www.pharmanotes.

org

Incompatibilities
When two or more ingredients of a prescription are mixed together, the undesired change that may take
place in the physical, chemical or therapeutic properties of the medicament is termed as incompatibility.

This is because of mixing 2 or more antagonistic substances or formation of an undesirable product.

It may affect the safety, efficacy and appearance of the preparation.

Classification
There are 3 types of incompatibilities:

– Physical incompatibilities

– Chemical incompatibilities

– Therapeutic incompatibilities

Physical incompatibilities
When 2 or more antagonistic substances are combined together, a physical change takes place and an
unacceptable product is formed due to immiscibility, insolubility or liquefaction

The changes are visible and can be corrected by the application of pharmaceutical skill to obtain a product
of uniform dosage, and attractive appearance

When 2 or more Changes are visible and can

antagonistic substances
be corrected
are combined

Due to immiscibility,
insolubility or liquefaction

a physical change takes

place and an
unacceptable product is
formed

Chemical incompatibilities

Incompatibilites is due to –

pH changes,

complex formation,

oxidation, reduction ,hydrolysis

any combination reactions.

Page 1 of 5
 www.pharmanotes.org
These reactions are noticed by precipitation, effervescence, decomposition, colour change or explosion.

oxidation
complex
reduction
formation
hydrolysis

any
pH
combinatio
changes Chemical n reactions
incompati
bilities

Precipitati
on
Decomposit Effervescen
ion ce
Chemical
incompa
tibilities
Colour
Explosion
change

WWW.PHARMANOTES.ORG
Page 2 of 5
 www.pharmanotes.org

Therapeutic incompatibilities
May be a result of prescribing certain drugs to a patient with the intention to produce a specific degree of
pharmacological action, but the nature or intensity of action produced is different from that intended by the
prescriber.

Physical incompatibilities

Immisci
bility

Physical
incompati
Liquefac bilities Insolubili
tion ty

Physical incompatibilities – Immiscibility

Preparation of This third agent is

castor oil • Example
emulsion called emulsifier.

Castor oil is
not miscible in • Problem
water.

a third agent (gum

acacia) is added to
prepare a stable • Remedy
emulsion

Page 3 of 5
 www.pharmanotes.org

Preparation of Soap in high conc. in

cresol soap • Example water forms micelles.
solution The over all preparation is
transparent.

Cresol and
water are • Problem
immiscible

Soap is
prepared by
• Remedy
saponification
process

Physical incompatibilities – Insolubility

Phenacetin 3.33 g
CTP increases the viscosity of the
Caffeine 1.11 g preparation and helps to maintain
Orange syrup 13.3 ml • Example uniform distribution of the
Water (q.s) 100ml insoluble substances for
sufficiently long time after shaking
the bottle in order to facilitate
Phenacetin is an removal of a uniform dose.
indiffusible solid.

Compound powder of
tragacanth CTP (2g /100ml
of finished product) or
• Remedy tragacanth mucilage is used
as suspending agent.

WWW.PHARMANOTES.ORG
Page 4 of 5
 www.pharmanotes.org

Physical incompatibilities – Liquefaction

Eutectic
mixtures • Example

Certain low melting point of solids are

triturated together leads to formation • Problem
of liquid at room temperature

Addition of
diluent/absorbent till
it becomes free • Remedy
flowing powder

Liquefaction
• The medicaments exhibiting this behavior are any pair of the following –

• Ammonium chloride, camphor, menthol, phenol, thymol and chloral hydrate.

• Phenazone with aspirin or sodium salicylate.

• Example for Absorbent -

Light kaolin, light magnesium carbonate, light magnesium oxide, rhubarb, starch, lactose etc.,

• The characteristics of an absorbent are-

– High melting point

– Large specific area are required

Note

• Light forms of powder are used because they possess large surface area.

WWW.PHARMANOTES.ORG

Page 5 of 5