Topical drug

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In medicine , topical drugs are all drugs that are not taken or injected, but rather applied locally. Since the active ingredient is brought directly to the site of action with topical application, the dose can often be reduced as far as possible, thus reducing the risk of side effects . All organs lying on the surface, i.e. the skin and the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, the digestive tract and the external eye, are accessible to local treatment . But an injection into a joint is also a topical (local, intra-articular) treatment.

Topical drugs play a particularly important role in dermatology , as well as in ophthalmology ( ophthalmology ) and urology .

The following are used, among others:

  • on the skin: ointments , creams and lotions
  • on the nose: nasal drops , sprays and ointments
  • on the oral mucosa: gargle solutions and lozenges
  • on the respiratory tract: metered dose aerosols and powder inhalers
  • on the intestine: enemas and enemas
  • on the conjunctiva of the eyes: drops and ointments

Also, antibiotics can be applied topically, such as bacterial skin infections. Sulfonamides are mainly used here .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. Hans Korting Dermatotherapy: A Guide. Springer, 2012, ISBN 978-3-642-79531-2 , p. 2.
  2. Björn Lemmer , Kay Brune: Pharmacotherapy: Clinical Pharmacology. Springer, 2010, ISBN 978-3-642-10541-8 , p. 432.
  3. Walter Reuß (Ed.): Hager's Handbook of Pharmaceutical Practice 5th Edition, Volume 6 (Register). Springer, Berlin and Heidelberg 2000, ISBN 978-3-642-62937-2 , doi : 10.1007 / 978-3-642-57008-7 , p. 335.