Estimation of Sodium Content of Some Commercial Antacid Tablets by Flame Photometry

Abstract

Antacids are marketed widely as over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, which are generally used for

neutralising the acid, for relief of heart burn, dyspepsia and large variety of non-specific

gastrointestinal symptoms. A study on composition of antacid formulations reveals that a large number of antacid formulations contain aluminium hydroxide and/or magnesium hydroxide which, in turn , contains some units of sodium ions in it. The presence of sodium ions in antacid preparations is particularly contraindicated in patients with known cardiac and hypertensive problems. In the present study, an attempt is therefore made to study the content of sodium ions in marketed antacid tablets. Estimation of sodium content was made by Flame photometry. The study reveals that the formulation contains significant concentration of sodium ions, which suggests that care must be taken during the manufacturing of these hydroxides and certain specifications are needed by the monographs regarding the sodium content of antacid preparations.