tablet itself?

Depending on the tablets' coating, the active ingredient will be designed to be released in the bloodstream within anything from 20-30 minutes (probably for a pain-killer - I'm guessing) to up to 12-24 hours for something "slow-release".

Once in the bloodstream a painkiller should give immediate effects, but the effects of something like an antifungal (used against toe-nail infections etc) it might take a very long course of the drug and many weeks for any effect to be observable.

I think it depends substantially on the type of drug and the effect you're hoping to see. Did you have anything particular in mind?

Title: How long does it take for tablets to work their magic?
Post by: another_someone on 28/11/2007 03:29:06

More than merely the coating on the pill.  It can depend on the granule size, any additional components in the drug (some may be used to speed up the effect of the drug, while others may deliberately delay, or prolong the effect of the drug).  It also depends on your weight, and the state of your liver and kidneys, whether you took the drug with a meal or on an empty stomach, the nature of your diet, and many other aspects of your own metabolism.

Some drugs do not actually act directly, but will be metabolised within the body into something else, and it is the something else that has the ultimate effect - so you can see there could be quite a delay as it goes through the process of being metabolised.