How to Prepare Captopril Suspension

Captopril is an angiotensin-converting enzyme medication used to control high blood pressure, aid recovery from heart attacks, assist with the side effects of dialysis and medicate other heart-related conditions, according to standardized drug data. The drug suspension is created using a neutral suspending agent such as keltrol to allow for ingestion of the medicine by those individuals incapable of swallowing tablets, usually children.

Things You'll Need

• Alcohol wipe
• Mortar and pestle
• Captopril tablets
• Suspension agent (keltrol)
• Graduated cylinder
• Sterile container
• Container cap
• Label

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Instructions

Creating a Captopril Suspension

• 1

  Sterilize equipment. Using an alcohol swab or patch, thoroughly wipe down the mortar and pestle, allowing to dry completely. Sterilize the graduated cylinder and container according to the laboratory protocol of your institution.

• 2

  Allocate medication and suspension agent. The dosage of captopril will determine the amount of keltrol to be used. The suspension formula is 1 ml of keltrol to 2 mg of captopril, according to the Pharmacy Department at Our Lady's Children's Hospital-Crumlin. For example, for a 1000 mg captopril suspension, 500 ml of keltrol will be needed.

• 3

  Grind captopril. Using the sterilized mortar, count out the required number of captopril tablets, e.g., for a 1000 mg suspension using 25 mg tablets, place 40 tabs in the mortar. Grind the tablets with the pestle until a uniform powder consistency is obtained.

• 4

  Add suspension agent. Slowly add keltrol incrementally to the powder, mixing after each addition. Do not pour more than you can easily mix in the mortar, i.e., about half full, nor more than two-thirds of the total volume of keltrol. As soon as a suspension is reached in the mortar, stop adding keltrol and proceed to the next step.

• 5

  Transfer and top off. Pour off the suspension into a graduated cylinder and rinse the mortar and pestle with additional keltrol. Pour this mixture into the cylinder and add additional keltrol to the cylinder until the required volume of liquid is indicated. For a 1,000 mg suspension, there should be a total of 500 ml in the cylinder.

• 6

  Bottle and cap. After verifying that the captopril concentration and keltrol volume are correct, pour the suspension into the sterilized container and cap tightly.

• 7

  Label and store. Prepare a label with the suspension quantities, date of creation, and any other laboratory-required information, e.g., name of individual or expiration date, and place on the container. Place the container in a refrigerator until needed.